THE SCORPION KING 3: BATTLE FOR REDEMPTION Is Nearly A Winner (Blu-ray Review)

I'm kind of a sucker for the sort of wisecracking mystical adventure that director Roel Reiné and company serve up in ponderously titled The Scorpion King 3: The Battle For Redemption,* but then how could I not? I came up on B to Z-grade sword and sandal "epics" like Sword and the Sorcerer and have a distinct recollection of being taken to see Red Sonja as a wee lad. The more elaborate, weird, and, I guess, exuberant these movies are, the more I'm into them.

And such unabashed love means that I'm kind of willing to overlook quite a few sins that might otherwise be a deal breaker, for instance, shoddy special effects, the occasional flat joke, or less-than-well-choreographed fight scenes. However, The Scorpion King 3 pushes right up against losing me (and I assume other viewers who might be willing to roll with it) thanks to inclusion of one of the more grating characters in recent memory, actor Bostin Christopher's Teutonic sidekick, Olaf. Everything you know about the character is right there in the name: he's loutish, and more earnest than clever, and I wouldn't have a problem with him if writers Brendan Cowles and Shane Kuhn didn't somehow think that a fat, greasy man burping repeatedly in the cast's faces counted as comedy. Right there, the movie threatened to lose me (he shows up early and never goes away), but a weird mix of elements kept me with it.

I should probably get around to telling you a little about the story: Victor Webster occupies the sandals of mercenary Mathayus, serving King Horus (Ron Perlman, seeming to wilt in the Thai heat in every scene) as muscle for hire and general wading in his own misery following the death of his regal bride and people, the fabled warriors the Akkadians (presumably ground covered in the last movie, in which case it must have ended on a hell of a downer). Horus enlists Mathayus to aid a neighboring King (Temura Morrison) under siege by Horus' jealous, power mad brother, Talus (Billy Zane). And if you guessed that wading into the middle of the fracas would give Mathayus something to fight for, you're right.

One of those reasons to fight is an attractive young princess played by (relative) newcomer Krystal Vee. Whereas Webster brings a sort of brawny charm and bravado to his role, Vee hits her marks, says her lines emphatically, and does her best to acquit herself in her action scenes. But if we're going to talk about acting, then Billy Zane is it, finding no line that can't be overstated, no scene that can't be played to the back of the room. He's actually kind of phenomenal in this and you remember what a damned charming, hammy guy he is. A better script and more screen time for his character, and I might not be making so many apologies for the movie.

The real hook of the movie doesn't actually kick in until about halfway through when (spoilers, but not really) Talus uses the Book of the Dead to unleash three Ghost Warriors played by wrestler Dave Bautista, MMA star Kimbo Slice, and actress Selina Lo, and that's actually when the movie gets most lively with wire work, tons of ninjas (just because), and some earnest effects that get the job done. The back half of the movie is actually great fun (in part because Olaf is shuffled over to the side) and (ugh, I'm sorry for saying this, but it's true) The Battle for Redemption is redeemed when it keeps throwing its fantasy elements at the screen, drawn as much from previous entries in the franchise I'd imagine as well as video games (costumes by way of God of War and Mortal Kombat) and the melting pot of fantasy fiction.

So yes, it's rough going in the beginning there, but ultimately the turns itself around by virtue of kicking around a few ideas in the back half and I have to say that kind of thing goes a long way with me.**

*Note to B-filmmakers: no need to make your theme an actual statement in the title. Save a little something for the picture.

**Also, Billy Zane is terrific here and really needs to be taking a bite out of some meaty, long-running role on TV.

Audio, Video, and Features

As tends to be the way with a lot of recent low budget action flicks, The Scorpion King 3 has some seriously variable lighting quality throughout, curiously most often during daytime exterior scenes. The Blu-ray doesn't do the movie any favors on that front, pretty much exposing how soft and under-lit those sequences are. It's not a total wash, though as skin tones at least look natural and not overly processed and the--well, I'm pushing it describing them as lush--verdant settings are well represented when they are properly lit. An interesting workout for the audio comes with Tsukai's unearthly shrieks which travel convincingly across your speakers and create an interesting, appropriately freaky sound. Likewise, most of the movie's effects and audio is pretty well handled here.

In terms of the features, while you're not going to get anything to probing in the making of docs here, you can at least get a nice, general sense of the making of the movie and an earnest attempt by the producers to develop Mr. Webster as a star.

The Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption is available on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD now.