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The Scorpion King (Widescreen Collector's Edition)

The Scorpion King (Widescreen Collector's Edition)

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $11.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Oddly charming and surprisingly enjoyable
Review: I went into "The Scorpion King" with pretty low expectations. Being a lover of the first two "Mummy" films, I was terribly disappointed, like many, to learn that the next film in the series would be a prequel and not involve the usual charming cast of Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. I also went in expecting The Rock to be boring, cheesy, and annoying. It seemed to me that "The Scorpion King" would serve one purpose, to show off The Rock's fighting ability (like we don't know already).

Boy was I wrong! "The Scorpion King" turned out to be a top quality action flick! It was funny and filled with plenty of the witty humor that made "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns" such enjoyable films. The story was actually quite exciting and involving, quite the opposite of what I expected!

Believe it or not, The Rock was oddly charming in his role as Mathayus, The Scorpion King. I actually ended up really loving him! Mathayus's jittery sidekick, Arpid (Grant Heslov) steals the show! Heslov is so charming and utterly hilarious, it's almost as if he was made for this role! My only complaint as far as acting goes is that of Kelly Hu, who plays the sorceress (and Mathayus's love interest). Her lines were cheesy to begin with, but an actress of greater talent could've delivered them with more enthusiasm and character.

The movie begins rather unimpressively with Mathayus rescuing his brother from some barbaric enemies. The fight sequence was fantastic, but what really turned me off about this scene (and made me question how good the rest of the film would be) was when Mathayus came barreling in to save his brother with his bow in hand and said "Boo" and everyone started screaming. Come on; how cheesy and clichéd is that line? Thank God the rest of the movie isn't like that!

Here's a quick summarization of the plot:

Mathayus is hired by a band of rebels to murder the wizard who is helping the evil Memnon win battles by seeing into the future for him. Mathayus is set on completing his mission until he sees the wizard, who is actually the beautiful witch Cassandra. Because of Mathayus's hesitation, Memnon's guards capture him and are about to kill him when Cassandra announces that she has had a vision and he is not to die by "Memnon's hand or any that he orders". Yeah, right. The movie takes off from there.

Yes, this movie is dumb and ridiculous, but it somehow manages to rise above that to bring us a truly enjoyable film.

"The Scorpion King" is short but sweet, running at a convenient 90 minutes.

Rated PG-13 for "intense sequences of action violence and some sensuality". Would be acceptable for around 10 and up.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Rock in his own feature film...
Review: This movie is a direct offshoot of The Mummy franchise (starring Brendan Frasier). In many ways, it retains the characteristic lightheartedness and humor of The Mummy. It is also reminiscent of Indiana Jones (there's been rumors of a fourth installment for a long time). This movie is fairly short at an hour and a half.

Ok, let's get back to the movie. The plot is really really simple. The trailer tells you all you need to know, so I won't elaborate. In fact, to me this film seemed like a showcase of the Rock in his first film debut as the leading character. Many people have stated that he's this generation's Arnold Schwarzenegger. He thinks those shoes are pretty large to fill, and he still likes the thrill of a live audience in the WWF.

Watch this film for its humor and to kill some time.

LEAP rating (each out of 5):
============================
L (Language) - 3 (humorous, but nothing special)
E (Erotica) - 2.5 (from Kelly Hu alone)
A (Action) - 3 (lots of swordfights and archery, gets dull after a while)
P (Plot) - 2 (negligible)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: i liked what the rock was cooking
Review: Wow, this movie is non-stop adventure, every single moment in the movie was exciting. I am a big fan of The Rock and like "The Rock," Dawyne Johnson plays the big guy tough guy, not to forget he still looks nice with the long hair. He was the best in this movie, i really enjoyed watching the movie a lot.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great Action! A step above Mummy Returns
Review: Less plot , more action , the way any movie starring a WWF wrestler should be. If you are into people getting sliced up,
and arrows stuck in their chest you will adore the Scorpion
King. Rated PG-13. - Michael Margetis

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Return Of The Kings
Review: The movie is cool.I watch it twice already.Stunning choreography.
Dwayne Johnson had a VERY good acting.He even got his first on screen kiss with Kelly Hu. This way better than Harry Potter.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Rocks don't talk
Review: I have to cover my eyes whenever a movie like this comes out. There are so many wonderful movies being made out there and yet people will flock to this one because a WWF wrestler is the star. His acting on that should tell people he cannot carry an entire movie. And he proves that in this. "The Scorpion King", stupid title, is filled with terrible acting, cheap fighting, and cartoony special effects. It looks like an episode of "Xena Warrior Princess." I would like to beg of The Rock to please stop making movies! Do what ever other wrestler does and run for governor.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Scorpion King Bites A Little...
Review: When I entered the theater, I know I'm will be going through 1 hour and 30 minutes of non-stop action. I was right, partly. The movie is filled with swords, fists, kicks, fire, gunpowder, cobras, and of course, scorpions. But I was surprised because I laughed with the funny scenes! Especially with the hilarious sidekick of Methayus. I won't elaborate on the plot anymore, I'll leave that to the other customer reviews.

