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Rating: 2.5 out of 5
The Mummy film series has been going strong for a while. For some reason, I watched the newest Mummy film starring Tom Cruise and thought it was terrible. I decided to watch the Brendan Fraser one and then went on to the Mummy 2. I remembered that there was a Scorpion King film starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. I was like, what the hell do I have to lose? I have some free time. I forgot it was funny and one of the Rock’s first films. Damn, has he come a long way since then? I was in high school when this film came out. Still want to say that it was a better way of representing the Scorpion King rather than that CGI crap at the end of The Mummy 2.
The film takes place 5,000 years before The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. The film explores the origins of Mathayus (Johnson) before he became known as the Scorpion King. Before the pyramids of Egypt were erected, the evil king Memnon (Brand) waged war and conquest. Memnon scored many great victories using the psychic powers of his imprisoned sorceress, Cassandra (Hu). The known world was on the brink of his rule. With no other option, the remaining free tribes decided to hire the assassin Mathayus to kill Memnon and Cassandra. Mathayus sets out to take down the mighty warlord. On his way, he soon finds that his destiny is more than what he dreamed of and the start of becoming the legendary Scorpion King.
I will let y’all know this film was fun to watch. If you watched The Mummy 2, it does scratch that itch of wanting to know who the Scorpion King was and his origin story. Hell, you won’t have to look at the awful CGI at the end of The Mummy 2. They did the Rock wrong with that. They could’ve kept him in. Sorry, I’m getting sidetracked, as this is supposed to be a review of the Scorpion King.
The story is straightforward and uses the leading actor’s charisma to keep the film going. It has a blend of being a bit serious but more of a comedic movie. If you have seen many films, the film plays off many themes or situations. Let me know if you heard this story before. You have a person that wants to rule the freakin world. He leads a powerful army, and it seems like nothing can stop this warlord. Beside the warlord is a beautiful woman who seems to know the future or is the warlord’s secret weapon. During the warlord’s path of destruction, he kills someone the main character loves. The main character vows vengeance against the warlord and sets out on a quest to do it. That is the entire plot of the Scorpion King rolled up into a paragraph.
That doesn’t mean the film was terrible. The film relies heavily on the comedic aspect. It throws action scenes to keep the audience interested, along with a beautiful leading actress. For example, when Mathayus gets captured, he has his whole body underground but his head. He crushes fire ants as they approach him. It is a funny scene that will make you chuckle. Another scene is when Mathayus enters the city to kill Memnon, his arrow misses, and he has to go on the run. He runs through the castle and ends up in a room filled with concubines who steam his weapons. He manages to escape by jumping through a window and landing in the sorcerer’s bath, only to be flushed down the water system.
There are a ton of other action scenes that will make you laugh, but they are in the film because why not? When Mathayus and Balthazar clash, it looks like a WWE match. Fists are flying, and people are getting thrown around like rag dolls. I want to say that Johnson actually punched Duncan in the face. I could be wrong, but I feel like it happened. The climax of the movie was entertaining. Was it predictable? Yes, but it was still entertaining. Mathayus and his crew managed to sneak into the city and blow up the central support column. As fire engulfed the main castle, Mathayus, who got injured, managed to shoot an arrow and roast Memnon. I’ve seen it before, but hey, it was good fun.
The film works and is enjoyable because of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Don’t know about that hairstyle but we will let it go. Johnson uses his charisma, smile, comedic delivery, and muscles to make this film work. This was technically his first starring role, and he made the best of it. Johnson is still going strong today, as I believe he is one of the highest-paid actors, if not the highest, in the world. We definitely smell what he is cookin’!
I want to give it up to Kelly Hu as Cassandra/Sorceress. Can you go out on a date with me? You are stunning, gorgeous, beautiful, amazing, and every other word I can think of. Besides your beauty, you were great in this film. You were serious when you needed to be and funny to lighten up the tension.
The Scorpion King is one of those films you can laugh at but is entertaining. You can watch it during a Mummy movie marathon, but I think there are like eight Scorpion King films. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson did a decent job for his first starring role. He seemed like a natural at it. Looking back, you were very wet behind the ears, but glad he made the leap to the movies. Many wrestling stars make the leap now. Johnson is still going strong, and I don’t see him stopping anytime soon.
