Quick Movie Review: Prince of Persia & The Road

Prince of Persia: Prince of Persia doesn't have much going for it. With that said, it is possible that it is the only decent video-game-to-film-adaption created to date; but with all the half rate video game-movies for comparison, this isn't saying much. Prince of Persia delivers as an action packed summer blockbuster, but nothing more.

Prince of Persia is Jerry Bruckheimer's latest Disney movie. It was marketed in a similar style to that of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies; a live-action Disney movie aimed at a slightly more mature audience.

PoP delivers as an action packed summer blockbuster, but nothing more. Character development seems to take a backstage to the continuous action scenes that quickly loose their er.

The movie runs at a reasonably fast pace and follows certain plot elements of the original video games. In the movie, Prince Dastan, a former child of the streets before being adopted by the king of Persia, is framed for the of the king. He then embarks on a quest to clear his name and get revenge for his adopted father's er.

Immediately after being framed, Dastan is joined by young Princess Tamina who seeks to protect the Sands of Time encased in a dagger that Dastan recently acquired. The relationship between Dastan and Tamina takes center stage throughout most of the film with witty, flirtatious banter being exchanged between the two for the most part of the film.

The film's end was entirely foreseeable and seemed very unnecessary. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but it also seemed to make everything beyond the first twenty minutes of the film pointless.

In the end, Prince of Persia succeeded in creating an exciting summer blockbuster, however without giving depth to its characters and creating a feeling of rushed plot lines, it fails to capture an audience and is easily forgettable.

Rating: 5.5 (Average)


DVD Review:

The Road: Based off of the book of the same name and written by Cormac McCarthy (the author of another book-to-film adaption, No Country For Old Men), The Road is a powerful tale of love, trust and morality.

The Road follows the journey of an unnamed father and son duo who are attempting to traverse a disaster-torn world and reach the Pacific Coast. I really enjoyed the fact that the disaster that claimed nearly all life on earth is never described or visualized, though we do see that the earth is in fact plagued by continuous earthquakes.

The father/son duo come across many difficulties during their sojourn, such as starvation, the aforementioned earthquakes and cannibals. Yes, a large portion of the survivors have turned to cannibalism to feed their hunger. It's a dark and ugly perspective and one that certainly garners the movie's 'R' rating.

Of all the post-apocalyptic movies that Hollywood has created, The Road seems to be the most realistic example of a future wherein the world suffers a complex disaster. Not that I'd know how that would turn out, but simply watch the movie and see for yourself. There's not a single zombie or post apocalyptic mutant in it. :P

The relationship between the father and son, the main focus of the film, is strong and beautiful. The father continuously proves that he'll go to no end to ensure his boy's safety, even to the point of other survivors who threaten the duo. The son provides a sort of moral compass for the father, who occasionally will go too far with protecting the boy.

While the movie can be depressing at times, the ending, for the most part is a happy one. I highly suggest watching The Road to anyone who has the stomach for such gritty films.

Rating: 7.5 (Close to excellent)