------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall Rating : 3.5/10
Directed By : Russell Mulcahy
Chase Agulhas
Michael Copon (Bring It On: In It to Win It)
Randy Couture (UFC Heavyweight Champion)
Supplied By : Universal Studios
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : August. 12, 2008
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| PLOT When a young Mathayus witnesses his father's death at the hands of the king (UFC Champion Randy Couture), his quest for vengeance transforms him into the most feared warrior of the ancient world. |
||||
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| THE REVIEW Lets just say that tis film, THE SCORPION KING 2 : RISE OF A WARRIOR, is a film that definitely didn't need to be made. Now I am no huge fan of the original that starred Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson( that in itself was a prequel spin-off feature spawned from THE MUMMY), but I did find it to be decent nonetheless. After watching this one, I have no immediate feelings about it other than it feels like something that was made rather quickly(this took about 6 weeks) to cash in on the recent release of THE MUMMY : THE TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR, as if the studios are banking on an extra big cash in because of the theatrical film's hype. This new prequel follows a young Mathayus(this time played by Michael Copon), he grows up wanting to be like his father, Ashur, who is said to be a great warrior. But no matter what, Ashur is opposed to his son's training with the warriors called the "Black Scorpions", due to what his says is because, his actions in the group have caused him to do some un-noble things. Hard-headed and determined, Mathayus goes to train anyway without his father knowing. This incident then causes tension between his father and the Black Scorpions' sinister leader Sargon. Sargon, one to likely never forget takes vengeance out on Mathayus' father, because of the humiliation that he felt in front of the king, and this results in his death. Mathayus vows for revenge, and before we know it, the boy is now a man, all of 19 years old and he makes it his quest to take out Sargon, whom now thinks that he's so powerful that he should be proclaimed a God. Mathayus with pals, Layla and a self-proclaimed Poet named Ari trek their way to Egypt to track down a sword he wishes to use in battle, and along the way they run into things unexpected, such as the Minotaur and the Goddess of love and war. In my opinion, the character of Mathayus, is just one of those characters where no explanation was and is needed(much like the case of Michael Myers in Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN remake), as I believe some things are better left unsaid or explained. But whatever the case my be, they choose to tell the story anyway here, and the end result is the typical revenge flick formula - The character's father dies first, for good measure and emotion, second, his brother is killed.....and any revenge flick, wouldn't be right without an enduring love story, the girl that serves as a further muse for the warrior to kick ass. Right from the beginning this film does not do much to conceal itself, as it is basically predictable from the start, but as this film ended I couldn't help but call this one a 'partial prequel'. Yes, this film is indeed called 'THE SCORPION KING 2', but truthfully and technically, Mathayus does not actually become king here. The film ends on a note that blatantly reveals that he would become king in another story - which leads me to believe that a THE SCORPION KING 3 is in plans or already my be in the works for a future release. To put it frankly, i'm not looking forward to a third installment, if there is one indeed pending - it's already bad enough that this one was just a waste of time. When speaking on the acting, the best way to describe is would be to say that it's rather bland. It really doesn't help the actors out that their characters are likewise to begin with. I feel that in an action film such as this one, at least the main character should somehow connect with the on-looking audience, after all, if someone or something don't interest you in a film, you're most likely in for a boring time......such as the case here. Even though Dwayne Johnson was criticized early, for being a Pro Wrestler making the jump into the world of acting, he actually surprised most people with his performance in THE SCORPION KING. Unfortunately for younger actor Micheal Copon, he doesn't bring half as much charisma nor heart as Johnson did back in 2002. With the lack of likability amongst the cast, I will say however that I was pleasantly surprised with the performance of former UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy 'The Natural' Couture, as the villain Sargon. I watch UFC on a occasion, so I know that Randy is a badass in the cage, is he exactly the same badass as an actor? No, not quite, but he does look quite promising...I just wish he would've started off his starring roles in a better film. To close, THE SCORPION KING : RISE OF A WARRIOR, with it's "incompleteness", to me was very unsatisfying in the end. It's lower budget is apparent throughout, as it does feel like you are watching something that would seem more suitable if it were called 'THE SCORPION KING : THE TELEVISION SERIES', rather than being and actual prequel or sequel. |
||||
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| GORE
METER 1/10 No gore to really speak of...the film is dry, but we do get some black blood from a CGI'ed scorpion, if that counts? |
||||
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| MUSICAL
SCORE 2.5/10 Much like THE MUMMY or THE SCORPION KING's scores, adventurous and bold, however, the score here, does very little to help the film out. |
||||
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM Those looking to find an entertaining film in THE SCORPION KING 2 may be disappointed as it doesn't live up to it's original film. In my opinion, I thought it was dry, and at times showed laziness, as if it was rushed, and with just a month and a half allowed to shoot, this film definitely shows that to be true. In the end, this film, is not the worst of the year, but i'd say it is one of the least memorable....even still THE LOST BOYS 2 : THE TRIBE is slightly ahead of it in this category. This DVD will be released on August 19, 2008 |
||||
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| STILLS | ||||
|
