Rock packs sting as ‘King’
Sitting in the dark movie theater, anticipation mounts as trailer after trailer of soon-to-be-released pictures flash across the screen. It’s hard to believe that nearly a year has passed since The Mummy Return-ed and Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock, briefly stepped away from the wrestling ring to try to pin down an acting job.
The latest installment of the action/adventure Mummy series, The Scorpion King, opens around the country Friday. In this new film, The Rock revives his role of Mathayus, the Scorpion King, first introduced as a sub-character in the series’ second film The Mummy Returns, starring Brendan Fraser.
Set thousands of years before the series original The Mummy, The Scorpion King acts as a prequel or spin-off of The Mummy Returns. It reveals The Rock’s character prior to his kingly reign and subsequent transformation into the half-man half-scorpion creature that viewers first saw in The Mummy Returns.
The Scorpion King is this generation’s Conan the Barbarian – overflowing with action, special effects and lots of naked flesh. It is a pre-pubescent boy’s wet-dream shown on the big screen. This film is by no means an Oscar contender. Nevertheless, it is a humorous and somewhat entertaining flick, sure to be a hit with action/adventure junkies.
“The Scorpion King has all the elements of a classic story,” The Rock said in an April “Entertainment Tonight” interview. “It’s Indiana Jones and The Magnificent Seven. It’s a story about discovery, vengeance, love. The fighting scenes in this movie are the most kick-ass fighting scenes you’ve ever seen. No question.”
The movie’s fight scenes are impressive, no doubt about that. So amazing in fact that they had to add an “ahead of his time” inventor-type character to the script just to explain some of the kick-ass technology.
Mathayus is an assassin, hired to eliminate the evil ruler Memnon from the city of Gomorrah. Guided by the visions of a sorceress, Memnon, played by Hollywood newcomer Steven Brand, is enslaving and decimating the many nomadic desert tribes.
The Rock’s character is hired by the tribes to search out and kill the sorceress, played by Kelly Hu – a regular on TV shows like “Nash Bridges,” “Martial Law” and “Sunset Beach.” Rather predictably, Mathayus spares the life of the beautiful sorceress, carting her off into the desert, knowing that Memnon and his cohorts will quickly follow.
The visionary predicts that The Rock will die if he faces Memnon in battle, but he stands firm on his principal – live free, die well. But in an almost comic manner, no one in this movie dies well.
Along with Oscar-nominated actor Michael Clarke Duncan, who plays a nomadic warrior leading one of the last free desert tribes, Mathayus gathers his band of rag-tag followers and awaits confrontation with Memnon.
While The Rock’s character is not killed in the ensuing skirmish, he is injured. However, like all good action/adventure heroes, The Rock pushes back to Gomorrah and defeats the evil ruler Memnon.
The Scorpion King has all the classic comic book-like quirks – the bumbling sidekick, the intelligent planner, the sergeant at arms with the arms the size of a tree trunk and finally the evil villain leading less- than-intelligent minions whose only job is to eventually be killed by the hero.
Decked out in his wig and loin cloth, The Rock gives a surprisingly believable performance for his first big-screen starring role. Action fans will love it, while feminists will wonder whatever happened to the women’s movement and where they can pick up that wonder bra. Historical purists will cringe with a bitter-beer face.
Like the other movies in the Mummy series, The Scorpion King is not a serious stick-to-the-facts period movie and movie-goers should not expect it to win any significant Hollywood honors. But isn’t that the whole point of this comic-book version of silver screen entertainment? There is a reason B-movies are never forgotten – people enjoy them.
In this case, you should definitely smell what The Rock has cooking in The Scorpion King.
Rock packs sting as ‘King’
