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The Scorpion King Blu-ray
Universal Studios | 2002 | 92 mins | Rated PG-13 | Jul 22, 2008
The Scorpion King Blu-ray ReviewA not-so-good-but-not-so-bad movie is now an oh-so-good Blu-ray.Reviewed by Martin Liebman, July 10, 2008 Live Free. Die well. The Scorpion King would have never seen the light of day, and probably never have been committed to a working script were it not for the success of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, not to mention the willing participation and burgeoning stardom of the imposing-yet-likable figure that is the film's title character, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Gridiron Gang). This film is a spin-off derived from an important yet somewhat undeveloped and arguably underutilized character first seen in The Mummy Returns, and the character, oddly enough, has been turned from a world conquerer and leader of men who makes a deal with the devil to a handsome, charming good guy in this film. While odd, the transition of bad guy to good guy and back to bad guy isn't unprecedented in film history, and recent film history for that matter (didn't that George Lucas fellow do something like that back in 1999, 2002, and 2005 to a bad guy character from his films that were released in the late 1970s and early 1980s?).
We learn through narration that, in the time before the pyramids, an evil foe from the East conquered the ancient world. By "law of the horde," the leader of this conquering army was its strongest warrior, and that warrior is the mighty Memnon (Steven Brand), whose strength is complimented by the fortune-telling powers of the beautiful Cassandra (Kelly Hu, The Air I Breathe). To end his reign of tyranny, a powerful Acadian warrior named Mathayus (Johnson) is dispatched to murder Cassandra, but he is captured and his brothers are killed. In a twist of fate, Cassandra convinces the evil and bloodthirsty fiend Memnon to spare Mathayus' life for one day, providing him the opportunity to escape with a petty criminal, Arpid (Grant Heslov, Leatherheads). Now seeking vengeance for the death of his brothers, Mathayus travels to the ancient and storied city of Gomorrah where he will find an ally he didn't expect in his quest to destroy his brothers' killer, and encounter more allies along the way, including the venerable warrior Balthazar (Michael Clarke Duncan, Daredevil). Will Mathayus and his new allies win the day, or will Memnon vanquish yet another foe on his road to world domination? The Scorpion King might be distantly related to The Mummy universe, but it is set apart by more than centuries, directors, locations, friends, and foes. In the world of The Scorpion King, the tongue-in-cheek humor of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns is deleted in favor of one-liners, cranked up action, and glamorous hero shots where good guys leap and draw their weapons in slow-motion. Also in this world, much of the action is accompanied by hard rock or heavy metal beats. Semi-crude weapons constructed of bone and wood that appear to be spring loaded (who knew they had that technology back then?) and magical swords forged from a grade of steel that can catch fire and remain ablaze for extended battle sequences are both present in this universe. Despite some laughable moments and poor choices in dialogue, fake looking special effects (catch a load of the fire ants that swarm a victim in chapter six), and some horribly unoriginal sequences, The Scorpion King is an entertaining escapist film with just enough intrigue to demand a sequel, which will soon come to Blu-ray in a direct-to-video tale without star Dwayne Johnson, unfortunately. The Scorpion King, taken in context to the canon of The Mummy universe as seen in The Mummy Returns, leaves far too many questions unanswered, but taken as a separate film, the action and story are good enough to be a passable ninety minute time killer. Video  The Scorpion King tackles Blu-ray in an impressive 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 framed transfer. The undisputed strength of this disc lies in its impressive level of fine detail. Even in the film's opening minutes, where the scene is lit by candles and other crude forms of light, fine detail in faces, clothing, and surroundings is first-rate. Facial detail is excellent, evidenced by Balthazar's scars. They offer both texture and depth, and even in the dimmest of light, without the disc resorting to artificial brightening, viewers can see the pores, lines, and scars on his face. The varied leather and cloth clothing and armor worn by the men in the film is striking with all the fine details prominently on display and easily visible, such as frayed edges and cracks in leather bands. Colors, too, are impressive. Bold colors stand out against dull backgrounds, as seen in a brief scene of red against gray and black during the film's initial narration sequence. In fact, other than the earthy tan and brown colors that are so prevalent throughout, red is one color that is seen in many scenes, and it stands out as true and real, never overblown or sticking out like a sore, hot thumb. Chapter 13 brings a visual change-of-pace as some green foliage and multicolored flowers abound in a few shots, and the transfer