"Prince of Persia" Movie Trailer Review

Movie Trailer Review

"Prince of Persia"

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

In 1996, 20th Century Fox released "Independence Day" and made a ton of money. In 1998. TriStar released "Godzilla" and it flopped. It had the same writer-director team-up, same formulaic monster-alien invasion story, same level of destruction--maybe even more. What the folks at TriStar forgot, though, was that instead of starring Will Smith, "Godzilla" had Matthew Broderick.

Flash forward to 2010 with "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time." Jerry Bruckheimer and the people are Disney are looking to re-create the success of "Pirates of the Caribbean" with "Prince of Persia." They have a more than competent director in Mike Newell, exotic locales and all the action and adventure that "Pirates" offered. But what "Prince" seems to be missing is Johnny Depp and his Oscar-nominated performance as Jack Sparrow.

Is "Prince of Persia" the "Godzilla" to "Pirates'" "Independence Day"? Maybe not on such a grand scale, but it seems like it could work out that way.

Based on the popular video game franchise, which originated in 1989, "Sands of Time" stars a jacked-up Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan--and it looks like his "Bubble Boy" days are over. Dastan must protect an ancient dagger that has the capabilities of releasing the Sands of Time--a gift from the gods that can slow and reverse time.

Judging by the trailer, whether the movie is any good is a coin toss. A lot of its success depends on Jake Gyllenhaal, how well he fits into that big-budget leading man role, and his chemistry co-star Gemma Arterton. From the looks of the trailer, it seems as if he's up for the challenge. The trailer also shows off the film's beautiful washed-out look, with a predominantly heavy orange tint creating the rough, gritty and adventurous allure of the Middle East many centuries ago.

Outside of delivering a quality blockbuster, what Disney needs to worry about is establishing "Prince of Persia" as a franchise before May 28. It's not an enviable task, but it's something that its predecessor, "Pirates," did exceptionally well. Audiences are hesitant to venture into a theater to watch something they're unfamiliar with. If Disney can fill the theaters, it's up to Gyllenhaal and Newell to deliver the goods, which they've been known to do.

View the movie trailer for "Prince of Persia" below.  What are your thoughts?