Stars: The Rock, Michael Clarke Duncan, Kelly Hu, Bernard Hill, Grant Heslov, Ralf Moeller, Steven Brand, Roger Rees, Peter Facinelli

Director: Charles Russell

Summary: A prequel to THE MUMMY. THE SCORPION KING tells the story of an alliance that is formed to overthrow the tyranical ruler called Memnon.

Wrestler-turned-actor The Rock gets his first starring role with THE SCORPION KING. A prequel to Stephen Sommers' wildly successful THE MUMMY (1999) and THE MUMMY RETURNS (2001), THE SCORPION KING tells the action-packed story of Mathayus (Rock), an Akkadian assassin who is the only man strong enough to destroy the vile Memnon (Steven Brand). Memnon, a power hungry warlord, uses the prescience of Cassandra (Kelly Hu), a beautiful seer, to ensure an endless succession of victories. Understanding that to defeat Memnon one must first eliminate Cassandra, Mathayus journeys to Gomorrah to infiltrate Memnon's palace and kill Cassandra. But when he lays eyes on the sultry beauty, he is unable to take her life. It isn't long before sparks begin flying and Cassandra is using her powers to aid Mathayus and his cohorts, including the bumbling Arpid (Grant Heslov), and Balthazar (Michael Clark Duncan), a powerful tribe leader who is also looking for a way to end Memnon's reign. Ignoring a vision from Cassandra that predicts his death, Mathayus charges into battle nonetheless, hoping to silence Memnon once and for all. Playing the sensitive, courageous hero, The Rock proves that his appeal is not only relegated to the small screen.

WIN DVDs by rating this DVD

Average User Rating:

WIN DVDS by being amongst the first to review this DVD. Reviewing DVDs earns you bonus entries and lets you WIN DVDs!Please login before reviewing this DVD. If you're a new user, register for free and enter to WIN FREE DVDs!

There's nothing original in The Scorpion King, but this derivative action franchise gets off to a rousing start by cleverly stealing from a lot of better movies. Capitalising on his brief cameo in The Mummy Returns, Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. World Wrestling Federation star the Rock) stars as Mathayus, an Akkadian assassin in the age preceding Egyptian pharaohs, who vows to avenge his brother's murder by an undefeated warlord (Steven Brand) prophesied to become the desert-ruling Scorpion King. Their battle for supremacy comprises most of the film's brisk 95-minute running time, punctuated by comic relief from Mathayus's obligatory sidekick (Grant Heslov), romance with a beautiful sorceress (Kelly Hu), and alliance with a massive Nubian (Michael Clarke Duncan) on the eve of their climactic showdown. There's no rhyme or reason to the film's depiction of ancient civilization (the costuming is particularly ludicrous), but the Rock demonstrates adequate action-star potential, and director Chuck Russell (The Mask) wraps it all in a slick, professional package. --Jeff Shannon

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region B
Special Features:	Feature commentary with Stephen Sommers and Bob Ducsay, Sneak peak at THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR, Production featurettes, Interviews, Blu-Ray U-Control feature
Year:	2002
Release Date:	December 1, 2008
Runtime:	100 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	8258461
Keywords:	Action, King, General, Wide, Screen, Scorpion, Adventure
Genre:	Action/Adventure