Film adaptations of computer games usually set up a groan response from me. So I approached PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME with a degree of jaundice.

It’s set in the grand days of the Persian Empire which extended from China to the Mediterranean. The courage and exploits of street urchin Dastan leads to him becoming adopted into the royal family.

As an adult – played by JAKE GYLLENHAAL – Dastan’s a bit of a loose canon, but his bravado leads the emperor’s army to success in storming the holy city of Alamut where Princess Tamina – GEMMA ARTERTON – has something really precious to protect.

Double dealings by the Emperor’s brother Nizam – BEN KINGSLEY – lead Dastan into a shaky alliance with a desert entrepreneur played by ALFRED MOLINA.

This is just entertaining stuff, more so than most of its ilk. JAKE GYLLENHAAL surprisingly succeeds as an action hero, GEMMA ARTERTON fails to impress as a spritely heroine.

This is action, inspired by Hong Kong martial arts movies, and it’s certainly whizz-bang. It’s a far cry from FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL for director Mike Newell, but he’s honed his craft on a HARRY POTTER movie and a couple of The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones episodes.

What interested me in the credits was Boaz Yakin as writer, he made FRESH way back in 1994, not done a lot to distinguish himself since but you live in hope.

The other credit that I loved was FELIX POMERANZ as lead data wrangler, so maybe I’m biased on this one.

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