Review: 'Scorpion King 3' Has A Lighthearted Sting

By Michael Lopez

To be honest, we kind of enjoy reviewing straight-to-DVD movies every now and then. They usually lack the pretension of a big Hollywood epic, allow plump roles for eager newcomers, and afford us the ability to watch from our living room couch. And this week's release, The Scorpion King 3, covers all those bases and then some.

Technically the sixth movie in The Mummy franchise, King 3 keeps the series' trademark humor and action intact. It also has a very fun and easy-to-follow storyline, which means you don't have to watch previous installments to know what's going on.

For this particular outing, Mutant X’s Victor Webster is taking on the title role made famous by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (which was played by Michael Copon for King 2). The fact that Victor is part Latino already scores this movie major kudos in our book and he does an admiral job filling Johnson's gladiator boots.

Also joining the cast for this outing are big screen vets Billy Zane and Ron Perlman. Ron's got the sword and sorcery mantra down, thanks to previous parts in films like Conan The Barbarian and In The Name of The King. And Zane's bringing his famous over-the-top villain role back, the same way he did it in 1997's Titanic.

The story of King 3 revolves around Mathayus (Webster), the disgraced ruler now making his living as a soldier of fortune. King Horus (Perlman) hires him to recover an ancient Book of the Dead, which will help him restore power to his empire. Of course Horus' conniving brother Talus (Zane) wants the Book too, which throws quite the monkey wrench into this supernatural adventure.

In order to accomplish his mission, Mathayus will have to battle vicious tigers, mysterious ninjas, and Talus' entire army. But the real fun begins once the Book is opened up and supernatural MMA fighters like Kimbo Slice and Dave Batista enter the mix. It all makes for one epic conclusion and a fun stay-at-home movie night for Mummy fans of all ages.

Bottom line: No, The Scorpion King 3 isn't going to be included any 2012 Critic's Choice lists. But it's still an enjoyable ride and has a great tongue-in-cheek vibe throughout. Plus, Victor Webster makes a great butt kicker and we're very hopeful that this film will springboards him into a big screen action career.

Are you a fan of The Mummy movies? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Billy Zane, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Dave Batista, DVDs, Kimbo Slice, Movie Reviews, Movies & CineMás, Ron Perlman, Scorpion King, Scorpion King 3, The Mummy, Victor Webster