Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

It might not be out for a couple of months (18th May 2011), but this is a big deal so I thought I should put it up early. Now I wasn’t a huge fan of the last 2, but I loved the first one and the newest chapter seems to be going back to the old ways. Keeping just the best bits (Captain Jack and Barbossa) and replacing the rest with new faces means hopefully the franchise and feel new and original again.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Coalitions are rather in vogue at the moment, first from the government and now from the film studios. The ‘Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ is the second blockbuster out this year from the collaboration between Disney and Jerry; the first being the Prince of Persia. The jury is still out on the success of the ‘Con-Dems’ but this reporter has truly made up his mind on the ‘Dis-Bruck’. Both ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ and ‘The Prince of Persia’ run from the same vein. Should I copy and paste  my Prince of Persia review I wrote four months ago? No. I’ll be good.

The story is heavily on the basic side; this plot is by no means in the same league as ‘Inception’. In 740 AD the sorcerer Balthazar (Nick Cage) is an apprentice of Merlin. He and two other apprentices help Merlin battle Morgana le Fay, but due to the betrayal of Horvath (Alfred Molina), one of his apprentices, Merlin is killed. Because of this Morgana is only trapped, not defeated, and in doing so takes the body of the third apprentice, Balthazar’s lover, with her. Balthazar then spends the next 1,000 or so years searching for Merlin’s heir who has the power to help him defeat Morgana. The heir turns out to be wet physics nerd Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel) who must be trained in order to defeat Morgana, even if he doesn’t want to. The plot has little, if no, surprises and readers of this brief synopsis can likely guess how the rest of the film pans out.

Unusually for Jerry Bruckheimer, who usually charges up his films with high calibre star power, there are only two big names in the cast: Nicholas Cage and Alfred Molina. The effect of these two stars could not have contrasted more. Nicholas Cage has consistently failed in past films to convince me of his acting skills and this film didn’t help. His performance was wooden and lacked the depth and slightly oddball, troubled quality that the character desperately called for. Alfred Molina on the other hand plays Horvath extremely well, making him both sinister and believable. His performance easily stole the light away from the other actors on screen. The other main cast members are new to important big screen roles and it really showed in their performances. Baruchel’s portrayal of Dave as an ordinary boy in extraordinary circumstances came across as wet, whiny and pathetic; while Teresa Palmer, who plays Becky (the love interest) was also one of the most pointless heroines I have ever seen. Palmer’s character added nothing to the plot and any acting ability she might have was lost in the dire script.

The saving grace of the film is the magic which probably beats the effects used in the Harry Potter films. All the spells and enchantments are creatively rendered which makes the magical fight scenes a delight to watch. The movie also tries to add depth to the magic by fusing it with science, but this has limited success; I doubt turning a pack of wolves into puppies can be explained using science. However the depth to the magic doesn’t extend very far and a lot of intricate details and histories that could have been added are simply skimmed over. Instead it is replaced by the inevitable goofy scene of out of control brooms and water; no one was surprised.

Although the magic and special effects are top notch they can’t save a film where the dialogue and the script have been ignored. The deficiencies in these areas mean the film lacks any shred of tension, clearly a major problem for an action movie. The fights, the chase scenes and the near misses do nothing to thrill the audience or keep them on the edge of their seats because they care too little about the characters. Overall the film did not live up to its potential due to the poor dialogue and dull plot. These aspect could not be saved by the beautiful special effects or by the film riding on the back of the magic franchise.

Degree: Fail

The movie is a great disappointment and had the potential

to deliver a lot more than it did

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

The Prince of Persia started life as a critically acclaimed video game in 1989 and has since become a huge franchise that has spread across two decades and several different mediums from graphic novels to next generation consoles. Now, it hits the big screen. The new film, The Prince ofPersia: The Sands of Time, is set to be the summer blockbuster to rival Marvel’s Iron Man 2 and it certainly has all the usual trappings of an action-adventure flick. We have an attractive male protagonist, Dastan (Gyllenhaal), who with the help of an equally attractive love interest, Princess Tamina (Arterton), must defeat the less attractive antagonist, Nizam (Kingsley). Between the opening and ending credits Dastan will travel around Persia, create a mismatched group of followers and be a part of some impressive fight scenes; if this all sounds familiar to you then you are likely to have seen the producer’s other big hit The Pirates of the Caribbean. However, though Prince of Persia sounds as if it is cut from the same cloth, it sadly falls short of what Pirates of the Caribbean achieved. The characters are not as developed, the settings not as compelling and the plot not as engaging.

Although Gyllenhaal portrays a far more competent and interesting character than Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner (who ironically was rumoured to have been originally playing this part) he isn’t as entertaining or as dynamic as Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow. Arterton’s Princess Tamina also falls short of being an impressive heroine; the flirtatious bickering between Dastan and Tamina is not only typical of Hollywood blockbusters, but it’s rather poorly executed. Instead of coming across as strong, independent and free thinking Tamina simply seems annoying and whiney. Location also causes gripes. Set in Persia, but filmed in Morocco, the movie jumps quickly from one location to another without properly showing the beauty of the landscape. Sadly it seems that Morocco will look more impressive in Sarah-Jessica Parker’s up-and-coming chick-flick Sex and the City 2 than it did here. Along with jumpy scenes, the plot bounded from location to location and fight to fight with very little congruency or tension. The premise of the film is explained within the first 40 minutes and the audience is given no new surprises.

Despite these deficiencies, the film is not without merit. It provides a lot for lovers of action; the fight scenes are well choreographed with many acrobatic tricks accompanying each sword fight. There is also an element of free running introduced to the film which is a subtle homage to the game the movie is based on. And the sequence of rewinding time is a particularly impressive feature of the film; this beautifully crafted CGI sequence is the one bit of originality in the movie. All together the sequences took a year and a half to finish, but visually it was worth every second. However, these tiny moments are not enough to redeem the rest of the 116 minute running time; anyone who is being dragged to see it should go on Orange Wednesday when at least their ticket will be free.

Degree: 3rd

A dumb action flick that delivers in special effects, but lacks in characterisation,

script and everything else important in a good film.