Technically, The Scorpion King is actually a prequel to The Mummy series but some may consider it a sequel. Regardless of where you feel this installment of The Mummy series falls, it is by far the most interesting and the best of the three, if that is possible. How often is a sequel better than it's predecessor? Maybe when it is a prequel. Whatever the case, this is going to be one of the most entertaining and fun movies to watch this Spring.
In 1999, The Mummy was an overwhelming success for Universal as many people flocked to the theaters for this adventure film, especially the people too young to remember the Indiana Jones series of films. They then spun out a sequel in 2001 which was basically the same movie regurgitated, but introduced a new character, The Scorpion King. Now The Scorpion King may be a spin off of The Mummy series of films and Universal may have found their most lucrative payout yet with these films.
This movie takes place around 3000 B.C., when rulers and their armies fought for land and ruled them when they won the battle. The movie centers on an evil tyrant ruler, Memnon (Steven Brand). He has control of most of the part of the world he lives in, but there are still some outlying tribes who have not fallen to him yet. One reason Memnon has been so successful is because all of his battles have been planned or guided by a young female sorceress named Cassandra (Kelly Hu). The opposing King hires Mathyaus (The Rock) to kidnap and kill the sorceress so that they may have a chance in battle against Memnon. Nothing goes as planned, but that makes for an interesting story.
The acting is weak in this film, but the story, action, and adventure more than make up for what it lacks in acting. The Rock is okay to bad in his role, at times seeming very, very cheesy and at other times passable. What makes this film succeed is that it is an all out action film set in ancient times. Think Gladiator without the Braveheart storyline. It is a movie about the struggle of an entire people against an enslaving violent tyrant ruler. It is the kind of movie that has you cheering for the good guys and jeering for the bad guys. It is not the kind of movie that you leave the theater thinking any real deep thoughts about. It is an action adventure film, and a very good one at that.
The Scorpion King won't get any award nominations and doesn't show us anything new. However, it will be a fun, exciting, and entertaining time at the movie theater due to it's interesting story (compared to The Mummy at least) and fast paced action. If that's what you're looking for, here it is.
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