In many ways I wasn't surprised by the film. To the annoyance of my friend Crouchy who was sat next to me, I had worked out the plot of the whole film within 20 minutes of taking my seat. This I accepted was because it was a Disney film. It was full of the predictable cliché's within the plot and with the Prince's own flamboyant set pieces. It was easily guessable where the next threat was going to come from and it sometimes annoyed me that the Price wasn't a little more switched on the situation because otherwise he may have been able to see the threat coming and save the lives of a few bit part characters. It is horrible thought that the Prince may have been able to save the lives of some unimportant henchman if he had been on the ball, he should feel guilty. The script also leaves the actors wanting at some points. There is a poorly written scene right at the end of the film between Gemma and Jake which just seems awkward even though they are trying to tie the whole film up, it did make me cringe a little!
The acting also disappointed me to a certain extent. Although the stunning Gemma Arterton looked fantastic, her lines felt forced. She captured her mysterious persona well and her love for the Prince as well but any other acting seemed to be beyond her grasp. Her humor was the worst because it often felt like even she wasn't comfortable with saying the poorly written unfunny one liner. Sir Ben Kingsley delivered what I would call a solid performance. Most of his lines were not a problem for him and he managed to deliver a certain amount of threat with the way he carried himself and delivered his lines. However sometimes it would seem the lines caught him by surprise and as if he had had no time to practice them which ruined the illusion of a destructive evil uncle. Apart from his dodgy accent, Jake Gyllenhaal delivered a good performance bringing the cheekiness of the Prince to the film well and at times I did even feel some sympathy for his character's predicament which means well done him on the acting front. The worst acting in the film was that of the meant to be comic relief side of the film which was a tax avoiding ostrich racer. He did deliver some of comic lines well enough to make me chuckle but the rest of his many lines all felt forced and painful. But I can't complain, the comic relief guy has always been and always will be a key part of Disney films.
There are many good things to be said about the Prince of Persia. These include the rather impressive acrobatics that are ever present in the film that the video game followers will appreciate, and the stunning scenery. I watched this film on Blue Ray on a very large TV and the look of the whole film took my breath away (I'm not just talking about Gemma Arterton there but she did factor in my opinion). They definitely got the look of the film right because even though it was shot in Spain you felt like you were right there in Persia! I also liked the fact that a few of the lines did make me laugh and generally the film kept me feeling upbeat in a Disney way. I was impressed with the amount I smiled through the film.
I would say that in summery, The Price of Persia is an ok film. It has a lot of flaws but some of these are the sort of flaws you would expect with a big budget disney film like the cliche script and the badly written humor. Put this all aside however and I would say that I did enjoy the film for what it was. I think that if you could get it at a good price then Blue Ray is the way to go just for the scenery.
Rating: 5.5/10
Format to buy: Blue Ray
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