Review: Jake Gyllenhaal is the only saving grace of `Prince of Persia`

Hollywood studios are ubiquitously known for their fixation for superhero franchise. With ‘Prince of Persia’, Mike Newell carries forward the same legacy as he comes out with a slick adventure based fantasy film, loosely based on the popular video game by the same name. 'Prince of Persia' includes Jake Gyllenhaal as Dastan, Gemma Arterton as Princess Tamina, Ben Kingsley as Nizam and Alfred Molina as Sheikh Amar.

Spicezee Bureau

Hollywood studios are ubiquitously known for their fixation for superhero franchise. With ‘Prince of Persia’, Mike Newell carries forward the same legacy as he comes out with a slick adventure based fantasy film, loosely based on the popular video game by the same name. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Dastan, Gemma Arterton as Princess Tamina, Ben Kingsley as villainous Nizam and Alfred Molina as Sheikh Amar, ‘Prince of Persia’ is made on a huge budget, full of CGI and animations. Yet, despite a stellar star cast, ‘Prince of Persia’ fails to offer tangible reality in the make belief world of fantasy. Jake Gyllenhall, who has done a lot of preparation to imitate the exploits of the popular videogame character, offers a convincing portrayal of Dastan. The actor, who has been part of Hollywood hits like ‘The Good Girl’ and ‘Brokeback Mountain’, is quite natural as he smoothly gets into the skin of Dastan. Together with Princess Tamina, Dastan has to protect an ancient dagger that contains powerful sand, which has the ability to reverse the time. Well, despite an attempt to make an unbiased and independent film in comparison to its predecessors, the structure of ‘Prince of Persia’ falls back into episodic mode, with Dastan moving from one level to the next. Being on the run, Dastan is framed for the murder of his God-father, King Sharaman (played by Ronald Pickup). Even as his uncle Nizam serving him as a father figure, Dastan is caught in a dilemma of trust and suspicion. Well, do check out ‘Prince of Persia’ and take a ride into the world of fantasy with Dastan. A final word, watch ‘Prince of Persia’ only if you are a gaming freak or a die-hard fan of Jake Gyllenhaal. Ratings: Two cheers for this one!