Picking up some time after The Scorpion King left off (number 2, Rise of a Warrior, was a prequel), Mathayus’s kingdom is now in ruins after an unstoppable illness ravaged his people. The sole survivor of a once prosperous nation, the fallen monarch is now an unfeeling mercenary, concerned with nothing except his desire to “die well, as goes the Akkadian philosophy. A contract from the King of Egypt to help his brother’s city hold against the advance of the megalomaniacal King Talus swiftly spirals into a quest for his Mathayus’s redemption, with the future of the world hanging in the balance.
All things being equal, the law of diminishing returns also invokes a decrease in anticipation. When a film is the third of a series and the sixth of a franchise and it’s going straight-to-disc the pressure to produce a piece of unparalleled quality lowers, simply because people aren’t going to expect much of you. However, it still doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make an effort.
As The Rock has gone on to bigger and better things, Mathayus is now played by walking hunk of man-candy Victor Webster. He’s aided by being close in size to his predecessor as well as being convincing as a natural fighter, though he fails to convey the necessary charm through all his brooding, not to mention his beard.
The story essentially boils down to the traditional trajectory of “defeat the villain, rescue the princess, save the world. Except in this case Krystal Vee’s Princess Silda is considerably more than she at first seems, though her second act revelation will surprise few. Despite being a significant character rather than a sidelined love interest, she still goes the way of most women in pseudo-fantasy settings by sporting a different skimpy leather two-piece in virtually every scene.
Billy Zane, hamming it up to full-on Anthony Hopkins proportions, is almost like a pantomime villain as King Talus, and one so annoying you just want to punch him in the face to wipe the self-satisfied smirk off it. In minor but pivotal roles Ron Pearlman and Temuera Morrison are both clearly better than this, and just take what little material they’re given and run with it.
CLICK HERE For our exclusive Scorpion King 3 Clip
The pace picks up once Talus summons three dead warriors to take out Mathayus, and continues the saga’s penchant for casting former athletes in the form of wrestler Dave Bautista and MMA fighter Kevin Ferguson. The trio is rounded off by Selina Lo as a sword-wielding witch in an outfit equally as provocative as those of her heroic counterpart. You just know this is going to culminate in a breathless slo-mo chick fight.
Where the film truly comes into its own is the combat sequences. Choreographed by Seng Kawee the fight co-ordinator on Ong Bak the various duels utilise the actors’ existing talents such as Webster’s Tae Kwon Do and Vee’s background in dance.
There seems to be some confusion as to the precise geographical or temporal location of the story. We have deserts, forests and jungles all existing in close proximity to one another and it’s a place where elephants and tigers can both be found. An army of soldiers dressed like Roman legionaries (without the fighting discipline) battle groups of ninjas and one fighter makes a declaration on “Odin’s codpiece. That said, the location filming showcases the beauty of the Thai landscape where it was filmed, as well as the ethereal magnificence of its ancient ruins, which much of the story is told within.
Overall Verdict: Short on innovation and story, large on visuals and spectacle, The Scorpion King 3 entertains but doesn’t impress. Look out for it if you’re a stickler for series completion; you could do a lot worse.
Special Features:
Director’s Commentary
Deleted/Extended Scenes
Deleted Shots Montage
Gag Reel
Swords & Scorpions: Making of
Preparing for Battle
Reviewer: Andrew Marshall