THE SCORPION KING 2: RISE OF A WARRIOR (DVD Release USA 2008)

Ben Meyers’ Rating: 3.7|5.0 Starsììì 

The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior—part 2 of 5 films—has ‘okay-ness’ written all over it with its run-of-the-mill revenge story. The centaur and scorpion scenes mostly hide from the camera. This movie is what it is. 

Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images 

Storyline 

This action fantasy film is about: Mathayus escapes Sargon, flees to Egypt, retrieves the Sword of Damocles, and returns to slay Sargon. 

Additional Thanks 

Thank you to Director Russell Mulcahy for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Sean Daniel and James Jacks for making the film possible. Cast includes: Michael Copon, Karen David, Simon Quarterman, Tom Wu, Andreas Wisniewski, Randy Couture, Natalie Becker, Jeremy Crutchley, Shane Manie, Peter Butler, Chase Augulhas, Pierre Marais, Warrick Grier, and Terry Norton.

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe? 

Maybe. An okay continuation of the series seems to run on a low budget and quickly becomes an average watch. Watch for Randy Couture and Michael Copon. 

Video Critique Available Here: 

Ben Meyers

THE EXPENDABLES 2 (Theatrical Release USA 2012)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 3.4|5.0 Stars ììì

The Expendables 2—at some points stupidly funny with quite good action scenes—stars our favorite action heroes: Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris (a new addition from the last Expendables), Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme (a new addition from the last Expendables), Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, and Terry Crews. While the Ben Meyers’ team prefers them individually, the all-star cast presents a ‘hard to pass it by’ appeal. The mixture of younger with seasoned actors in this genre seems a little unsettling and raises the question would it have been better to work with seasoned actors only in the story. But, this critic team likes the film and evidently box office likes it, too, as it grossed approximately $3 to every $1 invested. We’re looking forward to Expendables 3 which includes Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, and Kellan Lutz. Sylvester Stallone, as of this writing, is working on Expendables 4 for a 2017 release. This film starts with a good bang for your buck. Audiences definitely will not be bored.

Movie Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

Our favorite body builders show muscle power across Nepal, New Orleans, Albania, and Bulgaria as they track villains and correct wrongs.

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Director Simon West for directing efforts. Thank you to Executive Producers Guymon Casady, Guy Avshalom, Basil Iwanyk, Zygi Kamasa, Trevor Short, Samuel and Victor Hadida, Danny Dimbort, Jason Constantine, and Boaz Davidson for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), Booker (Chuck Norris), Vilain (Jean-Claude Van Damme), Church (Bruce Willis), Trench (Arnold Schwarzenegger), Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), Toll Road (Randy Couture), Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth), Hector (Scott Adkins), Stephan (Alexander Moskov), and Bojan (George Zlatarev).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Maybe. The film can’t be faulted for its terrific presentation of our favorite body building actors.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers