PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME [2010 / 2011] [Blu-ray] [UK Release]
Defy The Future! The Sands of Time Epic Fantasy is a Truly Action-Adventure!
In the spirit of the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ trilogy, Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films transport you to the mythical lands of Persia for the wildly entertaining, epic action-adventure. It’s a race against time when a rogue Dastan [Jake Gyllenhaal] reluctantly teams up with a rival Princess Tamina [Gemma Arterton] to safeguard a magical dagger that gives its possessor the power to reverse time and rule the world.
Filled with death-defying escapes and unexpected twists at every turn and the film ‘PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME’ is a fun-filled adventure that will keep your pulse pounding long after the credit ends.
FILM FACT: In March 2008, director Newell selected Morocco as a shooting location for Prince of Persia and also planned to film in Pinewood Studios. Production was scheduled to begin in mid-June 2008.By May 2008, actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton were cast into the lead roles. With a new script by Jordan Mechner, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard, and Boaz Yakin, filming began in July 2008 in Morocco as well as London. Eight weeks were spent in Morocco before the first unit moved to Pinewood Studios. Unlike other Disney films being made at the time, filming was not done in three dimensions, nor was the film converted into 3-D during post production. Alanis Morissette composed the theme song for the film, named "I Remain." The score was written by composer Harry Gregson-Williams.
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Sir Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Steve Toussaint, Toby Kebbell, Richard Coyle, Ronald Pickup, Reece Ritchie, Gísli Örn Garðarsson, Claudio Pacifico, Thomas DuPont, Dave Pope, Domonkos Pardanyi, Massimilano Ubaldi, Vladimir 'Furdo' Furdik, Christopher Greet, William Foster, Elliot James Neale, Selva Rasalingam, Darwin Shaw, Daisy Doidge-Hill, Charlie Banks, Jesse Mathews, Rohan Siva, Dimitri Andreas, Stephen A. Pope, Trampas Thompson, Joseph Beddelem, Rachid Abbad, Farzana Dua Elahe, Aziz El Kibachi, Simon De Selva, Felix Bachmann Quadros, Amin Mohammad Fouladi, Masoud Abbasi, Mehrdad Azmin, Zartosht Safari, Ali Nourbakhsh, Parham Bahadoran, Ehsan Parvizian, Shohreh Shojaeifard, Babak Babakinejad, Emmanuel Akintunde (uncredited), Fiaz Ali (uncredited), Deepshikha Arora (uncredited), Hitanshu Arora (uncredited), Craig Braginsky (uncredited), Guy C.A. (uncredited), Mahmud Chowdhury (uncredited), Rene Costa (uncredited), Christine Estima (uncredited), Sean Francis George (uncredited), Leo Hunter (uncredited), João Costa Menezes (uncredited), Sandeep Mohan (uncredited), David Orpheus (uncredited) and Vinita Sharma (uncredited)
Director: Mike Newell
Producers: Chad Oman, Eric McLeod, Jerry Bruckheimer, John August, Jordan Mechner, Karim Abouobayd, Mike Stenson, Pat Sandston and Patrick McCormick
Screenplay: Boaz Yakin (screenplay), Carlo Bernard (screenplay), Doug Miro (screenplay), Jordan Mechner (screen story) and Jordan Mechner (video game series "Prince of Persia")
Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams
Cinematography: John Seale, A.C.S., A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Italian: 5.1 DTS Surround Sound
Spanish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound
Hindi: 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound
English: 2.0 Audio Descriptive Stereo
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereos Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Italian, Spanish, Português, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish and Icelandic,
Running Time: 115 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment / Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: The ‘PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME’ [2010] film is a handsome, fast-paced adventurous film that certain can be enjoyed by all age groups. Based on a 2003 Ubisoft video game, the film definitely has dash and flourishes with adequate performances and expert special effects that keep a far-fetched tale buoyant that I know youngsters will enjoy and get a definitely lasting impression. But film buffs could enjoy it as a nostalgic throwback to the antics of Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn. Jerry Bruckheimer’s computer-game crossover ‘PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME’ is shamelessly camp and often unintentionally hilarious.
