Preview of ‘Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior’

Fantasy action prequel pits former Blue Ranger Michael Copon against UFC champ Randy Couture.

I didn’t see this one coming but I’m not surprised that it’s here. With Rob Cohen’s disappointing MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR still in theaters, Universal is milking the franchise for all its worth by releasing direct to a video a prequel to the franchise’s spin-off title THE SCORPION KING minus Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. To quote an apt forum heading on IMDb, it’s “a prequel to a spin-off of a sequel to a remake.”

Official trailer for THE SCORPION KING 2: RISE OF A WARRIOR.

Scripted by Randall McCormick (SPEED 2), the story takes viewers back to the beginning of the saga of Mathayus (Michael Copon), the young warrior who would become the fearsome Scorpion King previously played by Johnson.

“One of the definite advantages of making a prequel is that you know exactly what is at the end of the road but the fun in this instance is to explore the Scorpion King’s formative years,” said director Russell Mulcahy. “With this film we have been able to enrich the character, show his origins, illustrate the events that changed his life and put him on course to become the Scorpion King. It is an original, yet classic tale of a brave character, surrounded by a band of misfits, fighting against huge odds for what he believes.”

Mulcahy is no stranger to the fantasy action genre. He previously helmed the solid sci-fi/horror actioner RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION. In describing his approach to this film, Mulcahy emphasizes the free-spirited tone that dominates the entire MUMMY/SCORPION KING franchise. “These films take you on a ride of action and horror but with a sort of smile on your face. They are fast, original and full of surprising twists and turns. There is no map when you go into one of these films so you come out with your hair tussled but that is what makes for all the fun.”

Universal is marketing RISE OF A WARRIOR as a step up for usually low-budget direct-to-video product. “[It] raises the made-for-DVD bar to the next level with production values that deliver theatrical-style action, adventure and excitement,” said Craig Komblau, President of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Translation: RISE OF THE WARRIOR has big-screen production values but small-screen star power.

Michael Copon as "Mathayus" in THE SCORPION KING 2: RISE OF A WARRIOR.

It’s the first big break for Michael Copon, a handsome, half-Filipino TV actor who began his career playing “Blue Ranger” in the family action series POWER RANGERS TIME FORCE (2001) and more recently appeared in Universal’s second cheerleader romp BRING IT ON: IN IT TO WIN IT.

Executive producer Lisa Gooding suggested that there was some resistance to casting Copon, oddly because he was a “Cheerleader” in her words. Even the actor was a little worried about appearing too much like a “pretty boy” during casting and used dust from his car tires to dirty up his looks. Something worked because according to Gooding, “he blew Russell Mulcahy’s socks off,” which would be really weird if that literally happened.

Randy Couture as "Sargon" in THE SCORPION KING 2: RISE OF A WARRIOR. That my friends is a fighter’s profile.

Also starring as the evil Sargon is UFC heavyweight champ Randy Couture in an obvious attempt to inject the prequel with a bit more Rock-like testosterone. No doubt, fronting him on the movie’s promotional material was a move to entice MMA fans in absence of a more mainstream action star like Johnson. Couture has a number of acting gigs behind him with a small role in David Mamet’s excellent martial arts drama REDBELT being the latest.

East Indian-born actress Karen Shenaz David provides eye candy for the mostly male audience this film will attract by playing Layla who is described as a “wannabe Scorpion warrior.” She most recently appeared as a sword-wielding character in the TV movie THE COLOR OF MAGIC, an adaptation of sci-fi author Terry Pratchet’s “Discworld.”

If Karen isn’t enough of a replacement for original SCORPION KING babe Kelly Hu, there is also TV presenter Natalie Becker as the sultry Astarte, Goddess of Love and War and Queen of the Underworld.

“I get to fight Astarte and it gets nasty,” said David. “We were determined that this had to be the girl fight to end all girl fights.”

Karen Shenaz David as "Layla" and Natalie Becker as "Astarte" in THE SCORPION KING 2: RISE OF A WARRIOR.

That’s a mighty big challenge. If they succeeded, the scene would have to stand up to girl-fights in KILL BILL, BLONDE FURY and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON just to name a few.

