Disney was kind enough to screen The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time to a ShoWest audience back in March, but not surprisingly, they wouldn't let any of us talk about the film. Now that Prince of Persia is about to be released, we can talk about it. This movie is big in scale and that should come as no surprise since it was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. When watching a Bruckheimer film, there's always something vintage Bruckheimer about it, and that certainly hasn't changed here. Unfortunately, director Mike Newell wasn't necessarily the right man for this job. It isn't that the Four Weddings and Funeral director hasn't tackled big action properties before (he took on Harry Potter and and the Goblet of Fire--one of my least favorite entries in the franchise), it's just that he shouldn't again. This isn't a knock towards this gifted storyteller. I'm simply of the opinion that his talent is best suited for more intimate fare (i.e. Donnie Brasco, Enchanted April and the under-appreciated gem Amazing Grace and Chuck). Based on the popular video game, The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time features Jake Gyllenhaal as a rogue prince who teams with a spunky princess (played by Clash of the Titans' Gemma Arterton) to obtain a mythical dagger that allows its user to reverse time. Newell and Bruckheimer are clearly going for an Indiana Jones vibe but unfortunately, Newell is unable to generate the same sort of rhythm and pacing that made Raiders of the Lost Ark such a memorable thrill ride. To Bruckheimer's credit, this is a handsome production. Clearly, the uber producer spared no expense, but sadly, the material, as adapted by Boaz Yakin and Doug Miro, is overly long and overly stuffed and what's more, a chiseled Gyllenhaal and cute Arterton are unable to generate any real chemistry. There are some wonderful moments in this large scale action picture (the Ostrich race is an odd bit of fun) and props to a playful Alfred Molina for injecting much needed energy into the proceedings, but overall, I found Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time just about as exciting as watching an hourglass.