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The Scorpion King review
:. Director: Chuck Russell
:. Starring: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Steven Brand
:. Running Time: 1:34
:. Year: 2002
:. Country: USA
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In this new heroic fantasy adventure, the Scorpion King tries to steal Conan's crown while The Rock aims at removing Arnold from the throne of Action Kingdom. There is indeed no other purpose for this film other than cashing in at the box office and to introduce the wrestler as the new action star. The film can be considered a success at these levels since there is no doubt it kicks off an early blockbuster season while The Rock is well suited for this kind of role. And the arrival of Dwayne Johnson onscreen can be considered a relief in some ways since Hollywood has been suffering from a shortage of heroes as Schwarzie and Harrison Ford have aged. They won't have to force Ben Affleck on us in every action flick.
The Scorpion King looks more like a spin-off from Conan The Barbarian than The Mummy Returns. The Rock is Mathayus, a mercenary whose quest for revenge will lead him to the throne. Sound familiar? The picture also borrows from Rambo and Indiana Jones.
More problematic is that in order to get the coveted PG-13 that brings kiddies to the theaters they have concocted a soft Xena-like picture that purposely avoids being shocking. You will hear the sound of blades slashing bodies but will never see a drop of blood. It also plays with eroticism in the same hypocritical way. Conan the Barbarian was a dark and violent film that created a genre where the barbarian was—well—really barbaric. Here, the notorious killer Mathayus is almost a well-mannered gentleman that happens to carry a sword.
The set also looks kind of cheap, far from the Mummy's luxurious production. Sometimes it gives you the feeling they took over Xena's old stage. You therefore end up watching it like a TV show, and you forget it 10 minutes later.
There is plenty of action, sometimes entertaining, sometimes dull. Chuck Russell's direction is flat and the editing took a shortcut. The acting isn't that impressive either. The Rock can't really act yet but who cares? It's not like Arnold ever learned. The wrestler is so polished that he looks like an action figure and you have no doubt he can make his way through an army of enemies. Kelly Hu is here to heat it up in her suggestive outfit while Michael Clarke Duncan doesn't have much to do either. As a footnote, another hint that the 80's are back is that the nemesis' haircut that will remind you of the times when Duran Duran and Depeche Mode were topping the charts. Some might also notice how Sodom's female residents look like LA's actresses trying to be noticed on a Sunday morning in Venice Beach.
The Scorpion King doesn't have the fun of the Mummy or the grit of a heroic-fantasy. Let's just hope the third installment of Conan doesn't undergo the same treatment.
Fred Thom
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