Prince of Persia: Who Wants To Have Fun At The Beach

This is not a movie for everyone. But if you are like me and love Hollywood extravaganzas then you might find this one as exciting as I did. Sure it's typical of a summer release in that it's big, loud and stupid, but that's half the fun. It's meant to be that. It's a cheeseburger and fries not fillet minion, but cheeseburgers rock as well. And this movie is definitely cheesy.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays Dastan (Persian for champion or hero) a Parkor orphan, picked from the streets by a kind king after he witnesses an act of bravery in saving his young friend from a oncoming horse. He is raised a member of the ruling family and excels at warfare. After an assault on a neighboring city, Dastan becomes entangled with the surly Princess Tamina played with red hot chemistry by Gemma Arterton. The king gets murdered, Dastan is blamed and he and the princess escape to protect the weapon holding the Sands of Time. When used, time reverses itself. It is also what the bad guys have wanted all along. Sir Ben Kingsley is his usual awesome self as the king's brother and Alfred Molina steals every scene he is in as the weaselly Sheik Amar. The story is actually much better than I expected with things not playing out as I had thought, a rarity for me. The effects are also better than some of the reviewers have made them out to be. I saw much worse in Clash Of The Titans, especially the piss poor Medusa. That was shitty effects.
Also much has been made as to why they didn't use Persian actors for the main role rather than the white Jake G. First, no studio is stupid enough to open a multi million dollar movie with no star attached. One actress was supposed to play the part of the Princess but wasn't allowed due to pressure from Iran who wouldn't let her leave. Hard get the right actors when you live in one of the most repressive places on Earth. Second, Persians of that era were sometimes white. As a matter of fact, ten percent of the population had blue eyes, so casting a white guy isn't that much of stretch. The casting of four unknown white kids in the Last Airbender is another matter. You couldn't throw in one Asian. The guy directing is Indian for God's sake.
Anyway, this is a fun movie if you're looking for a good action film to pass away a hot summer day. Sure, it won't last any longer in your memory than a good ice cream cone will in your belly. But it doesn't take away from the enjoyment of eating it now does it?

3 and 1/2 stars out of 5