Movies

If Pirates of the Caribbean were set on dry land, it would be Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time — an action-packed no-brainer based on the popular video game.

Director Mike Newell is in familiar territory here, having handled big budget spectacle in 2005's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. But there isn't much here beyond eye-popping stunts, a pretty cast and non-stop adrenalin; the film lacks soul and personality, and has a "been there, done that" feel.

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Dastan, a prince who reluctantly joins forces with a beautiful princess, Tamina (Gemma Arterton) to protect a magical dagger capable of turning back time. It doesn't help that Dastan has been framed for his father's murder by a member of his own family, Nizam (Ben Kingsley) who is hell-bent on retrieving the Sands of Time for his own malicious intent.

Gamers will appreciate the attention to detail in the action: Dastan runs, jumps, swings, climbs and somersaults through a variety of maze-like constructions, confronting sword-wielding henchmen and savage snakes — just as he did in the interactive version of the story.

Gyllenhaal is suitably sexy in the lead role, relishing his cheeky one-liners (once you get past his strange British accent). Arterton has enough of that kick-ass girl-power to carry the role of Tamina, while Kingsley is clearly just in this for the paycheck.

The best actor here is Alfred Molina in a supporting comedic role as Sheik Amar, a rogue opportunist who is terrified of taxes, of all things.

But this isn't a movie about performances — it's about the spectacle, and Prince of Persia has to be commended for its epic set design and endless action. The movie is essentially one long chase scene; if you need to go to the bathroom, there isn't a single good moment to dash out of the cinema.

There's a lot of exposition about the Sands of Time — how it operates, who can operate it, how it can cause the end of the world as we know it. Not all of it makes sense, and the climax is unnecessarily convoluted.

The biggest problem with Prince of Persia is that it's been done before, and better, by the same people, with more passion.

Dastan is no Jack Sparrow, and Gyllenhaal is no Johnny Depp.