The Scorpion King
Stream
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In ancient Egypt, peasant Mathayus is hired to exact revenge on the powerful Memnon and the sorceress Cassandra, who are ready to overtake Balthazar's village. Amid betrayals, thieves, abductions and more, Mathayus strives to bring justice to his complicated world.
What critics thought
Critics were largely unimpressed, finding The Scorpion King a formulaic, cheese-laden sword-and-sandal romp — but The Rock himself was singled out as the film's one genuine asset, with his charisma keeping the whole thing from collapsing. The divide was between those willing to accept its goofy self-awareness as a feature and those who wanted something with actual sweep and invention.
“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”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“It's possible to make an engaging action/adventure picture of this sort, but The Scorpion King isn't it.”
James Berardinelli·ReelViews
“prototypical summer-movie fare, designed to be consumed, enjoyed, and forgotten all at once”
Nathan Rabin·The A.V. Club
“rouses excitement mostly from stuntwork and [actors'] agility rather than CGI excess”
Variety
Genres
Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Cast & Crew
Chuck RussellDirector
Dwayne JohnsonMathayus / The Scorpion King
Steven BrandMemnon
Michael Clarke DuncanBalthazar
Kelly HuCassandra
Bernard HillPhilos
Grant HeslovArpid
Peter FacinelliTakmet
Ralf MoellerThorak
Branscombe RichmondJesup
Roger ReesKing Pheron
Sherri HowardQueen Isis
Conrad RobertsChieftain
John DebneyComposer
David HayterWriter
Stephen SommersWriter
John R. LeonettiCinematographyThe Scorpion King
In ancient Egypt, peasant Mathayus is hired to exact revenge on the powerful Memnon and the sorceress Cassandra, who are ready to overtake Balthazar's village. Amid betrayals, thieves, abductions and more, Mathayus strives to bring justice to his complicated world.
What critics thought
Critics were largely unimpressed, finding The Scorpion King a formulaic, cheese-laden sword-and-sandal romp — but The Rock himself was singled out as the film's one genuine asset, with his charisma keeping the whole thing from collapsing. The divide was between those willing to accept its goofy self-awareness as a feature and those who wanted something with actual sweep and invention.
“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”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“It's possible to make an engaging action/adventure picture of this sort, but The Scorpion King isn't it.”
James Berardinelli·ReelViews
“prototypical summer-movie fare, designed to be consumed, enjoyed, and forgotten all at once”
Nathan Rabin·The A.V. Club
“rouses excitement mostly from stuntwork and [actors'] agility rather than CGI excess”
Variety
Genres
Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Cast & Crew
Chuck RussellDirectorDwayne JohnsonMathayus / The Scorpion KingSteven BrandMemnonMichael Clarke DuncanBalthazarKelly HuCassandraBernard HillPhilosGrant HeslovArpidPeter FacinelliTakmetRalf MoellerThorakBranscombe RichmondJesupRoger ReesKing PheronSherri HowardQueen IsisConrad RobertsChieftainJohn DebneyComposerDavid HayterWriterStephen SommersWriterJohn R. LeonettiCinematographyStream
Rent & Buy