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| Cast: The Rock, Kelly Hu, Bernard Hill, Grant Heslov, Peter Facinelli, Michael Clarke Duncan |
The Plot:
Memmon is a mighty warrior who knows no remorse. By using his sorceress, Cassandra, who can predict and see the future, Memmon has been able to defeat every tribe that he has initiated into battle. But when only three tribes remain, they form a weak alliance and hire three assassins to kill Cassandra and thus remove Memmon's advantage. The leader of the assassins is Mathayus, the man who would eventually become known as the Scorpion King. Balthazar, the powerful leader of the Nubian tribe, objects to the hiring of the assassins. But the plan has already been put into play and thus continues to move forward. However, the assassins soon learn that they have been betrayed and Mathayus finds that he is unable to kill the beautiful Cassandra. Thanks to some unusual circumstances, Mathayus is able to escape to the desert where he captures Cassandra and learns that she has been kept against her will by the ferocious Memmon. With little effort Mathayus is able to keep Cassandra safe from her kidnapper and works to convince the tribes to rejoin as a stronger alliance and battle Memmon to the death. |
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The Movie:
As the film starts out, we are greeted with Dwayne Johnson, then known as The Rock, who was starring in his first major role in a non-wrestling film. And though he had done a little work on The Mummy Returns, you could still tell that the ripped guy wasn't too comfortable during the film. However, as time progressed and he began to transform into his character, you got to see the former wrestler relax and truly start to become the respectable actor that he is today.
Released only a year after The Mummy Returns, audience members got a quick one-two punch from the guys behind the booming franchise; however, at the time, I personally felt that it was a little too quick. The other story was still fresh in our mind, and sending us further back in time to explore the origins of one of the eventual villains of the O'Connell's was a little weird for me.
I mean, think about it. Here we were, watching a film that focused on the rise of one a guy who we already knew the eventual outcome to, and we were supposed to be rooting for his success. Weird? I would say so.
Additionally, the film has no constant story, and unfortunately bares no strings to the story in which it is suppose to be a 'prequel' to. Star Wars at least had incidences that you were waiting to see happen; parts of the story where holes needed to be filled. Here we were greeted with a random side story that held no relevance to the big picture.
However, I can't take away from the cinematography and special effects that graced the screen during this film. However, who goes to an action adventure film starring The Rock for the cinematography? |
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The Extras:
Feature Commentary with Director Chuck Russell: Sadly, this commentary by the director of the film is quite pointless. Revealing details as to why decisions were made and exclusive behind the scenes info, the commentary lacked any necessary knowledge and proved to a bit too slow and boring.
Picture in Picture: This U-Control feature allows audiences to access exclusive cast and crew interviews as well as bonus behind the scenes footage while watching the film. While it is a distraction for many, the feature is a great way to see the film if you have already watched and enjoyed it before. |
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The Verdict:
While the film was somewhat entertaining and really benefited from the Blu-Ray quality, I have to say that I am extremely disappointed with the special features of this disc. Not only are there hardly any, but those that are present are pointless and lack any true meaning. Therefore, I strongly suggest that you bypass this disc and settle for the less expensive DVD version. However, that is only if you must own it. Otherwise a skip is most definitely in order. |
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