The Scorpion King, a spin-off from the Brendan Fraser Mummy movies, is ridiculous fluff camp, but I mean this as a compliment. While not nearly as fun or funny as The Mummy, it's an improvement over the self-conscious The Mummy Returns. While Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is no replacement for Brendan Fraser's comic reinvention of Indiana Jones, he's watchable enough to be our tour guide through this world of sand, swords, snakes, sorcery, and gleefully outrageous action scenes. I love the look of the film: the firelit skin, the wild leather costumes, and expansive sets. Ancient Egypt may not have looked like this, but, darn it, it should have.

I just have one question. How on earth did the Scorpion King of this film become the Scorpion King of The Mummy Returns? It would have been nice to have this question answered, and, in fact, the character's inevitable internal conflict, had the film played with that idea, probably would have given the central character a much needed level of depth.