Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - 2 1/2 smiles

If Jerry Bruckheimer can successfully turn a Disney ride into a series of box office hits, why can’t he turn a video game into a rollicking fun movie? “Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time” is fast-paced, full of action and just plain fun. However, don’t expect the plot to make a lot of sense because once you start asking questions, you’re going to find a lot of holes. The story takes place in ancient Persia, ruled by King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup), who has four trusted advisers: his brother, Nizam (Ben Kingsley); his eldest son and heir, Tus (Richard Coyle); his second son, Garsiv (Tony Kebbell); and his adopted son, Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal). The Persian army, led by Tus, invades a holy city and takes captive Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton), guardian of a supernatural dagger that can turn back time. When the king is murdered, Dastan is blamed and he and Tamina flee, uneasy allies in a quest to prove Dastan’s innocence, reveal the true killer and keep the dagger from falling into the wrong hands.

There are action sequences that suggest the kind of obstacles video game players might encounter, like Dastan jumping from building to building and grabbing onto arrows to breach a fortress wall. Jake Gyllenhaal proves to be a more than competent action hero and his scenes with Gemma Arterton exhibit a lot of chemistry. Ben Kingsley is appropriately slimy as the manipulative villain. However, the real standout is Alfred Molina, hamming it up as a desert businessman who races ostriches and refuses to pay taxes. The look of “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” is impressive and there’s never a dull moment, but it’s also a predictable movie. If you don’t think too much about what’s happening, you’re sure to enjoy this one. 5/28/10