"PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME" (2010) (Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Moderate Extreme Heavy Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Extreme Mild Heavy None None Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate None Extreme Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Action/Adventure: An adopted prince must prove he didn't kill his father, the King of Persia, all while contending with a magical dagger that can stop and reverse time. PLOT: 15 years after being adopted by King Sharaman (RONALD PICKUP), former orphan Dastan (JAKE GYLLENHAAL) is now one of the royal princes of ancient Persia, alongside Garsiv (TOBY KEBBELL) and Tus (RICHARD COYLE), while their uncle, Nizam (BEN KINGSLEY), serves as the King's most trusted friend and advisor. Although Dastan's blood isn't that of royalty and he's occasionally distracted by rough and tumble activities with his friend Bis (REECE RITCHIE), he's a capable warrior. To prove that, and when word arrives that the people of Alamut are harboring dangerous weapons, thus necessitating an invasion -- at least in Tus' eyes, Dastan takes the lead and beats his brothers into the kingdom, thus helping ensure their victory over Princess Tamina (GEMMA ARTERTON) and her people. The victory celebration is short-lived, however, as one of the recovered spoils, a regal robe, ends up killing the King through its poisonous acidity. Since Dastan was the one who delivered it to his adoptive father, everything believes he's the murderer, and thus he and Tamina flee into the desert, a bounty now on their heads. Needing to clear his name and avenge his father's death, Dastan discovers that a unique dagger possessed by Tamina has amazing powers in that it can stop and reverse time. Realizing it's the reason for the King's murder, Dastan is determined to bring the dagger to Tus, the new king, and explain what's occurred. But he must not only contend with that story sounding far-fetched, but also Tamina being determined to protect that dagger at all costs. They must also deal with a group of desert people, lead by Sheikh Amar (ALFRED MOLINA) and his knife-proficient lieutenant, Seso (STEVE TOUSSAINT), and a dangerous Hassansin mystic (GÍSLI ÖRN GARÐARSSON) and his band of warriors who all serve as additional obstacles in Dastan's quest. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of the video game on which it's based, anyone in the cast, or old-fashioned "sword and sandals" type action-adventure films, they might be interested. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For intense sequences of violence and action. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JAKE GYLLENHAAL plays a former orphan turned adopted prince who feels the need to prove himself to his dad and brothers. But when he's incorrectly assumed to be his father's murderer, he goes on the run to clear his name, all while clashing with Tamina. He is quite cable with a sword and doing all sorts of acrobatic stunts to avoid capture and such. GEMMA ARTERTON plays the Princess of Alamut, sworn to protect the magical dagger and thus isn't happy when Dastan and others get their hands on it or that he and his brothers have invaded and conquered her kingdom. She's also quite capable of defending herself and clashes with Dastan when they become unlikely partners. BEN KINGSLEY plays Dastan's uncle and the King's personal advisor. While he initially plays as if he's the good guy, he turns out to be the murderous villain with his own nefarious plans, and thus isn't happy with Dastan trying to spoil them. ALFRED MOLINA plays a desert sheik who can be menacing when not promoting his ostrich races. Hating the Persians and the taxes they want to collect, he's created an isolated and feared community, but eventually sides with Dastan. STEVE TOUSSAINT plays his main lieutenant, a desert warrior who's quite proficient with throwing knives and such. TOBY KEBBELL plays Dastan's brother, one of the King's biological sons who wants revenge on Dastan when he thinks he murdered their father. RICHARD COYLE plays his older and more level-headed brother, the heir to the throne. RONALD PICKUP plays their wise father, the King, who tries to advise Dastan about the proper way to be a good ruler. REECE RITCHIE plays Dastan's best friend who helps him escape following the King's murder. GÍSLI ÖRN GARÐARSSON plays a mysterious and dangerous mystic of some sort employed by Nizam to find and return the magical dagger to him, and he uses magic and deadly serpents to that extent. