Following the standard hero's journey, "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" provides the viewer a great adventure story. Destan (Gyllenhaal) is the adopted son of the King of Persia and is anything but a calm and obedient Prince. It is his penchant for doing what he wants, and not necessarily what he is told to do, that sets him on his journey to protect the mysterious and magical sands of time while also clearing his name for the murder of his father, the King. Destan's journey is full of action, humor, and death defying tasks that build his character as well as open his heart to the love of a spitfire woman, Tamina (Gemma Arterton). The movie gives just enough history and myth, plenty of action, and the right dose of playful sarcasm between characters to keep you fully engaged. Add in very good performances by all involved, with the bonus of a hilarious anti-taxation character Sheik Amar (Alfred Molina), and you cannot help but be satisfied. The most gratifying element just may be that this is a film adapted from a video game yet you would never know it as it is written with a level of maturity and directed with the intention of providing original thought on the material.

He jumps, he spins, he twirls, and he maneuvers around multitudes of armed attackers with great swiftness. He is Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) and he supplies more than enough to the action in the film to keep your eyes from ever tiring.