Prince of Persia sits near the top of video game to movie translations. Normally that’s not saying much, but PoP: Sands of Time is a really fun movie. An adventure in the desert, PoP is one of the better summer movies this year.

Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) was just an orphan on the streets when he was picked by the King after defending his friend. He was given a home,love, a family. Growing to be a man, Dastan’s real troubles begin when he’s framed for the King’s murder. Dastan’s destiny is intertwined with princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) who together must stop the villian bent on using the godly power of the Sands of Time to take over the world, which means armaggedon. It’s in the same vain as The Mummy which is another movie I really like (we won’t mention the sequel though).

It’s a really well made movie, it exceeded my expectations in pretty much every category. The writing is really well done, they captured the relationship of the Prince and Princess from the 2003 game that shares the same name (I highly recommend playing it, it’s one of the best games from the Xbox/PS2/Gamecube generation). They even have subtle nods to the game sprinkled throughout that don’t seem out of place or distracting if you know the source material or not. The plot, it’s twists and resolution were all really thought out and work without insulting the audience (hey Transformers). I really can’t think of anything to complain about. The FX are really good, action scenes are grandiose and the stunt work is done exceptionally well. Maybe I’m a sucker for sword fighting, but that mixed with the parkour action work really well together. Careful direction and editing keep things clear and moving along with a great soundtrack and cast (I think I have a crush on Gemma now) to round things out.

It’s a fun movie that I recommend to anyone looking for some easy to digest action. Sit back and enjoy!