Movie · 2010 · Adventure, Fantasy, Action · 1h 56m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 0.9/10 (490.5K ratings)
Defy the Future
Overview
A rogue prince reluctantly joins forces with a mysterious princess and together, they race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time – gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.9/10
IMDb: 6.5/10
Letterboxd: 2.57/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 37%
Metacritic: 50
TMDB: 6.3/10
Director
Mike Newell
Production
Walt Disney Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Cast
Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Steve Toussaint, Toby Kebbell, Richard Coyle, Ronald Pickup, Reece Ritchie, Gísli Örn Garðarsson, Claudio Pacifico, Thomas DuPont, Dave Pope, Domonkos Párdányi, Massimiliano Ubaldi, Vladimir "Furdo" Furdik, Christopher Greet, William Foster, Elliot James Neale, Selva Rasalingam
Where to watch
Disney Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, old-school studio adventure with energetic set pieces, a charismatic lead duo, and enough time-bending spectacle to make it an easy watch if you’re in the right mood. But the adaptation is uneven, the plotting is generic, and the casting/accents controversy hangs over the whole film.
Best for
fans of light fantasy adventures
viewers who enjoy sword-and-sand spectacle
people looking for a breezy, low-stakes blockbuster
audiences tolerant of formulaic action
Skip if
you want sharp writing or deep mythology
miscasting or accent issues will distract you
you prefer inventive action editing and choreography
you’re looking for a standout video game adaptation
Overview
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a polished, fast-moving studio fantasy that tries hard to feel like a classic adventure. The production design, desert setting, and time-reversal gimmick give it a bit of identity, and the film mostly works when it leans into momentum rather than explanation.
Worth noting
Its biggest problem is that it feels assembled from familiar parts: chosen-one plotting, royal intrigue, ancient artifact peril, and a romance that never quite sparks. The action is serviceable but often cut too aggressively, which blunts the physicality of the set pieces.
Bottom line
Still, there’s a certain charm in how straightforwardly it plays the genre. If you want a colorful, mid-budget-feeling blockbuster from the era of big franchise attempts, it can be an agreeable watch. If you want the best version of this kind of adventure, there are sharper films elsewhere.
Top Letterboxd reviews
lauren (2★) · 1755 likes
jake gyllenhaal is our strong, independent, middle eastern prince
Dan (1★) · 1006 likes
me: is jake gonna apologize for this or...?
jake: *takes his shirt off*
me: apology accepted thank you so muhc
rebecca (2★) · 917 likes
this movie only gets two stars. one star for each of jake’s muscular arms
liv (2★) · 599 likes
the film sucks but “did you know that ostriches have suicidal tendencies” is objectively the funniest line in all of cinema
friendofhagrid (1.5★) · 576 likes
8 year old me’s gonna be pissed when he finds out that this actually isn’t the greatest movie of all time.