New 'Prince of Persia' Footage

I was excited to hear about a Prince of Persia movie being made, but when I found out Jake Gyllenhaal was playing the lead role of Prince Dastan my interest waned somewhat. Don’t get me wrong, I think that Gyllenhaal is a great actor, but movies like Brokeback Mountain and Donnie Darko didn’t do much to portray him as the action movie type. The first footage released for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time has changed my mind and put this movie back on the must see list.

Gyllenhaal must have been up to some 300 style training to get into hero shape. He definitely looks like somebody who could save the world, possibly the universe if he flexes. Any previous thoughts about him not being good for this role have been quieted, at least temporarily. It seems that the actors from Brokeback Mountain have a habit of turning around and just becoming completely badass.

The footage itself also looks good, especially the close ups of Gemma Arterton. The fight scenes look crisp, and the landscape shots are breathtaking. There are times when Gyllenhaal looks kind of emo, which makes me nervous, that and the fact I didn’t hear him talk in character. He looks vicious enough during fight scenes to give me hope that he will play Prince Dastan well. All in all, the footage makes it look like Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time has potential to be a good video game adaptation, a rare feat indeed.