The Scorpion King ★★ 2002 (PG-13) Billed as a prequel to "The Mummy" series, this actioner is more in the "Sword 'n' Sandals" vein. The Rock is the title star, an assassin hired by a group of beleaguered tribes to defeat the evil warlord Memnon (Brand). The warlord is helped, somewhat unenthusiastically, by a sorceress (Hu) who can foresee the outcome of battles. Yes, it's cheesy, and downright silly at times, but it doesn't really strive for any more than that. The only motivation behind the whole endeavor seems to be to make The Rock a movie star, and if he sticks with action pics, he seems to be on his way. All the men do the requisite amount of killing, and discussing killing, and the women are all scantily clad. The target audience should be overjoyed. 94m/C VHS, DVD. US Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Michael Clarke Duncan, Steven Brand, Kelly Hu, Bernard Hill, Grant Heslov, Peter Facinelli, Ralph (Ralf) Moeller, Branscombe Richmond, Roger Rees, Sherri Howard, Conrad Roberts;
Director:
Chuck Russell;
Writer:
Stephen Sommers, William Osborne, David Hayter;
Writer:
John R. Leonetti;
Cameo:
John Debney.
