The Scorpion King (12)

I SUPPOSE it was inevitable.

The Rock's rather brief appearance in The Mummy Returns has finally spawned a full feature film dedicated to the wrestler's muscle flexing antics.

He stars as The Scorpion King himself and while the plotline and acting is nothing to write home about and in fact rather clichd, the film is good enough to make the grade.

Following in the vein of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns we find ourselves in an ancient land where an evil ruler is invading neighbouring lands and taking over all.

A small band of rebels learn that the ruler is guided by a sorcerer and hire a small band of assassins led by Mathayus (The Rock) to kill the sorcerer.

However, Mathayus learns that the sorcerer is in fact a beautiful woman and he kidnaps her, taking her into the desert and baiting the evil warlord to follow.

As he picks up a band of followers, Mathayus finds himself waging an impossible war against the forces of the warlord.

Rather surprisingly, The Rock's chiselled features are not all that he brings to the film. His acting is not that bad and much more realistic than the sort of caricature performances he is accustomed to in the wrestling ring.

With this film you know exactly what you are getting, which is not a bad thing. It is out and out action, which gets very cheesy in places, but is good to sit back and relax in front of.

The special effects are top notch, along the same lines as The Mummy films, and the battle scenes are quite gripping and well thought out.

Many are comparing this to Conan the Barbarian, but it is by no means likely to attain the classic status that Arnie's Conan managed to achieve.

All in all, this is one to switch off to and relax in front of.

Rating: 5/10

Verdict: Rock The House