First ‘Prince of Persia’ Footage Online
Posted by Rob Hunter (rob@filmschoolrejects.com) on May 11, 2009
Uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer has his hands in more pies than Gene Simmons, with one of them being next summer’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the videogame adaptation as Prince Dastan, presumably of Persia, who must join forces with a spunky princess (Gemma Arterton) to stop a madman from unleashing a deadly sandstorm upon the world. Ridiculous? You bet. And while I’m sure they hope the film will the path of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, I’m thinking it more closely resembles The Mummy. A recent ABC Movie Special featured some footage from the film as well as some behind-the-scenes action. It also showcases a very enthusiastic and spontaneous Bruckheimer…
Calm down Jerry! “A great adventure! Wonderful action! Delicious Jake Gyllenhaal!” I realize this was a puff piece… ABC is owned by Disney, the movie is a Disney release… but Bruckheimer and Steve Kmetco may as well have had cue cards in their hands. Can’t criticize them too much as it is their job to sell the movie, so what do we think of the footage itself? Hard to say at this stage I think, but it’s also difficult to avoid The Mummy comparisons. Didn’t one of those flicks feature a sand storm? I remember playing one of the videogames and it involved a lot of acrobatics. Should we expect parkour in the film? Arterton is looking even better than she did in Quantum of Solace, and Sir Ben Kingsley is always a joy… and Jake?
He make’s a fantastically believable Persian don’t you think? For all the people bitching about Disney’s supposed mishandling of the animated Princess and the Frog and M. Night Shyamalan’s Last Airbender, where is the outcry for racial equality here? (Please note I don’t actually think there should be one, I’m just curious why there isn’t.) Incredible abs for a street urchin though…
What do you think of the footage?
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