Stunt coordinator Mo Marais confirms that the actors were able to perform their own fighting and stunt work. “Given the amount of action in this film, we would really have been hampered if we had to use stunt players for all of the fight scenes,” said Marais. “My best moment was when I met Michael Copon and saw how quickly he picked up the choreography because I knew immediately that everything would go well on this film.”

In addition to his former fighting experience as a Power Ranger, Copon has broad experience in a variety of dance styles. Next to flexibility, endurance and a tolerance for pain, dance training is the most important asset that a screen fighter can have. Actual martial arts experience is further down the list unless the movie action depicts a very specific combat style. Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Michelle Yeoh all had a background in dance which gave them the ability to quickly adapt to the rhythm necessary for sparring on screen.

Marais only had a week to work with the cast before shooting. “The stunt training and choreography was pretty intense,” recalled Copon. “Fortunately, I have done a lot of fight choreography and dancing and was able to pick it up quickly.”

Copon suffered a sprained ankle during rehearsal of the intricate choreography but struggled even more in mastering his swordplay. “Learning how to intertwine butterfly kicks with a heavy sword in my hand was just the most difficult thing,” said Capon. “The Sword of Damocles is an amazingly beautiful-looking sword but is super heavy, probably a good 35 pounds of metal, and swinging it over my head and around and around was really heavy going.”

“There is a lot that goes into the fight sequences and they are technically difficult,” said Couture. “You have to practice the choreography and get things down so that you can sell it, so that it does look good on film.”

Unlike his co-stars, Randy Couture was able to draw on his professional athletic background to keep up with the grueling demands of multiple takes, precision choreography and learning new fighting skills. “I don’t find myself in the fight scenes having to hold back because we have walked through the sequences and rehearsed them well,” said Couture. “What is fun for me is trying to make it look real without people on wires flying around.”

The film actually looks like it has some potential, although I remain skeptical following the disappointment of MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR. It would be amusing if the better movie turned out to be the one that went direct to video. The press release for SCORPION KING 2 would almost have you believe that this was the superior movie with their over-the-top description. In one single press release we have phrases that include “heart-stopping … full-throttle thrill ride … bone-crushing excitement and non-stop action … pulse-pounding action … highly anticipated,” and “adrenaline-fueled adventure of epic proportions.”

Any more praise like that and the press release itself would literally explode with intensity and there would be no one left alive to report on it.

THE SCORPION KING 2: RISE OF A WARRIOR DVD cover art.

The SCORPION KING 2: RISE OF A WARRIOR DVD and Blu-ray editions come with the following bonus features:

• The Making of THE SCORPION KING 2 – An inside look at the making of the film, featuring interviews with director Russell Mulcahy and actors Randy Couture, Michael Copon, Karen David, Natalie Becker, and other key members of the cast and crew.
• Fight like an Akkadian: Black Scorpion Training Camp – Stunt fight coordinator “Mo” Marais takes us through the intricacies of Black Scorpion warrior training and demonstrates some of the moves he used to create the true Akkadian-fighting style.
• Becoming Sargon: One-on-One with Randy Couture – Highly-celebrated Mixed Martial Arts legend Randy Couture discusses how he prepared for the role of the villainous King Sargon.
• On Set with the Beautiful Leading Ladies – Natalie Becker and Karen David discuss the physical demands of their roles and what it was like working with the guys as we watch them learning the choreography of their fight sequences.
• Creating a Whole New World – This piece explores both the specially constructed sets that bring the film to life and the amazing South African locations that give the film its authenticity.
• The Visual Effects of THE SCORPION KING 2 – Through interviews with both the design and visual effects teams, supplemented with b-roll and pre-visualizations, we discover how movie magic created an alternate reality for the actors to play in (such as the Labyrinth and Thorn Forest) and produced exciting sequences like Sargon’s transformation into an invisible scorpion.
• Deleted Scenes
• Gag Reel

SCORPION KING 2: RISE OF A WARRIOR is rated PG-13, 109 minutes in length and presented in both 16×9 widescreen (1.78:1) and full screen (1.33:1) with Dolby 5.1 sound and optional English, Spanish or French subtitles. DVD and Blu-ray editions arrive in stores on August 19th, 2008.

Tags: DVD, MMA, Randy Couture, Videos