Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (film)
Action fantasy film based on the Prince of Persia video game series.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a 2010 action fantasy film that draws from the video game series created by Jordan Mechner. Mike Newell directed it, with a screenplay by Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard, working from a story by Mechner. The cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton, and Alfred Molina. The movie adapts the 2003 Ubisoft game of the same name and pulls in elements from its sequels, Warrior Within (2004) and The Two Thrones (2005). It had its premiere in London on May 9, 2010, and hit theaters in the UK on May 21 and the US on May 28, distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Critics gave it mixed reviews, but it earned over $336.4 million worldwide against a production budget of $150–200 million. It held the record as the top-grossing video game film adaptation until Warcraft took that spot in 2016.
The plot follows Dastan, a street orphan adopted by King Sharaman after showing bravery. Fifteen years later, at the Persian border near the Holy City of Alamut, the king’s brother Nizam shows evidence to the princes—Dastan and the king’s biological sons Tus and Garsiv—that enemies are forging weapons. Tus orders the Persian army to capture Alamut. During the assault, Dastan defeats a royal guard and takes a sacred dagger. Alamut falls, but Princess Tamina denies the city has weapon forges. Tus proposes marriage to unite the nations, and she agrees only after spotting the dagger with Dastan. At a celebratory banquet, Tus has Dastan give their father an embroidered robe, which is poisoned and fatally burns Sharaman. Garsiv accuses Dastan of murder. Dastan flees with Tamina, Tus becomes king, and a bounty is placed on Dastan.
In hiding, Tamina tries to kill Dastan and steal the dagger. During the struggle, Dastan discovers the dagger can rewind time. Believing Tus invaded Alamut for the dagger, Dastan decides to confront him. On the way, merchant-bandits led by Sheik Amar capture them for the reward, but they escape. In Avrat, Dastan tries to convince Nizam of his innocence but notices burns on Nizam’s hands, realizing Nizam orchestrated the king’s murder. Dastan escapes again. Nizam sends covert Hassansin warriors to kill Dastan and retrieve the dagger. Tamina later explains that gods once trapped the Sands of Time in a sandglass after a girl offered to sacrifice herself.
- Release year
- 2010
- Director
- Mike Newell
- Screenplay by
- Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard
- Story by
- Jordan Mechner
- Starring
- Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton, Alfred Molina
- Budget
- $150–200 million
- Box office
- Over $336.4 million
Lore & Background
The film follows Dastan, a street urchin adopted by King Sharaman, who fifteen years later participates in the Persian capture of Alamut. During the attack, Dastan obtains a sacred dagger from a royal guard. After the king is murdered by a poisoned robe, Dastan is accused and flees with Princess Tamina. He discovers the dagger can rewind time. Tamina reveals she is the guardian of the dagger, which can release the Sands of Time from a sandglass and potentially destroy the world. The villain Nizam, the king's brother, seeks the dagger to change history and become king. Dastan eventually confronts Nizam, and after Tamina's sacrifice, uses the dagger to rewind time to the moment he found it, exposing Nizam's treachery. The film ends with Dastan returning the dagger to Tamina as an engagement gift.
Reader's Guide
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is significant as a major Hollywood adaptation of a video game franchise, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Films and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It was the highest-grossing video game film adaptation until 2016, demonstrating the commercial potential of the genre. The film's development began in 2004, with Jordan Mechner hired to write the script, taking elements from the game to craft a new story. Production involved filming in Morocco and at Pinewood Studios, with Jake Gyllenhaal employing a Received Pronunciation accent. The film's score was composed by Harry Gregson-Williams, with a theme song by Alanis Morissette. Despite mixed critical reception, its box office success and place in the history of video game adaptations mark its legacy.
Did You Know?
- The film is based on the 2003 video game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and incorporates elements from its sequels Warrior Within and The Two Thrones.
- Jake Gyllenhaal gained five or six pounds of muscle for the role and used a Received Pronunciation-style accent.
- The film was not filmed or converted into 3-D, unlike other Disney films at the time.
- Alanis Morissette composed the theme song 'I Remain' for the film.
More in Characters & Factions
Elsewhere in Prince of Persia
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