Set several thousand years before the events of "The Mummy", "The Scorpion King" tells the story of a master assassin, Mathayus (American wrestling star The Rock), and his battle against an evil warlord, Memnon (Brand), who has been using a sorceress (Hu) to help him defeat the region's desert tribes.
Sworn to kill the sorceress, Mathayus kidnaps her and holds her hostage in the hope of luring Memnon into a one-on-one fight.
With a pre-credit sequence that features large amounts of death, destruction and scantily clad women, it's clear that "The Scorpion King" is going to be a pure and simple popcorn movie.
The common denominator in this seemingly endless parade of swordfights and pretty lasses is the adolescent libido - lots of action, the barest of plot exposition, and as much naked female flesh as possible (given the rating) are thrown together in a calculated attempt to hit 13-year-old boys right where it hurts.
Fortunately "The Scorpion King" has just enough charm (not to mention a sense of its own ridiculousness) to stay afloat.
While it never comes close to the quaint Saturday morning serial charm of "The Mummy", The Rock's leading man debut is certainly entertaining. He's not going to be the next Brendan Fraser, but he does acquit himself surprisingly well. And, despite looking like he's just swallowed a rhinoceros, his action sequences are pretty athletic - The Rock's a big bloke but he sure knows how to move.
With a body count that would make Chuck Norris envious (though there's very little blood and guts) and a painfully short running time, this barbarian action fest is all brawn and very little brains - which is exactly what it set out to be.