Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Harry Gregson-Williams
" Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of Harry Gregson-Williams returning "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Video games have been popular territory for the scriptwriters of Hollywood, and deservedly so. After all video games are the prolongation of movies on the little screen, offering the same amount of story telling, character development and emotional thrills that movies have been delivering for almost a 100 years now. And yet few video games have received their proper movie adaptation, and I was afraid the producers wouldn't do the wonderful story of Prince of Persia justice as well.
After all Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a wonderful visual idea if done right by the people who respect the game for what it is, a mind boggling time travel adventure with amazing stunt work and growing romance placed in an exotic setting. The movie itself uses very little of the Prince's powers and deletes pretty quickly the enemies the prince is fighting against in the game. Yet luckily director and crew recreate nicely the exotic setting the gamer plays in and forms a wonderful passionate love between the prince Dastan and the beauty Tamina. Composer Harry Gregson-Williams had to fill in the place of composer Stuart Chatwood, who offered a rocking soundtrack for the 2003 game.
Now, the name Harry Gregson-Williams wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for the uninterested passage the composer is going through. After all The Taking of Pelham 123, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Shrek the Third amongst others didn't offer the listener a palette of interesting music, nor inspired listening experiences. So the question was, was Harry going to be inspired from the beginning?
Luckily one must only listen to the first 2 tracks to realize that Harry's inspiration is greater here than it ever was the past couple of years. In "The Prince of Persia" we receive a wonderful classic Arabic main theme that graces the sands of the desert, until it's interrupted by the even better Prince's theme (that does sound a whole lot like Exodus' main theme). The main theme soaring at the end of this opening track is ample proof of Harry's inspirational writing.
The second track which truly kicks ass in the film is even better. "Raid on Alamut" starts with suspenseful build up, but unleashes the wonderful sound of the main theme as the Prince theme as it battles through the inspirational adventure music. The end of this track by the way offers some of Harry's most inspired ideas yet (with a choir to sign it off in style).
These first 2 tracks are the best of the entire album, and even if the score doesn't reach that potential anymore, Harry keeps it interesting and entertaining. "Tamina Unveiled" and "The King and his Sons" show some lovely exotic writing, "Dastan and Tamina Escape" deliver some exciting suspenseful adventure writing along with the first turn back in time sequence, and the brief "Ostrich Race" delivers some returning Just Visiting playfulness in a rousing design.
A failed yet effective combination however is the Hassassin's theme, a loud obnoxious call that does make you aware of the Hassassin's presence. It's heard the first time in "Visions of Death", surrounded with more prominent electronic action music in "The Oasis Ambush" and ambushed between fanfares and the electronic pounds in "Hassassin Attack".
The end of the album offers the expected confrontation, and dares to throw in the wonderful choral fanfare of the end of track 2 in "Return to Alamut". Dramatic variations on the main theme in "The Sand Glass Chamber", action surrounding the dramatic twist in "Sands of Time (unleashing a wonderful action led main theme in the outcome) and the Prince theme and the main theme signing off the album's potential under a glazing sun in "Destiny", that is Prince of Persia in a nutshell.
Like the album, the film is at its best in the first half hour. But like the film, the album remains entertaining throughout the entire running time. Even more, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is somehow the album the fans were hoping for. It carries a wonderful classic main theme, a nice Prince theme and an effective if irritating enemy theme, all the while the typical yet entertaining action music is functioning around it. In the end, it makes it one of the better summer blockbusters (and with that I mean both film and score).
