The Scorpion King (2002)

Director:

Chuck Russell

Writers (WGA):

Stephen Sommers (story) and
Jonathan Hales (story) ...

Release Date:

19 April 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Warrior. Legend. King.

Plot:

A desert warrior rises up against the evil army that is destroying his homeland. He captures the enemy's key sorcerer, takes her deep into the desert and prepares for a final showdown.

Plot Keywords:

King | Sorceress | Desert | Assassin | Scorpion

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Dwayne Johnson	...	Mathayus (as The Rock)
Steven Brand	...	Memnon
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Balthazar
Kelly Hu	...	The Sorceress
Bernard Hill	...	Philos
Grant Heslov	...	Arpid
Peter Facinelli	...	Takmet
Ralf Moeller	...	Thorak
Branscombe Richmond	...	Jesup
Roger Rees	...	King Pheron
Sherri Howard	...	Queen Isis
Conrad Roberts	...	Chieftain
Joseph Ruskin	...	Tribal Leader
Esteban Cueto	...	Third Akkadian
Nils Allen Stewart	...	Torturer

Also Known As:

The Scorpion King (Germany)
El rey escorpión (Argentina) (Colombia) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
Le roi scorpion (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
A skorpiókirály (Hungary) [hu]
Akrep kral (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Il re scorpione (Italy) [it]
Kralj skorpija (Serbia) [sr]
O Escorpião Rei (Brazil) [pt]
O Rei Escorpião (Portugal) [pt]
Regele scorpion (Romania) [ro]
Skorpionenes konge (Norway) [no]
Skorpionikuningas (Finland) [fi]
The Scorpion King (Greece) [el]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence and some sensuality.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA | Germany | Belgium

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:18SG | Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIA | India:A | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 (cut) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park - 200 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, California, USA

Company:

Alphaville Films

Trivia:

The sorceress's name, Cassandra, is a reference to the daughter of Priam, king of Troy, who was given the gift to see the future by her lover the Greek god Apollo. He later made it so that the closer she was to the truth the less anyone believed her.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mathayus escapes from the harem he cuts the gong and rolls it away for cover, he does not have time to return it to his sheath yet when he drops into the sorcerer's chamber he immediately draws his sword.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[the barbarian chieftain is holding up a skull]
Barbarian Chieftain: We have killed Babylonians!
[the barbarians cheer, he holds up another]
Barbarian Chieftain: We have killed Mesopotamians!
[the barbarians cheer]
Barbarian Chieftain: But we have never had the pleasure of killing... an Akkadian.
Jesup: [Tied up] May the gods have pity on you, for my brother will not.
[Mathayas storms in and kills the Barbarians]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Spotlight on Location: The Mummy Returns (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

Marching-In

Tied Too Loosely To "The Mummy"

"The Scorpion King" is a prequel from the "Mummy" franchise. However, fans of the previous "Mummy" movies may be in for a disappointment. Granted, the imagery may be impressive, and the action is exciting, but apart from a very few details, "Scorpion King" may as well be a completely different movie. In quality, it fares about as well as the average sword-and-sandal epic. There is a camp factor that hangs over the story, that you feel when listening to some passages of dialogue. Also noticebale are Grant Hislov's comic relief role as Arpid, and Kelly Hu as the belly-baring sorceress Cassandra. Wrestling fans may enjoy this vehicle for the Rock, but I don't think many others will.