“Prince of Persia” trailer hits!

- Posted by Rusty



Check out the first teaser from Disney’s upcoming blockbuster above. I really like this preview. More than anything, this looks BIG. Like epic-adventure, huge-battle-between-good-and-evil BIG. Exactly as it should be. We have sweeping deserts, swordfights, jumping acrobatics between buildings, collapsing temples…and, oh, yeah, some magical gizmo called the Sands of Time, a dagger which allows one to control time, and which Jake Gyllenhaal must stop Ben Kingley’s evil vizier (is there another kind? Have we learned nothing from Jafar??) from possessing [more thoughts after the jump].

My friend is a huge fan of the games this is based on. Judging by what he told me, there is a ton of story potential here, and it’s especially reassuring to see that Prince of Persia mastermind/creator Jordan Mechner co-wrote the script. This is honestly great material. I’m always up for some escapist swashbuckling, especially in a cool ancient setting. Plus, this one looks like it takes a few good tips from Pirates of the Caribbean (no surprise, since they’re both from producer Jerry Bruckheimer)—we get plenty of humor, some cool-looking action, Jake Gyllenhaal’s rascally hero (he won’t be Captain Jack Sparrow, but good to see that he’s not brave-and-boring, like poor Orlando Bloom) and a cute, feisty female lead in Gemma Arterton (with a strong Elizabeth Swann-vibe). The visuals are gorgeous too, and I like the nifty special effects for the Sands of Time Dagger—a very cool way to show its powers. Disney obviously wants a franchise with this one, and, by all means, if this preview is an indication, we could be in for something that’s just pure enjoyment and excitement—there really aren’t enough of those types of movies.

As for Jake Gyllenhaal, it’s a weird bit of casting (an American Jewish guy is not the first thing that pops into your head when you think of a prince of Persia), and it probably would’ve been better to find an unknown, one more fitting for the role, and make it a true discovery for audiences (like Keira Knightley was in Pirates). But Gyllenhaal should be more than up to the task, and I think he’ll make a fine adventure hero. He’s a strong actor, charismatic as hell, and, to his credit, he looks remarkably like the prince from the game cover. I like his impish charm in this trailer, and he looks perfectly believable in the big action sequences.

I doubt this will reach Pirates-like brilliance…but I’m looking forward to this one all the same. If anything, this might just hold the honor of being the first genuinely good video-game movie. I like the Resident Evil films as guilty pleasures (and loved the awful John Leguizamo-Bob Hoskins Super Mario Bros. as a kid), but, up until now, every attempt to turn a game into a film has pretty much failed—we get all the noise and action, but rarely a decent story from the concept. Here’s hoping the Prince can work his magic and break that mold…and set a good precedent for Bioshock, my other hugely-anticipated video-game movie in 2010.

So, how about you guys—did you like the trailer? Are you excited to see it come next May? And do you think Gyllenhaal will make a good hero to follow through a series of Prince of Persia films?

And for a bonus, check out this interview below with producer Jerry Bruckheimer on the movie. I respect Bruckheimer a great deal—though his track record is sometimes spotty, he’s a savvy producer with an amazing eye for talent (he supported Johhny Depp’s wacky take on Jack Sparrow when Disney suits were getting worried), and a smooth ability to make hugely entertaining movies, often ones that shouldn’t work at all (ah, Con Air, how much I love you, despite your stupidity…). That said, this interview is hilarious for one reason: just listen about 1 minute in to Bruckheimer’s reasons (especially their order) of why he thinks Gyllenhaal is a good choice for the lead…



Completely harmless, and probably just spoken without thought…but I love that “He’s in fantastic shape” goes before “he’s a great young actor”...

Image courtesy of Ubisoft.
Clip courtesy of Yahoo! Movies.