Opinion: Prince of Persia trailer wasn’t terrible after all

Video game movies usually tend to be well, awful. (Super Mario Bros or Dead or Alive, anyone?)

So it was with much skepticism that I’ve been following news regarding a Prince of Persia: Sands of Time movie.

After having seen the first trailer, I am convinced this film will be worth seeing. One of the first obstacles to a decent movie, game based or otherwise is the budget. With Walt Disney Studios considerable resources behind the production, there are no problems there, putting Jerry Bruckheimer and an all-star cast in place. The quality of the special effects show that no money is no object.

That’s also the reason Uwe Boll isn’t involved anywhere. Boll was able to snap up film rights to games including Postal because no one else was bidding. Do you blame them?

Disney’s able to place its advertising in prime spots including the November 8, 2009, Cowboys-Eagles game on NBC. Everybody may not have the desire to see this movie but everybody is definitely going to know about it.

That brings me to my next point. Some of the greatest games in history have little to no plot. That doesn’t matter because they’re fun to play. We don’t really need to know the Hammer Bros. back story to play a Mario game and enjoy it. But to hold anyone’s attention in a movie theatre for 90 minutes or better, a few things need to make sense. This is where Prince of Persia has the edge over many games. The Sands of Time series is a ready-made trilogy with a likable hero, despicable villains and a great story.

The Sands of Time trailer contains moments ripped straight from the games. The Dagger of Time, the Prince’s death-defying acrobatics and quirky sense of humor are all there. I was one of many that expressed concerns about Jake Gyllenhaal in the the lead. He is still not my first choice but most of what the Prince needs to do to be believable will be accomplished by wire fighting and computer graphics.

And now the cold shiver that went up my back when I heard this was going to be a movie is gone, replaced by the warmth of anticipation. Check it out:

Read [Gamertell] Also Read [Screen Rant]