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The Scorpion King

The Scorpion King (2002)

April. 19,2002
|
5.5
|
PG-13
| Adventure Fantasy Drama Action

In ancient Egypt, peasant Mathayus is hired to exact revenge on the powerful Memnon and the sorceress Cassandra, who are ready to overtake Balthazar's village. Amid betrayals, thieves, abductions and more, Mathayus strives to bring justice to his complicated world.

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Reviews

Torrin-McFinn77
2002/04/19

I knew I would enjoy this movie from the moment it was in theaters. I knew so little about Dwayne Johnson (the Rock) but he seemed interesting enough. Most of my friends avoided this movie because the Rock was a wrestler, and I get the idea that many people don't like wrestling, but I gave him a chance. And you know what? It made for a very entertaining action-packed yarn. From the mind of the Mummy creator Stephen Sommers, here comes the latest action hero of the early 2000s. This was also the first movie where Kelly Hu made an appearance. She would later become Lady Deathstrike in X2. Such a beauty! And everyone else (especially the late Michael Clark Duncan) was good too. It's not Oscar material, but it doesn't have to be to be entertaining. If you're looking for a good sword-and-sandal action-adventure flick in the same vein as Conan, try this!

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Leofwine_draca
2002/04/20

For a film that's the prequel of a sequel to a remake, you can hardly go in expecting cinematic gold. Maybe a little fun and plenty of action, if you're lucky. Thankfully, that's exactly what I got when I sat down to watch this, the offspring of THE MUMMY RETURNS, set in the ancient Middle East and detailing a strongman's rebellion against an enemy army. On the face of it, THE SCORPION KING is another in a long line of sword-and-sandal epics, bearing a superficial resemblance to the Steve Reeves-starrers of the '50s and '60s, but at heart this is a cheesy romp more in line with '80s offerings like CONAN THE DESTROYER. It doesn't care much about plot, originality, or authenticity: it's a kid's film designed to entertain, and that's exactly what it does.Now, I'm not a big fan of these movies. The Rock's first line is 'Boo' and we're immediately into muck-about action of the kind made popular in the two '90s TV shows, HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS and XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS. Then the wah-wah guitar music starts, and I was reminded unfavourably of KULL THE CONQUEROR, a film very similar to this except that it had a much smaller budget. Still, as I watched, I realised something: this wasn't actually too bad. A lot of the goodwill I was feeling comes from the presence of The Rock, here in his first leading role; he has an immense likability to him, and the ability not to take himself too seriously, just as Schwarzenegger was in the '80s. Okay, so he's no great shakes as an actor, but his physicality fills the screen and he adds a lot of energy to what plays out.The rest of the film is so-so. The plot is average, and quickly becomes formulaic: escape from these guys here, chase there, recaptured here, a fight scene there, then a lead-up to the ending. The supporting cast is also utterly predictable: ruffian children tagging along; an Asian-looking sorceress (Kelly Hu acquits herself better than Tia Carrera in KULL THE CONQUEROR, but only just); a tough, handsome bad guy (forgettable Scotsman Steven Brand); an eccentric Bernard Hill (also starring in the excellent LORD OF THE RINGS movies around this time) and Michael Clarke Duncan, the only person who could conceivably give The Rock an ass-whupping; needless to say, the extended bout between the two is a highlight. The action is passable without being inspiring or well choreographed, but the budget – clearly lower than usual – is put to good use, especially for the explosive climax. Director Chuck Russell made one of my favourite B-movies, the '80s BLOB remake, but his creativity doesn't make much of an impact here. Still, I liked The Rock and the short running time meant I didn't get bored, so THE SCORPION KING must have something going for it.

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bowmanblue
2002/04/21

If you've watched 'The Mummy Returns' you may be aware that it was Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's first on-screen role. His contribution to the film was hardly iconic, but it appeared to be career-defining enough to give him his own spin-off movie, 'The Scorpion King.' Ignoring the fact that he was a baddie in the Mummy Returns, he's now our hero. And for good reason – he's so damn lovable! It's hard not to root for him, even in a film that really isn't that good. Not that that applies to The Scorpion King. It's great fun. Hardly a classic, but just good fun. And, I'll wager that the demographic most likely to appreciate it would be young boys (or men like me who are still into sword and sorcery etc – I think that qualifies me as a 'geek'). I can see gangs of young lads crowding round the telly on a Saturday afternoon to watch the Rock beat countless faceless baddies to a pulp.You certainly don't need to have seen any of the Mummy movies to enjoy this. Although both films are definitely in the 'action/adventure' genre, they don't really feel alike. It's basically a 'stand-alone' movie which is only related to its predecessor by the one central character and it's more at home among the 'sword and sandals' films than with the Mummy trilogy.It has a very basic plot. Every scene is a set-up for the next and everything everyone says is an important plot point that will have some significance later on. The goodies are good and the baddies are very easy to spot. Sometimes a film uses the tool of having the hero and the villain constantly squaring off against each other, playing off each other. However, here we have possibly the most stereotypical villain ever. He shouts. He bawls. He wants to marry women who he knows hate him. He wants to conquer the world and has a habit of killing any of his men who displease him. He's not that great to be honest, but, seeing as it's The Rock's movie and not his, it doesn't really matter. He fills the 'villain' role.Besides the Rock's charm as a leading man, it's also worth mentioning his helpers. You have Kelly Hu as 'the Sorceress' who absolutely smoulders in her role and Grant Heslov as 'Arpid' who basically plays the part that John Hannah's played in the Mummy trilogy as the 'comic relief' of the film.Like I said, this isn't an amazing movie, but if you're looking for a 'family friendly' Conan-type action film that will keep the boys entertained on a west afternoon, then this is it (or you're just a big kid at heart!).

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Dominic LeRose
2002/04/22

Let's get one thing clear right away: "The Scorpion King is one of the worst movies of all time and is degrading to existence. We get another warrior story about a desert warrior who rises up against the evil army that's destroying his homeland. He captures the enemy's key sorcerer, takes her deep into the desert and prepares for a final showdown. It doesn't help when The Rock plays the warrior. Giving a performance as if he's in a spoofy sketch on SNL, The Rock is terrible through and through. This is a film that fails at providing cheap entertainment as well. Not one sight or sound feels polarizing or engaging. Director Chuck Russell should have learned from Peter Jackson or Mel Gibson on how to make well-cut action sequences involving swords,arrows,and all those good weapons. "The Scorpion King" has this ginormous budget of $60 million and plays as if it had only $3 million to play with. Lousy action blends like peanut butter and jelly on a nice piece of warm toast with horrifying dialogue, terrible art direction and costumes, and supporting cast members who act like they feel disappointing themselves for working with such lousy filmmakers. This is a low for everyone apart of it and everyone who saw this degrading mess. At least The Rock changed his named to Dwayne Johnson and cut his pony tail. He probably was disturbed by the memories of making this trash.

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