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this action-adventure film that's been rated PG-13. No profanity is present, and only a few colorful phrases are uttered, along with some non-explicit sexual innuendo. Various instances and amounts of cleavage are seen. Violence consists of all sorts of "swords and sandals" type action/adventure battles where people clash with old-style weapons (swords, arrows, spears, etc.) and many people are wounded or killed, with moderately bloody and little bit of gory results. People also hit or otherwise strike others in non-battle moments. Those battle scenes, moments of peril, and several scenes featuring menacing serpents might be unsettling, suspenseful or maybe even downright scary for some viewers (mostly younger ones and/or those sensitive to such material). The action and stunts might be enticing for kids to imitate, while bad attitudes are present, as is tense family material. Drinking also occurs, with what appears to be a little bit of intoxication. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, all sorts of camera movement (some bouncy handheld, quick swish pans, a quick spin around camera move and other such shots) are present at various points in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Dastan climbs a pole part of the way up the stone wall lining Alamut, followed by grabbing arrows just fired into the wall, using them to pull himself up. When one lands too close, one man asks another (the one who shot the arrow) if he's been drinking. Dastan appears to be intoxicated (while Bis holds a gourd) as he runs up to and tries to flip himself backwards off a wall, but he falls short and hits the ground hard. King Sharaman and others drink, with Nizam telling Dastan that his (Dastan's) duty is making sure the king's wine glass stays full. After being captured by Sheikh Amar, Tamina serves drinks to male spectators of an ostrich race. Some women in a harem hold drinks of some sort. BLOOD/GORE Following his army's siege of Alamut, Tus has a little bit of blood on his face, as does Nizam. King Sharaman is burned by a poisoned and acidic robe that leaves him with bloody blisters on his skin before killing him. Tamina slices Dastan across the chest (leaving a slightly bloody cut). Garsiv has a few bloody scrapes on his face. Dastan beheads a serpent and we see the severed head. We see various murdered and somewhat bloody people (killed by the Hassansin mystic and/or his followers). A volley of arrows are fired on Dastan and others, with several striking Garsiv, mortally wounding him (we see some blood there and from his mouth). Warriors then attack and many are sliced and wounded or killed (with a little bit of bloody results on at least one). Some blood drips down from an impaled attacker onto Dastan's face below him, and that blood is seen again on his face. The Hassansin mystic slices open a large snake (bloody, meaty cut) to retrieve the dagger inside it. We see some blood around where various small blades have impaled a man's chest. Mistakenly believed to be Dastan, Sheikh Amar is yanked off his horse to the ground. He's then punched in the face, slightly bloody him. Nizam slices Tus across the throat, killing him, with somewhat bloody results. The Hassansin mystic has a partially scarred face. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Young Bis ends up spooking a horse that throws its rider. That man or another then grabs and repeatedly strikes the boy until young Dastan intervenes, and others chase the two boys. SPOILER ALERT: Dastan learns that Nizam was responsible for the King's death (and framing Dastan for that), spreading rumors about Alamut having dangerous weapons (to instigate the Persian invasion of that kingdom), and ordering that Dastan be killed. Those working for Nizam, including the Hassansin mystic, also have bad attitudes for their murderous ways. When Sheikh Amar asks a man for some water, that man spits a mouthful at him. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" and/or "Blood/Gore" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. We see various humans skeletons that announce one's arrival in the Valley of the Slaves. A large snake slithers up the Hassansin mystic's sleeve and disappears. We hear that if the time travel dagger is placed into a specific mystical wall, the gods' fury will be released in some sort of armageddon (and we briefly see an imagined distant view of sandstorm clouds enveloping a city). As various men sleep, we see the shape of a large snake slithering beneath the sand, approaching Seso. It then rears up and prepares to strike him, but Dastan bashes the serpent and throws it onto a fire. Other snakes then attack, but Dastan activates the time travel dagger just as a snake strikes at him, mouth open, but now frozen. All of that action reverses and then starts again, this time with Dastan