The Scorpion King (2002)
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The story
Before the time of the pyramids, a horde of warriors from the East, led by Memnon, conquers most of the local tribes. No tribe is willing to fight Memnon, as his sorcerer can foresee any attack. Mathayus, along with his half-brother Jesup and their friend Rama, are the only surviving Akkadians. The trio is hired by King Pheron of the free tribes to kill the sorcerer. After being separated from his companions and facing various perils, Mathayus must navigate a dangerous landscape to fulfill his mission and confront the power of the sorceress.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Before the pyramids, the warrior Memnon conquers local tribes using a sorceress named Cassandra. Mathayus, his brother Jesup, and their friend Rama are hired by King Pheron to kill the sorceress. During an ambush, Rama is killed and Jesup is captured. Mathayus finds Cassandra but is captured himself. After his brother is executed, Mathayus is left for dead but escapes with the help of a horse thief named Arpid. He teams up with a girl named Tutu and a magician named Philos to infiltrate Memnon's stronghold. Along the way, he rescues Cassandra. After a series of battles, including a fight against the warrior Thorak and a confrontation with the rebel king Balthazar, Mathayus and his allies launch a final assault on Memnon's palace. During the battle, Cassandra's visions are tested. Mathayus eventually defeats Memnon, and the remaining soldiers proclaim him the Scorpion King. The film ends with Mathayus and Balthazar sharing a peaceful farewell as the realm enters a period of prosperity.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 91
- Production countries
- United States; Germany
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Chuck Russell
- Writers
- Stephen Sommers · screenplay; William Osborne · screenplay; David Hayter · screenplay; Stephen Sommers · story; Jonathan Hales · story
- Cast and characters
- Dwayne Johnson · Mathayus of Akkad / The Scorpion King; Steven Brand · Memnon; Kelly Hu · Cassandra; Grant Heslov · Arpid; Bernard Hill · Philos; Michael Clarke Duncan · Balthazar; Peter Facinelli · Takmet; Ralf Moeller · Thorak; Branscombe Richmond · Jesup; Roger Rees · King Pheron; Sherri Howard · Queen Isis
- Genres
- action; adventure
- Themes
- Destiny; Sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- Action; Adventure
- Premise and plot tags
- Prequel; Spin-off; Historical Fantasy
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews and was considered a moderate box office success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 40% · scale: percentage · review count: 134; Metacritic · score: 45 · scale: 100 · review count: 30; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Best Fantasy Film · Saturn Awards · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was Dwayne Johnson's first lead role.; The character Mathayus is loosely inspired by the historical King Scorpion.; The film's title is a reference to a historical king of the Protodynastic Period of Egypt.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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