Scorpion King (Collector's Edition-Widescreen) (2002)

"...the action never stops...  Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"...Breathless action...  Sean Axmaker, Seatle P.I.
"...the essential ingredients of a Saturday-afternoon serial, namely, venom-tipped arrows, pissed-off cobras and a buxom babe.  Chuck Wilson, L.A. Weekly
"The Rock commands the screen as naturally as he does the ring...  Entertainment Weekly
"...designed for a 14-year-old boy's mentality, but it's enjoyable enough to turn most people into 14-year-old boys.  Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"...Russell keeps things going at a brisk, no-nonsense pace...  Sight and Sound
"Non-stop, rock-solid action!  UPN-TV

Editor's Note Wrestler-turned-actor The Rock gets his first starring role with THE SCORPION KING. A prequel to Stephen Sommers' wildly successful THE MUMMY (1999) and THE MUMMY RETURNS (2001), THE SCORPION KING tells the action-packed story of Mathayus (Rock), an Akkadian assassin who is the only man strong enough to destroy the vile Memnon (Steven Brand). Memnon, a power hungry warlord, uses the prescience of Cassandra (Kelly Hu), a beautiful seer, to ensure an endless succession of victories. Understanding that to defeat Memnon one must first eliminate Cassandra, Mathayus journeys to Gomorrah to infiltrate Memnon's palace and kill Cassandra. But when he lays eyes on the sultry beauty, he is unable to take her life. It isn't long before sparks begin flying and Cassandra is using her powers to aid Mathayus and his cohorts, including the bumbling Arpid (Grant Heslov), and Balthazar (Michael Clark Duncan), a powerful tribe leader who is also looking for a way to end Memnon's reign. Ignoring a vision from Cassandra that predicts his death, Mathayus charges into battle nonetheless, hoping to silence Memnon once and for all. Playing the sensitive, courageous hero, The Rock proves that his appeal is not only relegated to the small screen.

	Bernard Hill
	Dwayne Johnson
	Grant Heslov
	Michael Clarke Duncan
	Kelly Hu
	Chuck Russell - Director
	Kevin Misher - Producer
	James Jacks - Producer
	Sean Daniel - Producer
	Stephen Sommers - Producer
	Stephen Sommers - Writer
	William Osborne - Writer
	David Hayter - Writer

Sight and Sound
"...Russell keeps things going at a brisk, no-nonsense pace..." 06/01/2002 p.52-3

Box Office
"...The Rock has found the perfect vehicle for his particular brand of brawn....The silly style is pitch-perfect..." 06/01/2002 p.66

Variety
"...With his striking good looks, powerful physique and ease before the camera, the Rock undergoes transition from entertainment-sports celebrity to movie star as if to the manner born..." 04/22/2002 p.27-36

Total Film
"...The Rock displays an impressive versatility....Its cheerfully anachronistic and anachronistically cheerful..." 06/01/2002 p.104

Chicago Sun-Times
"...It has high energy, the action never stops, the dialogue knows it's funny, and The Rock has the authority to play the role and the fortitude to keep a straight face..." 04/19/2002 p.35

Entertainment Weekly
"...The Rock commands the screen as naturally as he does the ring..." 04/26/2002 p.117-8

San Francisco Chronicle 8 of 10
...This is a genial action movie that succeeds by finding the right tone (fairly light) and the correct pace (medium fast) and by placing appealing characters at its center. Like every other action movie, it's designed for a 14-year-old boy's mentality, but it's enjoyable enough to turn most people into 14-year-old boys. - Mick LaSalle

ReelViews 6 of 10
Watching The Scorpion King, the question that came to mind was whether Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson could become a Schwarzenegger for the '00s. Having asked that, however, it's worth considering whether Schwarzenegger in his prime could have had the same kind of career had he started today. The '80s were a different decade, and the kind of muscle-bound, hulking hero that Arnold represented might no longer have a place in cinematic circles. WWF mega-star The Rock resembles a younger Schwarzenegger in many ways: he has the same kind of physique, the same complete lack of acting ability, the same screen presence, and the same general appeal. Only the accent is missing. And, much as Arnold made his feature film splash in Conan the Barbarian, The Rock is using this low-rent Conan as his first starring vehicle...It is possible to make an engaging action/adventure picture of this sort, but The Scorpion King isn't it. The movie isn't godawful, but it's far from inspired, and, as I sat through its 90 minute running length, I found my mind wandering. I'm sure that wrestling fans will enjoy the spectacle of seeing their hero on the big screen for an extended period of time, but the plainness of The Scorpion King will leave most average viewers unimpressed. Big men with big muscles aren't what they used to be. - James Berardinelli

Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
Here is a movie that embraces its goofiness like a Get Out of Jail Free card. The plot is recycled out of previous recycling jobs, the special effects are bad enough that you can grin at them, and the dialogue sounds like the pre-Pyramidal desert warriors are channeling a Fox sitcom (the hero refers to his camel as "my ride")...The film stars The Rock, famous as a WWF wrestling star (Vince McMahon takes a producer's credit), and on the basis of this movie, he can definitely star in movies like this...Did I enjoy this movie? Yeah, I did, although not quite enough to recommend it. Because it tries too hard to be hyper and not hard enough to be clever. It is what it is, though, and pretty good at it. Those who would dislike the movie are unlikely to attend it...For its target audience, looking for a few laughs, martial arts and stuff that blows up real good, it will be exactly what they expected. It has high energy, the action never stops, the dialogue knows it's funny, and The Rock has the authority to play the role and the fortitude to keep a straight face. I expect him to become a durable action star. There's something about the way he eats those fire ants that lets you know he's thinking, "If I ever escape from this predicament, I'm gonna come back here and fix me up a real mess of fire ants, instead of just chewing on a few at a time." - Roger Ebert