"Rock Solid"
by Scott Mantz

"The Scorpion King"
The Rock, Kelly Hu
Directed by Chuck Russell

The Rock and a hard place! The pro-wrestler aims and fires in "The Scorpion King"

Don't let that lingering nip of Jack Frost in the air fool you. It's summertime, and the livin' is easy!

At least, it is at your local cineplex, which is where Hollywood is already starting to roll out this year's share of big, bloated, mindless popcorn extravaganzas. Leading the way this time around is "The Scorpion King," Universal's attempt to cash in and spin off its $823 million worldwide-grossing "Mummy" series into a whole new franchise--and, of course, make a bona-fide action hero out of pro wrestler Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock.

To that end, mission accomplished. As expected, "The Scorpion King" is a big, bloated, mindless popcorn extravaganza, but what sets it apart from the special effects-saturated movie that inspired it (if you can call it "inspired") is that it's actually pretty good. At least, it's good for what it is. By keeping its budget relatively low (at around $60 million) and focusing on hand-to-hand combat, The Rock is able to smack down and prove that he's got the chops to roll as the next Arnold Schwarzenegger.

About 3,000 years before he became a bad guy in the beginning of "The Mummy Returns," Mathayus (The Rock) was a good guy who was out to avenge his brother's death and save the city of Gomorrah from its evil ruler Memnon (Steven Brand). With the help of a towering warrior (Michael Clarke Duncan) and a jittery peasant (Grant Heslov), Mathayus kidnaps Memnon's beautiful sorceress (Kelly Hu) and overcomes his brutal army in time to take his rightful place as...The Scorpion King.

There are certain movies that you have to watch while keeping in mind who it's intended for, and without a doubt, "The Scorpion King" is one of those movies. As soon as you can get past its bare-bones script and accept the fact that director Chuck Russell just wants to show his core teen audience a good time, then you can enjoy the film as the purely escapist entertainment that it is. After all, considering that the movie is filled to the rim with non-stop action, breathtaking swordfights, cheesy one-liners, and scantily clad women, what's left to criticize?

Although The Rock's brief appearance in "The Mummy Returns" may have suggested otherwise, he shows plenty of action hero appeal in "The Scorpion King." Of course, it helps that he doesn't have to deliver any complex dialogue, which means that he can focus on being the powerful, charismatic figure that made him famous in the first place. It also helps that he's surrounded by an equally appealing cast, including Steven Brand as the evil ruler, Kelly Hu as the beautiful sorceress, and Michael Clarke Duncan as the domineering warrior who joins his side.

The summer movie season doesn't officially start until Memorial Day, but as far as "The Scorpion King" is concerned, it's already here. Of course, the best is yet to come--with "Spider-Man" swinging into theaters on May 3 and "Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones" close behind it on May 16--but for the time being, The Rock does a pretty good job of kicking the cinematic doors wide open and letting the sun shine in.

Like I said, enjoy the movie for what it is, but just make sure you bundle up when you leave for the local theater. Don't forget, it's still a little cold outside!

Back to Scott's New Movie Reviews

Review Archives