never misses a beat in rendering these new elements thrown its way. Textures on various buildings are superb, so visible and clear are they that you may believe you can touch the screen and feel the rough surfaces. There is the occasional speckle/blemish on the print that spikes at times, notably in chapter 11, but its presence is never completely distracting. A light layer of grain covers a transfer that features standout black levels that are inky and true-to-life, and that generally never show a hint of gray. The Scorpion King on Blu-ray is a top-quality cinematic viewing experience that is a pleasure to screen if only for the fantastic visuals viewers can lose themselves in for ninety minutes. Audio  The Scorpion King vanquishes most other Blu-ray soundtracks with its top-notch DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless surround sound extravaganza. Like the other films in The Mummy series, this track offers a fine, active, and all-encompassing surround sound experience. It effortlessly creates a 360-degree sound field where we are placed squarely in the midst of the action. Fine ambience is always to be heard in the surround channels (and even in spots in between where I have no speaker), including the most minute or miniscule chirps of crickets and birds, the baying goats, and other assorted animal noises heard in and around a bazaar. The twirling of various weapons, from swords to flails, flows around the listening area with frightening accuracy and excellent imaging. Arrows pierce the nighttime sky in chapter four and come at you from every direction, and the effect is uncanny, perhaps leaving you checking for entry wounds on your body. The blowing wind of a sandstorm in chapter eleven is one of the most exciting moments of the film, providing an impressive feeling of becoming swept up in the moment. Needless to say, there are some spectacular moments in almost every chapter and sequence. The Scorpion King is a nonstop barrage of perfect sound. Bass packs quite the punch as well; the end of the movie is the finest example of chair-rattling effects in the film. Dialogue is handled smartly throughout and is the finishing touch on a soundtrack that must be heard to be believed. Supplements  The Scorpion King fails to smash up Blu-ray in the supplemental department, offering only two extras. The first is a feature commentary track with director Chuck Russell. Much of this track sounds as if Russell is reading from a script. I cannot say with certainty if he is or is not, and I have no problem either way, but this gives you an idea of his tone and approach throughout the track, meaning he is well-spoken and informed, providing effortless insight into the film. Russell discusses the use of "Rock & Roll" music in the movie, utilizing The Rock's skills in the film (and taking him to the next level), and the challenge of shooting in difficult terrain. Russell provides a wealth of information and proves to be highly passionate about the movie. Universal offers their "U-Control" feature on this disc. The feature can be activated by selecting it from the menu or pressing the "red" key on your remote. A "U" logo will appear on your screen, and when extra content is available, the logo expands to allow you to select your choice. Automatic picture-in-picture play can be toggled on and off in the menu. When on, the selection plays automatically. When off, viewers must press the "enter" button on their remotes to access the U-control feature. With the feature turned on, a picture-in-picture window will appear at various times throughout the movie that showcases behind-the-scenes footage of the film and interviews with cast and crew. It's nice to see Universal implementing this feature on each disc in their first wave of Blu-ray releases. Also of note is that my screener copies of The Scorpion King, The Mummy Returns, and Doomsday arrived from Universal in a squared-off Blu-ray case unlike any I have encountered before. Final words  The Scorpion King is a perfectly acceptable good-versus-evil, sword-and-sandal, hard rocking good time of a movie, even if the "good" was not who I expected it to be based on the other films in the franchise. Nevertheless, taken on its own merits, The Scorpion King is a slick, well-paced action extravaganza with everything you could want in an epic that took place some 5,000 years ago, including a hulking, Schwarzenegger-style hero, a beautiful heroine, a larger-than-life ally for the hero, a wisecracking sidekick or two, and a feared villain that come together in a film that loosely resembles in plot and characters the Conan series of several decades ago, without the hardcore violence. In other words, it's a fine enough action flick for anyone looking for a mostly tame action/adventure film. Universal brings The Scorpion King to Blu-ray as one of its flagship, week one releases, and it doesn't disappoint. The video and audio qualities are astounding, what I have come to expect form Universal after reviewing in rapid succession all three films in this franchise. Although light on the extras, the commentary and U-Control feature are both welcome additions to the film. Recommended for the strength of the visuals and the awesome audio track. 
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