Dwayne Johnson, better known by his wrestling handle The Rock,
made his big screen debut as Mathayus the Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns.
Although he was on-screen for all of five minutes (and most of that was as a
CGI-created monster) apparently the Rock had made enough of an impression with
studio executives to warrant starring in his own movie as the titular Scorpion
King. Here, as the star of his own film, the Rock extrudes the same sort of
crowd-pleasing cool that charmed audiences on the weekly broadcasts of the WWE.
Taking place long before the events of the prologue in The Mummy Returns, The
Scorpion King picks up with Mathayus working with his brother and another
comrade as assassins for hire. As one of the last of a warrior race known as the
Akkadians, Mathayus deadly skills are much in demand, particularly to the last
remaining free tribes who stand against the warlord Memnon (Steve Brand, who
looks like he wandered in from the set of a British gangster movie). Memnon
is an evil tyrant who is conquering with ease all of the lands in this
pre-pharaoh era. Memnon’s secret power lies in the sorceress Cassandra (Kelly
Hu) who advises him; she’s a powerful seer who knows the outcome of every battle
before it’s even fought. A king of one of the last free realms has hired
Mathayus and his comrades to kill the sorceress, thus robbing Memnon of his true
power--but what none of our heroes realize is that a sorceress who can see the
future could easily see a plot like this being hatched from a mile away.
Chuck Russell (The Blob remake) directs the Scorpion King with style and a
healthy dose of humor. He’s also not above stealing aspects from other movies,
such as when Mathayus makes his escape from a band of attacking harem guards by
running behind a rolling gong that he’s cut loose--a scene almost lifted intact
from Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom, save for bow and arrows replacing the
guns. Still, despite the fact that it often feels like it’s been thrown together
at the last minute (which actually was the case), The Scorpion King is good, goofy
fun. The Rock holds his own with such veteran actors as Bernard Hill, Grant
Heslov, Michael Clarke Duncan and the fetching Kelly Hu, whose scant costumes
certainly didn't bust the film's budget.
The DVD comes with an audio commentary by Chuck Russell, a visual commentary
with The Rock (you see him as he records the commentary), outtakes, Godsmack’s
video of their song "I Stand Alone" and alternate versions of key scenes within
the film. There are also the usual ’making of’ documentaries. I've heard The
Scorpion King being referred to as Conan-Lite, and that's an apt description
for this fun popcorn movie that fills in the gap left missing by a third Conan
movie starring Arnold.
--SF
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