slicing and cutting those snakes, including beheading one (no blood, but we see the severed head). The Hassansin mystic's large snake slithers over an unconscious Tamina and then back up the Hassansin mystic's sleeve. Nizam stabs Dastan and both end up dangling off the side of an abyss. Nizam then kicks Dastan and throws Tamina over the side, and she then dangles from Dastan's arm as he dangles from the side. Knowing Dastan must stop Nizam, she purposefully breaks Dastan's grip and falls into the abyss and disappears. Dastan and Nizam then struggle (Nizam elbowing him and apparently pushing on Dastan's wound, etc.) over control of the time travel dagger that Nizam has jammed into a mystical wall, which releases all sorts of strong, mystical power that blasts forth. GUNS/WEAPONS Swords/Knives & daggers/Spears/Arrows/Crossbows/Whips/Flammable & explosive devices: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details. Seso throws a knife that lands in the ground between Dastan's legs. Seso throws a knife that impales Dastan's shirtsleeve to a post and then holds a blade on him. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "The Lion of Persia," (what sounded like) "Like a venerable disease in a Turkish harem," "Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?" and "You're mad." The fighting, acrobatic stunts and other physical behavior (flipping or running along poles, jumping from one roof top to another and/or down to lower levels, etc. - some of which could be dangerous if attempted) might be enticing for some kids to try to imitate. Dastan climbs a pole part of the way up the stone wall lining Alamut, followed by grabbing arrows just fired into the wall, using them to pull himself up. Dastan appears to be intoxicated (while Bis holds a gourd) as he runs up to and tries to flip himself backwards off a wall, but he falls short and hits the ground hard. Tamina fakes being unconscious to cause Dastan to drop his guard and rush to her. She then uses a human bone to whack him on the head, knocking him out. Seeing an enemy with a large sword, Sheikh Amar says, "You know what they say about men with big swords" and then holds up his pinky, bending it slightly. The Hassansin mystic slices open a large snake (bloody, meaty cut) to retrieve the dagger inside it. Seso is proficient at blade throwing, as is one of the Hassansin mystic's warriors who licks one of his blades before throwing it at Seso. JUMP SCENES A serpent strikes out at Dastan (seen from his point of view). MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of suspenseful, ominous, action-oriented and heavily dramatic music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY None. SEX/NUDITY We see brief and partial glimpses of a newborn's scrotum as the baby is held up. We see a shirtless Dastan and another shirtless man wrestle-fighting for the entertainment and/or betting wages of others. Tamina shows some cleavage in a corset type top. Tamina nearly kisses Dastan, but does so to distract and draw a sword on him. We see Dastan's close-up POV of Tamina's cleavage (but specifically the amulet of sand that resides there on a necklace), prompting her to ask if he sees what he's looking for. Sheikh Amar admits that he fabricated stories of the horrors of his land (to keep the Persian tax collectors at bay), admitting that he spread such falsehoods like a venerable disease in a Turkish harem (or something that sounded like that). Tamina shows some cleavage. We see Tamina wearing a revealing top while pretending to be a server girl. She asks Dastan where the dagger is, and he says she's welcome to search him, but will have to be very thorough. Some women in a harem show cleavage and Dastan briefly pauses (during an escape) to smile at them. Seeing an enemy with a large sword, Sheikh Amar says, "You know what they say about men with big swords" and then holds up his pinky, bending it slightly. Tamina and Dastan nearly kiss, but she's knocked aside and unconscious by a metal tipped whip. We see the shape of breasts on an old statue, but couldn't tell if they were bare or not. Dastan and Tamina briefly kiss. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear that young Dastan is an orphan. The King is mad at Tus for invading and conquering Alamut without checking with him first. The brothers must contend with their father being killed by a poisoned and acidic robe, with everyone (including his brothers) believing Dastan is the guilty party (he isn't), while he must contend with his uncle's treachery. Dastan covertly enters his father's funeral procession and comes face to face with the covered body, including the metal death mask. