Prince of Persia – Doriano Carta

Every once in a while I will watch a movie with little or no expectations whatsoever and then I’ll get blown away by how good it is. Such was the case with “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time“. I did not expect much at all except for lots of action which it had aplenty but it had so much more. Jake Gyllenhaal was excellent as Dastan, the orphan boy who became a prince and Emma Arterton was breathtaking as the beautiful princess Tamina. I was completely captivated by the fantastic tale of the magical dagger that was capable of time travel (hence the Sands of Time in the title) as well as the wonderful love story between Dastan and Tamina. They have such tremendous chemistry and I found their witty banter most entertaining and thoroughly endearing. I love how they develop their characters and show us how they fall in love. It gets trickier when time travel is involved. Here are some of their exchanges:

Tamina: You know you really walk like one. Head held high, chest out, long stomping strides. The walk of a self-satisfied Persian prince. No doubt it comes from being told since birth the world is yours, and actually believing it.
Prince Dastan: I wasn’t born in a palace like you! I was born in the slums of Nasaf, where I lived if I fought and I clawed for it.
Tamina: Then how did you become a prince?
Prince Dastan: The king… marched into the market one day, and he… I don’t know, he… he found me. He took me in, he gave me a family, he gave me a home.
Prince Dastan: [he turns away, then turns back]
Prince Dastan: What you’re looking at, is… the walk of a man, who just lost everything.

Here’s another charming exchange
Tamina: Such a noble prince.
Prince Dastan: Such a gentle princess.
Tamina: How taken you were with my fainting act, eagerly leaping to assist the fallen beauty.
Prince Dastan: Who said you were a beauty?
Tamina: There must be a reason why you can’t take your eyes off me.
Prince Dastan: You’re… I… I don’t trust you. And you’re not my type.

Here is the final interaction when they meet again for the first time (Remember the time travel element!)

Tamina: How can I trust the man who breached the walls of my city?
Prince Dastan: Well, I’m starting to think I’m no longer the same man who breached those walls.
Tamina: That’s a short time for a man to change so much.
Prince Dastan: Perhaps.
Tamina: It sounds as if you’ve discovered something here.
Prince Dastan: And what might that be?
Tamina: A new spiritual awareness.
Prince Dastan: Destiny.
Tamina: Yes, exactly.
Prince Dastan: I believe we make our own destiny, Princess.
Tamina: You have an unfortunate lack of curiosity.
Prince Dastan: No doubt one of my many flaws.
Tamina: Please don’t mock me, Prince.
Prince Dastan: Oh, I hardly think we know each other well enough for that, Princess, but I look forward to the day that we do.

I love how the movie begins and ends with these lines:

“It is said some lives are linked across time
Connected by an ancient calling that echoes through the ages
Destiny”

Here’s the ending

I also loved the relationship of the three brothers and their dad, the king of Persia. Ben Kingsley was also terrific in his interpretation of Scar from the Lion King. As for the storyline involving the Sheik Amar played by Alred Molina (AKA Doc Oct from Spiderman 2), I have to say that I thought it was a total joy and so funny too. The ostriche races were hilarious and I really liked his relationship with his sidekick the Imbacka who’s involved in one of the best action sequences of the film near the end as well as one of the most touching moments.

I know this movie received mixed reviews from critics and audiences but I absolutely loved it for some reason. I loved the story, the performances, the cinematography, the direction by Mike Newell, the action sequences, the special effects (especially the time traveling sequences and the ending sequence over the daggar) and most of all the music which was big and sweeping. There was just so much to love about this movie for me.
Here’s a playlist of video clips about the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

Playlist Contents: