Nice first installment in The Scorpion King saga with lots of action , fights , sword-play and necromancy . Set five thousand years ago , predating the pyramids , in ancient Gomorrah . A desert warrior named Mathayus (Dwayne Johnson ,The Rock, who is the title star) rises up against the evil army commanded by Memnon (Steven Brand) that is destroying his homeland by convoking dark forces and using the psychic powers of his sorceress Cassandra (Kelli Hu) to fortell his great victories . The remaining free nomadic tribes are forced to form an uneasy alliance to put an end to mighty and tyrannical King Memnon , along with his underling as Takmet (Peter Facinelli), whose reign is full of evilness . Mathayus uses all his strength and cunning to outwit a formidable opponent who will stop at nothing to unlock a supreme ancient power helped by a bizarre witch . Then Malthayus captures the enemy's key sorceress , takes her deep into the desert and prepares for a final showdown . As Mathayus assisted by his motley allied group (Grant Heslov , Bernard Hill) has to rescue his lover from the claws of the feared Memnon who kidnapped her , resulting in Mathayus ends up getting much more than he bargained for . Now, with the help of his new powerful allies, including bouncing warriors as Balthazar (Michael Clarke Duncan) , Mathayus returns to the legendary city to infiltrate Memnon's impenetrable fortress in the desert and exact his vendetta supported by unexpected and resourceful allied people . It's up to Mathayus to fufill his destiny and become the great Scorpion King. Warrior. Legend. King.
This over-the-top actioner is more in the ¨Sword and Witchery¨ vein than a historical film . Yes it's cheesy at times , but it doesn't actually strive for any more . In the wake of WWF fashion , the action here is relentless and unstoppable and in which a hunk hero fights mercilessly , only to find himself up against a seemingly indestructible evil army , and , ultimately , doing a last ditch effort to stop Memnon from taking over the world . In terms of milking a cash cow this blockbuster was made to make money and at the same time was a spin-off to ¨The Mummy¨ saga directed by Stephen Sommers , here as a co-producer . But it's mindlessly amusing and entertainment all the same , and doesn't take itself seriously . All the men have the usual requisite amount , showing muscles and strength , while the women are all scantly clad . The main motivation behind the whole endeavour seems to be to make Dwayne Johnson , a movie star , and it was really achieved , as The Rock plays competently Mathayus , one of the few survivors and the last of the Akkadians, the brave assassin destined to be the next Scorpion King, as the leaders of the remaining free tribes hire him for an impossible task of executing , being entrusted to murder a villain king . Accompanied by the gorgeous Kelli Hu as the fortune-telling sorceress Cassandra , the always sympathetic Grant Heslov as trickster Arpid , Bernard Hill who was the famous captain of the Titanic picture and the early deceased Michael Clarke Duncan as the giant tribe leader. While the extremely evil Steve Brand plays a generalissimo who has bloodily seized the throne and demands cruel proof of blind loyalty . The picture was professionally directed by Chuck Russell who keeps matters rollicking , but it's wall to wall hokum nevertheless .
This thrilling Scorpion King saga is formed by the first and best¨Scorpion King¨ 2002 by Stephen Sommers with The Rock , Dwayne Johnson, Steven Brand , Kelli Hu , Grant Heslov , Bernard Hill , Michael Clarke Duncan . Followed by regular and routine sequels being actually inspired by the original ¨Scorpion King ¨in which since his rise to power developed in Scorpion King I¨ , Mathayus' kingdom has fallen and his sweetheart Sorceress has deceased by pest .¨Scorpion King : rise of a warrior¨ 2008 by Russell Mulcahy with Michael Copon , Karen David , Tom Wu , Andreas Wisniewski , Randy Couture, Natalie Becker , Jeremy Crutchley ; it was billed as a sequel to King Scorpion , it is really a prequel . ¨The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption¨ 2012 by Raoul Reine with Victor Webster , Temuera Morrison , Ron Perlman , Billy Zane , Selina Lo . ¨The Scorpion King: The Lost Throne¨ (original title) 2015 by Mike Ellliot with Victor Webster , Ellen Hollman , Will Kemp , Barry Bostwick Barry Bostwick , Rutger Hauer, Michael Biehn, M. Emmet Walsh . ¨The Scorpion King : Book of Souls¨ (original title) 2019 by Don Michael Paul with Zach Mcgowan , Nathan Jones Peter Mensah , Mayling .