I must say that The Rock did good in his first starring role. He executed the action scenes very well. One thing I really liked him was that he used the bow! I can imagine him using that in the WWF arena! Although he lacked the important facial expressions, (he resorts to the angry crinkled forehead, big eyes and pouty lips), he did a great for his first. The villain was not really that scary, because he did not particiapte in any fight scenes except in the introduction and the final scene. Kelly Hu was mesmerizing! She has certainly gone far from her Martial Law stint on TV! She was really sexy, mysterious and breathtaking! The perfect characteristics of a sorceress.

I was disappointed because Michael Clarke Duncan only had a supporting role in this. He could have been good if he was the villain! One thing I noticed is that the sand storm had a resemblance to the those sand scenes used in the "Mummy" sequels. How economical! And having your body buried in the sand and let flesh-eating ants feast on your head will be one of my greatest nightmares. Chuck Russell did good, like Stephen Sommers of The Mummy.

But here, we see a lot more action, fire and The Rock.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: bland action film
Review: Any historian foolish - or masochistic - enough to venture in to see "The Scorpion King" had best beware: five minutes into the movie, he will be asking for his money back (the rest of us might be too, but for different reasons). The film is supposed to be based on Mathayas, the first known ruler of ancient Egypt, which would place the story somewhere around the year 3500 B.C. Yet, you know you're in for trouble when, in the very first scene, a character begins to recite a litany of civilizations his particular people have defeated in battle and no fewer than two of them - the Babylonians and the Mycenaeans - wouldn't even come into existence for another thousand years or more! Add to this the fact that much of the film takes place in the Biblical city of Gomorrah, which if it ever existed at all would have done so a good millennium after the events depicted in the film, and the fact that the hero rides around on a camel even though camel domestication didn't occur until around 1000 B.C. - and you have the makings of a real camp classic, destined to be remembered and laughed at by generations of moviegoers to come.

If this sounds like nitpicking, perhaps it is. After all, Hollywood is notorious for its shocking disregard of historical accuracy even in works set far closer to our present time than this one is. So in that sense the sin of historical anachronism is a comparatively minor and forgivable one. What is not so easily forgivable is the fact that "The Scorpion King" fails even on the most rudimentary level of mindless action/adventure entertainment. Even for a Saturday matinee piece of escapism aimed at 12-year old boys, "The Scorpion King" displays a monumental lack of originality and imagination. Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) gets to flex his muscles (and little else) in his first starring role, that of Mathayas, a great Akkadian warrior. In his pursuit of a sorceress who is helping a tyrannical king subdue all the civilizations in the area, Mathayas is joined by the customary accomplices and hangers-on: a cowardly comic sidekick, a young boy helper (think Short Round), a beautiful, but feisty damsel-in-distress (who actually IS the sorceress), an aging, eccentric scientist - even a faithful camel (in place of the more customary horse or dog) who obeys Mathayas' every command and with whom Mathayas seems to have an almost preternatural understanding. "The Scorpion King" borrows so shamelessly from so many other better movies that one doesn't even know where to begin in listing all the examples. There is even a "hail to Dorothy; the wicked witch is dead" finale guaranteed to elicit giggles from the audience.

With nothing new or original to say or show, "The Scorpion King" is pretty much forced to rely on its action scenes and special effects to hold the audience's interest. Unfortunately, the stunts are surprisingly tame and the special effects often shockingly bad - as when an army of man-eating ants races towards Mathayas, buried neck-deep in the sand, or when a sandstorm overtakes two armies out in the desert.

It is hard to believe that it took four writers (count 'em, FOUR) to come up with this script (there aren't even any good one-liners) and certainly director Chuck Russell deserves some of the blame for the fact that the line readings on the part of many of the actors wouldn't pass muster in a junior high school play or pageant (Michael Clarke Duncan is particularly egregious in this regard. Perhaps he was hired in order to make the Rock seem more like an actor in comparison).

It's hard for me to imagine that "The Scorpion King" will emerge as the vanguard for yet another lucrative action movie franchise. Yet, whoever went broke underestimating the taste of the vast movie going public? Stand by for the inevitable sequels.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Scorpion King Rocks!!
Review: Great action shots, mixed with well placed humor. An excellent addition to anyone's collection that has already purchased Mummy and Mummy Returns. Writer does a good job of keeping you wondering the end result. Don't believe the pre-movie reviews. Go see for yourself and enjoy.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: There is more dialogue in most TV shows.
Review: In the commercials I remember hearing this, "..a thrill a minute film." No joke. This movie is for anyone who thought Mission Impossible 2, Saving Private Ryan, or Gladiator didn't have enough action in it.

The Scorpion King is a movie with action, and a whole load of it. It starts with a man who is conquering and killing all the tribes of the lands... with the help of his sorcerer who can tell the outcome of the battles before they occur. One of the last tribes hires the Scorpion king, his brother, and some other guy to kill the sorcerer...The movie repeats itself in a "person captured, kill tons of people, save person, kill more loads of people, run away, kill people sent to find hero, rinse and repeat." The movie barely shows anything to do with the scorpion origin. Then like the title says there is barely any dialogue. There is no section of a movie that involves more than 5 minutes of talking. The plot stays the same the whole way through.

...In the end if you want a pure adrenaline movie don't miss this, but if you want a movie with a plot stay away from this movie. It is tons of fun to make fun of though.

Snoogans.


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