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The Scorpion King (2002) Director: Chuck Russell 
review by Michael Lohr The Scorpion King, a prequel to the hit movies The Mummy and The Mummy Returns is an action packed, simplistic thrill ride in the tradition of such movies as Conan The Barbarian, Kull The Conqueror and The Beastmaster. This movie was not setting out to be the next Gladiator, and if you keep this in mind you will enjoy yourself. Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson, a former five-times world wrestling champion, has parlayed his ten-minute cameo in The Mummy Returns into a full-on cinematic adventure. The Rock plays Mathayus, the last of the Akkadians, a group of assassins "trained for generations in the deadly arts" who is hired by the various tribes to stop the ruthless tyrant, Memnon (Steven Brand). This film was directed by Chuck Russell (The Mask) and co-produced and co-written by Stephen Sommers, maker of The Mummy and its sequel. Honestly, when this movie came out I had little hope that it would be entertaining. When I saw it, I was very surprised. I liked this movie far better than either The Mummy or The Mummy Returns. And when you have the luscious Kelly Hu running around, barely clothed, all the better! The DVD has a lot of behind-the-scenes footage and also several scenes that did not make the final cut. Bottom line is that this movie breaks no new ground, is wildly campy and quite enjoyable to watch.
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