Film Reviews

The Scorpion King

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Dwayne Johnson
• Details: US / 90 mins / (12PG).

The World Wrestling Federation is hardly acknowledged as a breeding ground of great acting talent, and if his first major starring role is anything to go by, Dwayne Johnson AKA The Rock, won't be troubling the Academy in the foreseeable future. In The Scorpion King, The Rock plays Mathayus, an assassin of the Akkadian tribe. Accepting a mission to kill the sorceress (Hu) of the evil ruler, Memnon (Brand) with two fellow assassins, Mathayus sets out to rid the despot of his most prized asset. Unfortunately, after an early attempt to carry out their mission, all but Mathayus are killed and our hero sets out to avenge his brothers' death. As far as plot matters go, that's about as taxing as it gets, for the emphasis here is on action, action and more action. As you might expect, the acting is atrocious - the only concession to humour is the odd, predictable sight gag - while the narrative is nothing more than a collection of bruising, but plodding battle scenes. Then again, what could you expect from a movie, whose screenwriters don't even bother bestowing one of their major supporting characters, Comedic Sidekick, with a name?

Review by Garreth Murphy