Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

With the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise getting stale, Bruckheimer and Disney have turned to a new project (No disrespect to National Treasure, but it's weak). This potential series is about an orphaned Persian adopted by the King named Dastan who must protect a mystical dagger with the power to turn back time. The first problem is Jake Gyllenhaal. His doe-eyed Caucasian look seems somewhat out of place, and coupled with the unrefined attempt at a British accent just makes him the wrong choice for the role. Maybe I am being too picky, but one of his brothers is more Greek while another is all Scandinavian, so I guess the attention to geographic consistency in casting is a conscious oversight. I will say that Jake bulked up his physique considerably, and that feat in itself is impressive to say the least.

Ben Kingsley looks like the reincarnation of Flash Gordon's nemesis and does his best to make it appear that he isn't trying very hard. Gemma Arterton plays the princess convincingly, but it's hard to keep the redhead images of her as James Bond's tart, Strawberry Fields out of my mind. The chemistry is deflated by the ambiguous direction of their romance, and Jake's laughable accent.

The effects were secondary to impressive stunt work, and the time shifting sequences were less original as they were annoying. A sixty second reverse is all it takes to avert certain death, a poisonous snake attack, and to prove the powers of aforementioned magical dagger. The climax takes us back to the beginning of the film where the evil plot can be foiled by Gyllenhaal and his newly acquired knowledge. It's a pretty linear story without much imagination or originality.

I am easily excited by summer blockbusters and Oscar dramas alike, and to be honest, this film caused me to doze off a little due to the slow moving plot and the boring characters.

The one high point was the use of assassins and their trickery with projectile weapons. There were some cool fight sequences but the overall action factor was low. I typically like Jake Gyllenhaal, but to be honest, he is no action star. Stick to the Independent dramas and more serious fare.

I am ready for the summer season, and Iron Man 2 was impressive, but I'll wait until A-Team for the next potential source of entertainment. 6/10.

Iron Man 2

There has been a lot of hype since the surprising success of the first Iron Man movie, and for a sequel, this did not disappoint one bit. Robert Downey Jr. plays the part perfectly with his sharp wit and I don't care attitude. He isn't necessarily the star of the show, however. The typical sequel flaw is the lack of an original storyline; An attempt to hang on to the commercial success of the first movie and just release something that resembles a day-old baby's diaper. Jon Favreau stated that the first film was such a success because of the lowered expectation and overshadowing by the Dark Knight. This may be true, but with all eyes on him during this summer blockbuster season-opening weekend, he came through the right way. With an interesting story.

The characters aren't too bad either. For my money, I would have preferred Terrence Howard to Don Cheadle, but things like that can't be avoided. Cheadle had limited screen time, and he was given some of the best lines of the film. Scarlett Johannson is a terrible actress, let's get that out of the way right now. Her character took on an eye candy role, and she did just fine. Paltrow was back as Downey's assistant/love interest, but her role expands to something more substantial. Sam Jackson is back as well as the thin line connecting all of the Marvel films together. I have to say, his attitude was entertaining back in the Pulp Fiction days, but it is just getting really old. He was given too much face time for a shadow character, but there is still the excitement of seeing him introduce flashes of future films (Captain America, Thor) through Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson, who is a very likable character.

Mickey Rourke steps into the bad guy's shoes as the Russian thug/physicist Ivan Vanko. He does a great job, but there is still a slightly unsatisfying feeling to his performance. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but after the Wrestler, I had high hopes. His role was critical to the film, but there wasn't very much action besides some great Computer Generated whip scenes, and some deep-voiced laughing with flashes of gold teeth. The Russian tattoos were a nice touch, but I didn't buy him being a brilliant scientist. Sorry Marvel.

Sam Rockwell, on the other hand, stole the show in my opinion. Playing the smarmy, bratty weapons expert who is salivating to get the Iron Man suit contract with the DOD. He plays this type of character so well, and is truly still one of the most underrated actors around.

Favreau does a great job of not taking himself too seriously. The franchise is meant to be entertaining and fun, and that is exactly what comes across. Witty dialogue, humor, geek toys, action, and hot women. Perfect combination for any comic book adaptation. Additionally, he could have easily jumped on the 3D bandwagon, but he chose not to, which is a wise choice. This film is great just the way it is, and would have succumbed to the pitfalls of sub-Avatar quality that killed Clash of the Titans. The post-production 3D trend is going to die, mark my words. Reserve 3D for Pixar and computer animated films - that is where they belong. Live action is not quite conducive to 3D right now.

The best thing about the Marvel movies is that they openly tease the audience with hints of what is coming. The SHIELD back story is beginning to come full circle, and with Thor, Captain America, Avengers, and probably more Iron Man installments, the comic book superhero universe is going strong.

This is the official beginning of the summer season, and it is kicked off with a big bang. Go see it - even better than the first one. 9/10.