I had the opportunity to screen Prince of Persia last night and ladies, let me tell you, it was fantABSulous!  Many people have said that they can’t picture Jake Gyllenhaal as an action star, and since I always think of either Bubble Boy or Brokeback Mountain, I can’t blame them.  BUT, I was very pleasantly surprised by his turn at Dastan, the youngest of the Persian princes!  I mean look at the picture!!  Bubble boy is long gone!

I don’t believe in spoiling the movie plot, so I’m not going to break down the whole story for you, besides it’s a little too convoluted.  The basics are: Jake is the youngest prince of Persia, the adopted son of the King.  There is treachery which culminates in war, death, and betrayal and it’s up to Jake and Gemma to defeat the baddies and make it all right again.  Also,  I’m going to make my theory public now, so you read it here first: in these movies, the amount of guyliner worn by the actors correlates directly with how evil they are.   I would urge you all to watch it.  The action is great – the animation and digital effects are much better than most movies based on video games.  All the action is very fluid and does not look/feel over digitized.  The acting is great – it’s got Sir Ben Kingsley (as the King of Persia’s brother) and Alfred Molina (as a conspiracy theorist, anti-tax nomad), so duh, right?

Also, one of my favorite thing to see in action flicks – the kick ass chick!  I hate when the girls are just eye-candy for the guys in the audience.  Gemma Arterton balances the typical snotty princess airs with a  fiesty, kick assiness that makes her Princess Tamina more than just a pretty face.  She may stray a little into Disney princess territory, but it IS a Disney movie, so she’s forgiven.

The fight sequences are gorgeously choreographed and executed to near perfection.  Jake’s (or his stunt double’s) acrobatics are spot on with those featured in the video game that you’d swear he’s defying gravity.  All the leaps, twirls, jumps, and flips are fluid and so perfectly timed that, at the risk of sounding a bit gushy, they were poetry in motion.

If the above is not enough to get you in the theaters, I can tell you, when Jake pointed to his torso (sadly covered) and told the audience “This is your Sex & the City” he wasn’t lying.  Personally I don’t care what Carrie and the girls are wearing, drinking or doing, I want to see what Jake’s not wearing in this movie!

For more on the interview held at the screening by Popsugar.com, go to: http://www.popsugar.com/Pictures-Jake-Gyllenhaal-PopSugar-Prince-Persia-Screening-8506823