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT We hear that young Dastan is an orphan. We hear that Tus has many wives and he wants to take Tamina as his latest (to ensure peace between Persia and Alamut). The treachery of some to obtain power. Ancient Persia. VIOLENCE Young Bis ends up spooking a horse that throws its rider. That man or another then grabs and repeatedly strikes the boy until young Dastan intervenes, throwing fruit or something similar at the man. That's followed by a chase, where various men fall and crash through things while chasing after young Dastan. Another man raises his sword to strike him, but then King Sharaman arrives and all bow down before him. We see a shirtless Dastan and another shirtless man wrestle-fighting for the entertainment and/or betting wages of others. We see the distant battle fires and explosions from Tus' army beginning its attack on Alamut. Dastan grabs and slams a man's head against a wall, followed by several people being hit by arrows and then there's some hand to hand combat (swords and such, but no graphic wounds or blood). More arrows are fired and Dastan hits, kicks and otherwise strikes more men, including throwing one over the side of a wall, with that man landing hard, while two are slammed together by a rope, and a large wooden wheel spoke is let loose and slams down hard on a man's back. Dastan then cuts supports holding up a structure that collapses, spilling oil or something similar that Dastan then ignites, causing a fire and explosion. Tus' men then ride in on horseback and strike more people with their swords and such, wounding or killing them (but with no graphic wounds), while Dastan knocks Tamina's assistant from his ride and the two battle, sword vs. spear. Tamina quickly draws and holds a knife on Garsiv, but Nizam grabs her arm and disarms her. Another man then nearly impales Tamina until she yells for him to stop. Dastan appears to be intoxicated (while Bis holds a gourd) as he runs up to and tries to flip himself backwards off a wall, but he falls short and hits the ground hard. Given a "spoils of war" robe by his brother to give to their father, Dastan gives King Sharaman that robe that he places over his shoulders. He's unaware, however, that it's poisoned with some sort of acid that burns his skin (we see bloody type blisters), sends him to the ground in agony and then leaves him dead. Realizing they must get out of there, Bis hits some men before being stabbed, but that allows Dastan (who also hits some men) to escape with Tamina, jumping down into a body of water and then racing off on horseback, all as arrows are fired at them. Tamina nearly kisses Dastan, but does so to distract and draw a sword on him. He signals his horse to bump her forward and he grabs her, but she then slices him across the chest (leaving a slightly bloody cut). He then accidentally activates the time travel dagger, thus causing that action to reverse, and then appears to happen again, but he stops her in her tracks. Tamina fakes being unconscious to cause Dastan to drop his guard and rush to her. She then uses a human bone to whack him on the head, knocking him out. A rider falls from an ostrich during such an animal race. Dastan elbows one man, head-butts another, and stabs one near Tamina (initially appearing as if he stabbed her). Arrows are fired at Dastan and he flees, followed by a swordfight with others. He hits, kicks, knees and strikes others while trying to escape, while another man is accidentally shot with an arrow and a different one accidentally bangs his head hard on a door opening, clothes-lining himself. He then kicks Garsiv back, pulls one man down through an opening and shoots another with a crossbow, causing that man to fall down through that or another opening. He then avoids more arrows that hit another person, while another man tries to jump over an alley but hits the opposite wall hard. Dastan then pulls a rope that causes fabric to pull men toward and then over a roof edge, sending them hard to the street below. Dastan then hits more people before battling Garsiv, sword vs. hatchet or something similar. That ends with Dastan knocking Garsiv down some steps, fairly hard. There's some hard contact during sparring by Nizam's warriors (while some Molotov cocktail type devices are thrown and cause small explosions), and he barely avoids being hit by blades that zip by him and impale a wall. We see a brief flashback to young Nizam saving young King Sharaman's life from an attacking lion (quickly edited, but we do see an impaled lion from Nizam's actions with a spear). One of Sheikh Amar's men holds a sword to Dastan's throat, followed by Sheikh Amar punching Dastan in the gut. That's followed by large ropes put into Dastan and Tamina's mouths to silence