The Scorpion King
Réalisation:
Chuck RussellPhotographie:
John R. LeonettiMusique:
John DebneyActeurs·trices:
Dwayne Johnson, Steven Brand, Michael Clarke Duncan, Kelly Hu, Bernard Hill, Grant Heslov, Peter Facinelli, Ralf Moeller, Branscombe Richmond (plus)VOD (3)
Résumés(1)
5 000 ans avant Jésus-Christ, la légendaire cité de Gomorrhe est sous la coupe de l'avide Memnon, un tyran maléfique déterminé à éliminer les peuplades nomades du désert. Menacées d'extinction, celles-ci en oublient leurs querelles séculaires et préparent ensemble une riposte. Sachant que leur adversaire s'inspire des visions et des prophéties d'un sorcier, elles engagent un assassin, Maythayus, pour tuer ce dernier. Après s'être introduit dans le camp ennemi, Maythayus découvre que le sorcier est en fait une magnifique jeune femme se nommant Cassandra. Incapable de la tuer, le guerrier s'enfuit avec elle dans le désert. (texte officiel du distributeur)
(plus)Critiques (5)
A mediocre action flick laden with a thousand clichés. Surprisingly, I didn’t mind The Rock, but he is very hammy every time he tries to bring some insight to his role. Arnie did much better with that in Conan the Barbarian.
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A solid action-fantasy C-movie, the kind we haven’t had since Conan the Barbarian. No more, no less.
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Any speculation about whether The Rock would be suitable for this role was completely unwarranted. He fits it like a glove, and he can handle his sword just as quickly as his tongue. He delivers one wisecrack after another while maintaining an unusually likeable detachment. And this is how the whole film is structured. Despite being burdened by a ton of adventure clichés, it is relatively easy to watch. The action is fast-paced and visually impressive, the main villain is not a problem (the scene in the training area is fantastic), and Michael Clarke Duncan is irresistible in disguise. Easygoing entertainment with no ambitions for anything more than a one-off and a solid contribution to the genre.
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It's a simple story through and through, but it has a certain, ahem, barbaric charm. It doesn’t dazzle cinematically and rather comes across as a narrative episode of TV's Hercules, but despite some annoying supporting characters, it entertains, passes by quickly, and doesn’t leave you feeling robbed. I was intrigued by John Debney's score, which intersperses very honest and catchy orchestral pieces with almost contemporary electronic music without clashing. Why not.
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Rock with long hair, once good for its time, now terrible digital effects, along with a fairly classic story of revenge, intertwined with a beautiful woman, and on top of that, some familiar face. What more could you ask for? I don't even know. Nowadays, this film seems so horribly ordinary to me... Classic mainstream, which apparently is meant to entertain. And it probably succeeds. It speaks for itself that it is only a short film. In one day, I saw too many similar movies again, and it left a bad taste in my mouth, which manifested in the rating of this piece, but I don't consider it particularly subjective.
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