I've said it before and I'll say it again: Jerry Bruckheimer's upcoming game-to-movie translation of "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" is the next great hope for adaptations of this sort. Video games have a spotty history in the world of cinema. In fact, that's probably a generous characterization. While a few have certainly made money, none have yet achieved that rare parity between critical and box office approval.
Bruckheimer's "Persia" has a shot though. The mega-producer has a great track record with event blockbusters: the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy, two "Bad Boys," "Black Hawk Down," "Beverly Hills Cop" and a string of Michael Bay-helmed hits, including "Armageddon," "The Rock" and "Pearl Harbor." Okay... maybe not so much with "Pearl Harbor." Now we've got the latest on "Prince of Persia," in the form of a detailed runthrough of the as-yet-unreleased new trailer for the movie, which hits theaters in May 2010.
The movie follows Prince Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Princess Tamina (Gemme Arterton) as they try to deliver the magical Dagger of Time to an ancient temple while staying steps ahead of a pursuing demon. Gaming blog Joystiq was invited to check out a private screening of the trailer earlier this week, and here are some highlights from their report.
Joystiq writer Kevin Kelly most enjoyed the acrobatic action featured in the trailer, as this is a direct nod to the long-running game series. "Lots of jumping," he writes. Kelly also noticed a number of sound effects which appeared to be directly lifted -- or at least emulated -- from the game. He also compared the banter between Dastan and Tamina to the sort of dialogue you'd expect between Indiana Jones and his various lady-friends, which isn't terribly surprising.
Kelly takes issue with changes made to the game series' mythology, though I would contend that it's too early to tell what those changes amount to in terms of quality. A trailer certainly doesn't (and won't) tell the whole story.
It is a fact that series creator Jordan Mechner penned an initial draft of the script, and that his work was then subsequently polished by several other writers. Kelly also takes issue with the Prince and Tamina speaking in "the Queen's English" and rightly ponders "where's the Persia in here?"
The biggest worry expressed relates to the inordinate amount of CGI work on display in the trailer. The fear is that the movie "won't feel real." Particular scorn is reserved for the mystical Dagger's time-twisting abilities, which "leaves just [Dastan's] floating head, suspended above a whirlwind that resembles his body." Somehow, I can't quite help myself from picturing the "floating head doctor" gags on the hit sitcom series "Scrubs."
The trailer hits the Internet next week on November 3, and you'll be able to catch it in theaters before "2012" starting November 13.
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