them. As various men sleep, we see the shape of a large snake slithering beneath the sand, approaching Seso. It then rears up and prepares to strike him, but Dastan bashes the serpent and throws it onto a fire. Other snakes then attack, but Dastan activates the time travel dagger just as a snake strikes at him, mouth open, but now frozen. All of that action reverses and then starts again, this time with Dastan slicing and cutting those snakes, including beheading one (no blood, but we see the severed head). We see various murdered and somewhat bloody people (killed by the Hassansin mystic and/or his followers). A volley of arrows are fired on Dastan and others, with several striking Garsiv, mortally wounding him (we see some blood there and from his mouth). Warriors then attack and many are sliced and wounded or killed (with a little bit of bloody results on at least one), while Tamina briefly battles the Hassansin mystic , followed by Dastan engaged in a swordfight with him. Seso is nearly killed, but Sheikh Amar distracts the attacking warrior, allowing Seso to throw a blade that impales the warrior's helmet (no blood), killing him. Tamina and Dastan nearly kiss, but she's knocked aside by a metal tipped whip. Dastan then avoids more such strikes from that and/or other such whips while fighting them. One nearly jumps down on Dastan, but Garsiv holds up something that impales the attacker. The Hassansin mystic slices open a large snake (bloody, meaty cut) to retrieve the dagger inside it. When Sheikh Amar asks a man for some water, that man spits a mouthful at him. Sheikh Amar then hits him on the head with a shovel, as do his men to others with that first man. Seso enters a chamber to do battle with one of the Hassansin mystic's warriors, both equipped with many throwing blades. Both fling them at each other, with one getting Seso in the chest, but he yanks it out. More such throwing follows that, with close calls and such. Seso eventually gets the man with a large blade to the chest, but then looks down to see that he's been struck multiple times in his own chest. Mistakenly believed to be Dastan, Sheikh Amar is yanked off his horse to the ground. He's then punched in the face, slightly bloody him. Dastan holds a knife on Tus to keep the latter's guards at bay. After they leave, Dastan explains what's happening, and then stabs himself in the chest with the dagger to prove he's telling the truth (Tus activates the time travel dagger, the action reverses, and then he stops Dastan from impaling himself). Nizam slices Tus across the throat, killing him, with bloody results. Another man strikes Dastan, knocking him to the floor where he pins him. He then prepares to kill Dastan, but Tamina distracts that man, allowing Dastan to throw a blade into that man before impaling him with a spear. Tamina informs Dastan that he must follow in her exact footsteps as they cross a large, sand-covered room. He does, but then spots a large rock falling at him. He barely catches that, but ends up dropping it, causing a large hole to form in the sand floor. Tamina runs to get to the other side, while Dastan is sucked down into the hole and then slides along a tidal wave sized flow of sand that crashes and smashes through structures. Dastan must avoid those and eventually ends up flying through the air and over to safety. However, he immediately falls through a trap door sort of hole and ends up battling the Hassansin mystic in a swordfight. The Hassansin mystic eventually gets the upper-hand and his serpent appears and goes at Dastan, but Tamina grabs that and jams it on the Hassansin mystic's face, presumably injecting him with poison, while Dastan then stabs him (impact not seen), and the mystic then falls into the abyss. Nizam stabs Dastan and both end up dangling off the side of an abyss. Nizam then kicks Dastan and throws Tamina over the side, and she then dangles from Dastan's arm as he dangles from the side. Knowing Dastan must stop Nizam, she purposefully breaks Dastan's grip and falls into the abyss and disappears. Dastan and Nizam then struggle (Nizam elbowing him and apparently pushing on Dastan's wound, etc.) over control of the time travel dagger that Nizam has jammed into a mystical wall, which releases all sorts of strong, mystical power that blasts forth. Now back in the past, Dastan tries to alert the others to Nizam's pending treachery, and fights with and slices several men who try to stop him. He then battles Nizam, eventually tossing him over a wall where he lands hard on the ground. Nizam then draws a knife to stab Dastan, but Tus stabs Nizam first, mortally wounding him. Reviewed May 25, 2010 / Posted May 28, 2010

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