Rating of
2.5/4
"The Scorpion King" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 04/07/12
The Rock plays an assassin who is hired to kill a sorceress whose guidance aids the tyrant his people are attempting to overthrow. Conan The Barbarian meets The Arabian Nights in this spin off to Steven Sommers' Mummy franchise, The Rock showing a very similar screen presence to Arnie in his early days. This is basically purely formulaic popcorn film-making; the plot is entirely predictable and the usual catalogue of characters (brave lone warrior, sexy princess in distress, cowardly sidekick, streetwise kid, old eccentric, grudging ally) are all present and correct. But Dwayne's background as a pro-wrestler holds him in good stead for some energetic fights sequences, there's enough tongue in cheek humour to maintain the interest and it's cheerfully unpretentious. Completely forgettable but entertaining for the duration, and it's a little better than Sommers' own sequel The Mummy Returns.