The setting is an imagined version of ancient Persia, and it's all swords and horses, wind and sand, mighty cities and noble Princes. The “Dagger of Time” is an ancient dagger that unleashes sands that can make time reverse, and in the wrong hands could bring about Earth's destruction. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Dastan, an acrobatic warrior who was adopted as an orphaned child by the benevolent King Sharaman [Ronald Pickup] and raised with two princes, Tus [Richard Coyle] and Prince Garsiv of Persia [Toby Kebbell]. Guided by the king's silky brother, Prince Nizam of Persia [Sir Ben Kingsley], they lay siege to a city called Alamut where it is believed are hidden weapons of mass destruction.
‘PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME’ comes closest to grabbing your attention early on. In the film’s opening sequences we are introduced to Dastan [Jake Gyllenhaal], a prince of the ancient Persia. Before an act of kindness brought him to the royal family, Dastan lived as a street urchin. It was there, in the dusty markets, that he learned amazing skills of agility, which back then he used to stay alive, and now uses to protect the Persian Empire. Though Great Britain won’t be populated for centuries, as played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who even with a Hollywood tan may still be the palest man in the Middle East, and Prince Dastan and everyone else in the film for that matter, has for some reason an inexplicable British accent.
Much of the film’s early scenes send Jake Gyllenhaal leaping and climbing and clamouring around ancient buildings in what amounts to a cinematically dazzling “Parkour” demonstration and the definition of Parkour, is a method of overcoming obstacles by adapting one’s movements to the environment. In practice that means the fastest way to get past a parked camel might be to go over it, rather than around it, and the best way to get off a roof might be to jump down onto an awning, leap over to an overhang, and swing down to the ground using a bit of rope. Even though some of its computer enhanced, Prince of Persia’s great fun as long as Jake Gyllenhaal’s jumping and diving and slithering past obstacles, until that is, the plot kicks in.
There is a murder and Dastan is falsely accused. There’s some confusion as to who the story’s villain is, but only to the people in the film, not the audience, since this is a film which contains Sir Ben Kinglsey. There’s a girl whom Dastan must take with him on his journey to clear his name. And there’s a dagger which, when you push a button on its hilt, rewinds time to give you another shot at whatever it is you’ve just screwed up. The “Dagger of Time” is a neat little device, unfortunately it can only be used once or twice and only to rewind brief periods of time.
At the start of the film it shows how Dastan was adopted by King Sharaman as a young street orphan, it shows the boy and his friend, Bis [Reece Ritchie], escaping from guards after stealing food. Dastan protects Bis and leads the guards away from him. After a short chase, he is captured and slapped hard across the face several times. The guards hold out Dastan’s arm and raise a sword in order to chop off his hand but they are stopped by the King Sharaman who is nearby. While nothing explicit happens and the part where the hand is about to be chopped off is done quickly, any children who do not understand this may be a little distressed by this type of punishment being carried out, especially to a child.
Jake Gyllenhaal as the film’s protagonist, Dastan, is very likeable and carries the role very well. Alfred Molina’s role Sheik Amar is a brilliant loveable rogue who brings plenty of comedy to the proceedings. As the magical “Dagger of Time” which reverses time is the main aspect of the film, it is a little disappointing that it isn’t used more often; however this doesn’t detract from the rest of the story. If you are looking for an action-packed film which doesn’t take itself too seriously, ‘PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME’ is likely to appeal and be a firm favourite for a long time to come, especially as it is full of humour, fun and sword fights that I know everyone will enjoy.
‘PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME’ falls into the ever-popular category of a summer cinema scenario which was best described by William Shakespeare as "sound and fury, signifying nothing." It looks totally impressive film and there is never a dull moment. Director Mike Newell understands the dynamics and rhythm of a big-budget fantasy adventure, and crafts something eminently watchable. With lots of running around and plenty of special effects, the only thing missing for the viewer is a game controller and the ability to replay some of the most challenging moves and jumps. But overall a very adventurous fantasy film, that you leave your brain elsewhere, as the film does not tax your brain cells and in the end you feel you have watched a very magical adventure film.
