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Arts & Entertainment

Weekend Movie Forecast: <em>Prince of Persia</em> Vs. Carrie Bradshaw

By

Robert Horan

Published May 28, 2010

Modified May 28, 2010

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Of all the things to base a movie on (i.e. novel, play, actual event, comic, theme-park ride etc...), basing one on a video game has, by far, the worst track record. So following in the footsteps of such classics of mediocrity as Super Mario Bros., Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and Doom comes the newest offender Prince of Persia. Apparently Jake Gyllenhaal is just that confident in his career, or is in such dire financial straits, that he's agreed to be the non-Persian Persian hero (also sharing this mutual delusion are Alfred Molina and Ben Kingsley, who should just know better). The film follows a rogue prince (is that possible?) who joins forces with a hottie princess, in order to protect a dagger that has mystical powers from falling into the wrong hands.Reviews have been better than Resident Evil but that's not saying much. Scott Tobias from The A.V. Club says: "Spinning a handsome Disney adventure out of a videogame is a testament to Bruckheimer’s commercial savvy. The fact that it still isn’t particularly good seems beside the point."But Prince Of Persia is a thin, witless, generic adventure, with baffling mythology, cheesy CGI, and a heroine whose regal petulance often recalls Daphne Zuniga in Spaceballs. Give the filmmakers credit for sidestepping the pitfalls of videogame adaptation, but getting around the problem isn’t the same thing as solving it."

 

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By

Robert Horan

Published May 28, 2010

Modified May 28, 2010

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Click on the film stills for more details and reviews on this week's new releases and repertory screenings, which include: Prince of Persia, Sex in the City 2, Micmacs, Agora, Survival of the Dead, Mademoiselle Chambon, The Father of My Children, Breathless, Top Gun and The City of the Lost Children.

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