Tracklisting
1. The Prince of Persia (5.20) Excellent track
2. Raid on Alamut (6.33) Excellent track
3. Tamina Unveiled (2.34)
4. The King and his Sons (2.59)
5. Dastan and Tamina Escape (4.31)
6. Journey Through the Desert (2.55)
7. Ostrich Race (0.59)
8. Running from Sheik Amar (3.27)
9. Trusting Nizam (4.37)
10. Visions of Death (1.47)
11. So, You're Going to Help Me (2.20)
12. The Oasis Ambush (1.54)
13. Hassassin Attack (3.00)
14. Return to Alamut (3.06)
15. This is no Ordinary Dagger (4.39)
16. The Sand Glass Chamber (3.09)
17. Sands of Time (3.59)
18. Destiny (3.39) Excellent track
19. I Remain: Alanis Morissette (4.57)
Total Length: 66.17
After all Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a wonderful visual idea if done right by the people who respect the game for what it is, a mind boggling time travel adventure with amazing stunt work and growing romance placed in an exotic setting. The movie itself uses very little of the Prince's powers and deletes pretty quickly the enemies the prince is fighting against in the game. Yet luckily director and crew recreate nicely the exotic setting the gamer plays in and forms a wonderful passionate love between the prince Dastan and the beauty Tamina. Composer Harry Gregson-Williams had to fill in the place of composer Stuart Chatwood, who offered a rocking soundtrack for the 2003 game.
Now, the name Harry Gregson-Williams wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for the uninterested passage the composer is going through. After all The Taking of Pelham 123, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Shrek the Third amongst others didn't offer the listener a palette of interesting music, nor inspired listening experiences. So the question was, was Harry going to be inspired from the beginning?
Luckily one must only listen to the first 2 tracks to realize that Harry's inspiration is greater here than it ever was the past couple of years. In "The Prince of Persia" we receive a wonderful classic Arabic main theme that graces the sands of the desert, until it's interrupted by the even better Prince's theme (that does sound a whole lot like Exodus' main theme). The main theme soaring at the end of this opening track is ample proof of Harry's inspirational writing.
The second track which truly kicks ass in the film is even better. "Raid on Alamut" starts with suspenseful build up, but unleashes the wonderful sound of the main theme as the Prince theme as it battles through the inspirational adventure music. The end of this track by the way offers some of Harry's most inspired ideas yet (with a choir to sign it off in style).
These first 2 tracks are the best of the entire album, and even if the score doesn't reach that potential anymore, Harry keeps it interesting and entertaining. "Tamina Unveiled" and "The King and his Sons" show some lovely exotic writing, "Dastan and Tamina Escape" deliver some exciting suspenseful adventure writing along with the first turn back in time sequence, and the brief "Ostrich Race" delivers some returning Just Visiting playfulness in a rousing design.
A failed yet effective combination however is the Hassassin's theme, a loud obnoxious call that does make you aware of the Hassassin's presence. It's heard the first time in "Visions of Death", surrounded with more prominent electronic action music in "The Oasis Ambush" and ambushed between fanfares and the electronic pounds in "Hassassin Attack".
The end of the album offers the expected confrontation, and dares to throw in the wonderful choral fanfare of the end of track 2 in "Return to Alamut". Dramatic variations on the main theme in "The Sand Glass Chamber", action surrounding the dramatic twist in "Sands of Time (unleashing a wonderful action led main theme in the outcome) and the Prince theme and the main theme signing off the album's potential under a glazing sun in "Destiny", that is Prince of Persia in a nutshell.
Like the album, the film is at its best in the first half hour. But like the film, the album remains entertaining throughout the entire running time. Even more, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is somehow the album the fans were hoping for. It carries a wonderful classic main theme, a nice Prince theme and an effective if irritating enemy theme, all the while the typical yet entertaining action music is functioning around it. In the end, it makes it one of the better summer blockbusters (and with that I mean both film and score).
Tracklisting
1. The Prince of Persia (5.20) Excellent track
2. Raid on Alamut (6.33) Excellent track
3. Tamina Unveiled (2.34)
4. The King and his Sons (2.59)
5. Dastan and Tamina Escape (4.31)
6. Journey Through the Desert (2.55)
7. Ostrich Race (0.59)
8. Running from Sheik Amar (3.27)
9. Trusting Nizam (4.37)
10. Visions of Death (1.47)
11. So, You're Going to Help Me (2.20)
12. The Oasis Ambush (1.54)
13. Hassassin Attack (3.00)
14. Return to Alamut (3.06)
15. This is no Ordinary Dagger (4.39)
16. The Sand Glass Chamber (3.09)
17. Sands of Time (3.59)
18. Destiny (3.39) Excellent track
19. I Remain: Alanis Morissette (4.57)
Total Length: 66.17