THE SCORPION KING: BOOK OF SOULS is the latest spin-off from the Dwayne Johnson starrer, itself a spin-off from THE MUMMY RETURNS. This one was shot in South Africa with director Don Michael Paul and star Zach McGowan, both of whom also teamed up for the same year's DEATH RACE: BEYOND ANARCHY. BOOK OF SOULS is the better film of the two, less sleazy and more old-fashioned in approach, feeling a little like a low rent sword and sorcery epic from the 1990s. McGowan is a solid hero, all glistening muscles and brooding intensity, while the excellent Peter Mensah - of SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND fame - makes for a fine and frightening villain. Also on hand is the hulking Aussie wrestler Nathan Jones, playing a giant made of clay for some reason. Plenty of action, FX, plot twists and general mayhem keep this one watchable, if hardly high art.
