Reactions to the film across the Internet have, on the whole, been mixed. The only thing we know is that the movie isn’t great. It’s not a gift to Hollywood, let alone gamers. Yet does that make it a bad movie?

Son, if you think Prince of Persia is a bad flick then you are pretentious. That’s right; I of all people am saying you are a pompous asshole that will only devour the most expensive lobster of film. It wouldn’t kill you to have a regular cheeseburger or some fish sticks once in a while.

The simple fact is Jerry Bruckheimer knows fun films. He may not churn out art, but he churns out fun. This is why a dumb concept like National Treasure could end up being entertaining. Meanwhile, Jordan Mechner created the franchise, wrote and designed the Sands of Time video game and was responsible for the story and early screenplay of the film. In other words, the chances of this film being bad were slim to none.

The end result is a fun film that is faithful to the source material. That would also make it the first game-to-film adaptation to do such justice (unless you count the Street Fighter anime film, but the quality of that flick will likely vary from person to person). As a result, if you have not yet seen the movie then go. Make sure this movie does well financially so more studios can see what it takes for such a film to work.

For most of you, the plot will be predictable enough that you’ll see any plot twist a mile away. Even if you didn’t play the original Sands of Time you’ll know how the movie will conclude (or you will guess it, at the very least). This doesn’t stop it from being entertaining. Sometimes that predictability is nice to have because it lets you know it’s not a straight-forward affair. I know that sounds a bit counter-intuitive, but if you know there are plot twists coming then you also know it’s not a straight path from point A to point B. At the same time you know the good guys will win, but the question isn’t what will happen, it is how.

Prince of Persia does a great job with the how. The acrobatics are impressive to watch, the combat is well choreographed though the camera doesn’t always seem to be looking at the actual fight, and the dialog is witty and amusing. There are a number of characters, but most of the time is spent on those that are most important while using the rest for comic relief or plot advancement.

In other words, it’s all the right stuff for a good recipe of, say, cake. True they didn’t throw anything different into the mix, but just because you have a regular cake doesn’t mean you have bad cake. I mean, it’s cake! Even when it is average it is delicious.

The only real flaw of the film is the banter between the prince and the princess. It tends to be amusing most of the time, but on occasion just feels too flirtatiously antagonizing. Yet on the whole the relationship works out and transforms in a way that you smile at the end.

It’s no Fight Club or Blade Runner, but if you were expecting that out of a Prince of Persia film then you were expecting too much. The film is exactly what it needs to be, which is a movie worth watching. Kudos to Jordan Mechner and Jerry Bruckheimer. They’ve finally made a film based off of a video game that is good and has mainstream appeal.

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