The Scorpion King

Directed by Chuck Russell, The Scorpion King follows Dwayne Johnson’s Mathayus as he embarks on a campaign of revenge against the ruthless warrior (Steven Brand’s Memnon) responsible for the death of his brother (Branscombe Richmond’s Jesup) – with Mathayus eventually assisted by a wacky horse thief (Grant Heslov’s Arpid) and a beautiful sorceress (Kelly Hu’s Cassandra). It’s clear instantly that filmmaker Chuck Russell isn’t looking to deliver anything but a silly, lighthearted adventure, as The Scorpion King, which moves at an exceedingly (and appropriately) brisk clip, features a continuing emphasis on far-from-historically-accurate elements and a barrage of less-than-subtle bits of comedy – with the mostly watchable vibe heightened on an ongoing basis by Johnson’s captivatingly charming work as the broadly-conceived title character. There’s little doubt, as well, that The Scorpion King benefits from its assortment of larger-than-life yet entertaining action sequences and set-pieces, although, by that same token, the picture’s proliferation of such moments during its frenetic second half is ultimately rather exhausting. (This is certainly true of the battle-heavy climactic stretch.) The final result is an unapologetically mindless endeavor that generally succeeds at what it sets out to accomplish, and it’s worth noting, too, that the movie is mercifully missing the relentless computer-generated effects that defined the three Mummy movies it precedes.

**1/2 out of ****