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME MUSIC TRACK LIST
I REMAIN (Written by Alanis Morissette and Mike Elizondo) (Strings Arranged by Bruce Fowler) [Performed by Alanis Morissette]
WHIRLING (Written by Azam Ali and Loga Ramin Torkian) [Performed by Azam Ali and Loga Ramin Torkian]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Walt Disney Home Entertainment presents us ‘PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME’ with this superb and impressive 1080p image presentation and also an equally impressive 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The result is a great looking fantasy film with excellent resolution of detail and excellent colour saturation. Natural grain is present throughout from the Super35 film stock and is untouched by any digital manipulation or grain removal. Desert colour tones are strikingly well delineated with inky blacks and great dynamic range in bright scenes. Contrast is well balanced to provide a fair amount of "pop up" images that gives you a sort of three dimensional picture quality and resulting in an excellent depth of field and total immersion. While the colour temperature is at times slightly warmer than expected, but despite this it is entirely natural looking and doesn't give the viewer any sense of artificiality. While some dark scenes, especially the one with the Hassansin temple scene, demonstrates a slightly reduced shadowy detail and minimal black image, but by and large dark scenes in the film are perfectly resolved and very little information is missing. Technically speaking there is little to fault in this wonderful presentation from Walt Disney Home Entertainment, and I know you will love this Blu-ray video transfer.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Walt Disney Home Entertainment brings us ‘PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME’ with a superb 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio experience and is a worth addition to the superb and stunning video presentation. You get to experience soaring dynamic range, aggressive use of all the channels, with definitely excellent directionality sounds. The brilliantly designed sound effects are equally impressive at whisper quiet or ear popping levels with excellent definition and striking realism. But most impressive is the Harry Gregson-Williams music film score that provides a really excellent ambience to the film, and is integrated perfectly with the remainder of the sounds you hear. The surround sound effects are used actively in combination with perfect pans lending far more directionality to the audio than I am used to; I often found myself hearing action occurring around and behind me and grinning like a Cheshire cat. From the opening scene of the film your subwoofer speaker will be in for a good workout. So all in all the entire audio mix will convey what you will enjoy about this fantasy film.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Disney CineExplore: The Sands of Time: Take control of the dagger and use it to unlock secrets behind your favourite scene! Turn back time and uncover over 40 spellbinding segments that includes “Walking Up Walls,” “Filming in Morocco,” “Ostrich Jockey Try-outs” and other really fascinating items. The segments are only a couple of minutes each and they are really well made. It runs alongside the entire film and during some scenes a small dagger of time will appear on the right hand side of the screen and when it appears you can press the ENTER button on your remote control before the sand runs out to trigger a small behind-the-scenes clips, interviews, how shots were created, how actors were trained for certain combat and movement. It is a fairly substantial collection and enough to fill in your vast curiosity about this fantasy film. With this exclusive interactive feature, this Blu-ray disc puts you in control and really makes watching the film a much more rewarding experience instead of the audio commentary track you get with some Blu-ray discs while watching the film.
Special Feature: Deleted Scene: The Banquet: Garsiv Presents Heads [2010] [1080p] [2.40:1] [1:26] Here we get only one deleted scene that could have changed the audience’s whole view of a certain character, especially the entire story and especially other characters. Here we find Dastan is supposed to escort Tamina to the victory celebration and Gastav offers a gift to his father in the form of the heads of his enemies, set atop a silver platter. This is presented in the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio experience.
SNEAK PEEKS: Here we get to view the following three trailers, which are: Our Family Scrapbook Disney Blu-ray promotion [2010] [1080p] [1.78:1] [00:59]. Beauty and the Beast: Diamond Edition [2010] [1080p] [1.78:1] [1:38]. TRON: Legacy [2010] [1080p] [2.40:1] [2:14].
Finally, ‘PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME’ is probably the best computer game scenario to hit the big screen adaptation I have seen in a very long time. The visual and audio aspects of the film speak for themselves as both approaches to reach that demo image quality and this along with a story that is family safe is a really refreshing fantasy film to review. Both casual film goers and enthusiast home theatre buffs will find the fantasy film very enjoyable and will probably be particularly enthralled by the story scenario, and the film does a great job of living up to its potential. Jake Gyllenhaal is a surprisingly a convincing Prince Dastan alongside Princess Tamina. Overall this is a superb magical fantasy film release with a really excellent 1080p image quality, superb audio quality, and a collection of extras that are entirely in 1080p HD quality. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
