The Scorpion King


sorceress: "If you face Memnon, you'll die! That is your destiny."
Mathayus: "I make my own destiny."


release year: 2002
genre: fantasy action/adventure
viewing setting: home Bluray 5/9/22 and 7/24/14, and theater 5/3/02

synopsis: One man challenges an empire.

impressions: This is the ultimate testosterone movie. It has everything, including but not limited to: swords, spears, axes, arrows, blood, guts, gore, battle, fire, magic, catapults, carnivorous fire ants, scorpions, explosions, a comic sidekick, corny macho one-liners, giant fortresses, mighty sandstorms, and hot half-naked women (to be fair to the ladies, there are also plenty of beefy half-naked men for you to look at.) The plot is simple and free of needless elements, and it moves along rapidly - there is damn near constant action of some sort. It's fun watching the good and the evil plot, plan, advance, retreat, regroup, and finally clash in a great and violent battle. This is what "entertainment" is all about: being able to see and enjoy all of this without having to apply too much attention or analysis.

things to watch for: Aside from the dozens of battles, I thought the scene with the fire ants was pretty cool.

acting: At the time of its release, this movie caused Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, to be compared to Arnold Schwarzenegger, and even heralded as the NEXT Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2002, I mentioned in my original review that this was debatable, but in the decades since, Johnson has made a pretty good case for it. Here, he does a good job here as the warrior/assassin Mathayus. Kelly Hu, as the sorceress/seer, displays a brain to go with her beauty. Steven Brand does a good job as the evilly evil king, Memnon. Michael Clarke Duncan is memorable as a giant warrior who eventually allies himself with Mathayus; guys like this, who can lift a table and take out a dozen foes at once, are a vital part of the modern action blockbuster. There are several others who also do well in supporting roles which are fairly generic: the comic-relief complaining sidekick who can't really fight, the street-thief kid, the half-crazy old tinkerer, the #1 evil henchman.

final word: Pure entertainment. Unless you have a pressing date with "The English Patient", you will enjoy this.

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