The Scorpion King: Book of Souls (2018 Video) User Reviews (54)

Has enough fighting and fan service to keep one awake for an hour and a half

[juliankennedy23 · 5/10 · 28 October 2018]

The Scorpion King: Book of Souls: 5 out of 10: The Scorpion King's plan to live the simple life is ruined when a mad king (Not played by Tony Todd) with a demon possed sword threatens his idyllic farm life and it is off to find the titular Book of Souls which is the only thing that can stop The Mad Kings Demon Sword.

The Good: Well it is better than Scorpion King 2. Sand and sandal film has some decent fight scenes, keeps the camera in focus, some PG-13 fan service and a funny Golem (Jewish not Middle Earth). If you can ignore the story (I highly recommend this) there is some family-friendly action adventure waiting for you.

The Bad: If you cannot ignore the story you are in for a rough ride. For starters even trying to figure out the geography of everyone is a chore. (I know where the Nubians are historically but I have no idea where the Scorpion King is currently residing or where Not Tony Todd and his army are hailing from or where the Book of Souls is supposed to be and why they are next to the ocean unless that was the only place to film the sand scenes.

In addition, the movie suffers from the Death Star destroyed let's call this a win syndrome. Even if you destroy Not Tony Todd's magic sword he still has a fanatical army and you are still three people and a Gollum.

The Ugly: Why is this a Scorpion King movie? Seriously. The story fits a lot better as a Pg-13 Conan adventure and the lead actor looks nothing like the Scorpion King. Honestly if you called this Price of Persia and the Book of Souls it would make a lot more sense in both casting and story.

In Conclusion: It moves fast enough and has enough fighting and fan service to keep one awake for an hour and a half. Family friendly and fun to tear apart while watching it is at least a somewhat enjoyable romp. That Gollum is hilarious BTW. He really needs a better movie.

Better than I thought

[bestford · 6/10 · 23 February 2019]

Expected garbage but it was ok. Ticked some boxes. Bit of eye candy for everyone, bit of action and at least there was a story. Worth a watch.

What a franchise looks like post-mortem

[garciarichard · 6/10 · 24 October 2018]

The Stephen Sommers Mummy franchise, for all intents and purpose, is dead. There hasn't been a decent installment since 2008's Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, and the direct-to-video sequels to it's Scorpion King spin-off have been nothing short of terrible and unnecessary.

Yet, I'll concur that Book of Souls is an improvement over the last two Scorpion King sequels in terms of plot and cinematography, capturing the feel of The Mummy films. But not enough to revive long-term interest in a franchise that has since been relegated to the DTV ghetto. Especially when these films shuffle lead actors like it shuffles cards.

Give the guy the next try at Conan

[torgulsmith-225-355486 · 29 October 2018]

So this afternoon the recent abominable reboot of Conan the Barbarian was on broadcast tv, so, against my better judgement, I watched some of it. Every bit as terrible as I remembered. I love the Milius Conan, of course, even though it's about different guy named Conan, apparently. So I ran across this thing on Netflix, and I thought can't be worse that what I just saw, so why not? And what a pleasant surprise! A perfectly serviceable sword&sandals&sorcery film! Obvious these people love the Schwartz Conan, several sly references. Handsome production, good art direction, far better than the recent Conan, better fight choreography. In fact, pretty much a Conan adventure, with a different lead.

Passable sequel with a great number of battles , noisy action , sword-play and fantastic elements

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 11 April 2023]

Spectacular Sword and Witchery film , following the adventures of the known King Scorpion, since his rise to power developed in Scorpion King I¨ by Stephen Sommers . Mathayus' (Zach McGowan ) kingdom has fallen , and , today , he's a simple blacksmith . As Mathayus becomes a drifter to find The Book of the dead , while warriors with incredible power suddenly appear to defeat him . In ancient Egypt, the mighty warlord, Nebserek (Peter Mensah) , a nasty tyrant who has convoked dark forces, steals the fabled Fang of Anubis- a cursed sword imbued with the power of hell and the strength of its countless victims- intent on creating his evil empire. As the ruthless monarch burns down to the ground a small village , the wounded Akkadian mercenary, Mathayus , joins forces with the Nubian princess, Tala (Pearl Thusi) , to embark on a long and risked quest to find the mystical Book of Souls : the only thing that can put an end to Nebserek's tyranny. Along the way , Scorping King meets Amina (Katy Louise Saunders) who holds a dark secret . Together they search for a legendary relic known as The Book of Souls, which will allow them to put an end to an evil warlord. Will the legendary Scorpion King bring hope and restore peace? Talus who kidnapped her. New quest, new villains, one legend - the Scorpion King returns !.

Thrilling and fantasy movie with lots of action , fights , adventures and swordplay . Here Mathays/Zach McGowan must face off some fantastic enemies and tyrants for the chance to regain the glory and power he once knew , this time the Scorpion King teams up with a female warrior named Tala, who is the sister of The Nubian King. This acceptable actioner is more in Sword and Necromancy vein than an epic movie . Yes , it is cheesy , at times, but it doesn't actually strive for any more , and it results to be entertaining and amusing enough . In terms of milking a cash cow being really inspired by the original ¨Scorpion King¨by Stephen Sommers that at the same time was a spin-off to ¨Mummy¨ saga also directed by Sommers . Here all the men have the ordinary requisite amount , boasting strength themselves , as well as showing muscles and courage , while women are all scantly clad. This one has a better cast than the second outing that were unknown actors , here stands out nice and charming actors . Stars Zach McGowan as the hero who has to find the Book of Souls from the claws of the feared Nebserek , Peter Mensah ,Mayling Ng , Nathan Jones , Howard Charles, and Pearl Thusi ; furthermore , a young gorgeous newcomer : Katy Saunders who steals the show.

The motion picture was professional, though with no originality , directed by Don Michael Paul . He is a good American filmmaker who has directed some decent films , and with success enough . This craftsman filmmaker has directed a number of films and many of them are sequels . Don Michael Paul has directed all kinds of genres with penchant for action movies . He has shot remakes and sequels , such as : Death Race: Beyond Anarchy (2018) in which Zach McGowan and director Don Michael Paul also worked together in. Don is a secondary actor and an occassional professional director. He is a craftsman who has directed a few films , such as : Jarhead 2, Sniper Legacy, Lake Placid : Final chapter, Death race : Beyond anarchy, Bulletproof 2, Kindergaten cops 2, Who is your caddy?, The garden, among others .

This Scorpion King saga is formed by the following films : ¨Scorpion King¨ 2002 by Stephen Sommers with Dwayne Johnson The Rock, Steven Brand , Kelli Hu, Grant Heslov , Bernard Hill , Michael Clarke Duncan . ¨Scorpion King , The rise of a warrior¨ 2008 by Russell Mulcahy with Michael Copon , Karen David , Tom Wu, Randy Couture , Natalie Becker . ¨King Scorpion 3 Battle for redemption¨ 2012 by Raoul Reine with Victor Webster , Billy Zane , Ron Perlman, Selina Lo, Keli Hu. ¨The Scorpion King : The lost throne¨ 2015 with Victor Webster , Ellen Holliman , Will Kemp, Barry Bostwick , Rutger Hauer , Michael Biehn , M. Emmet Walsh. ¨The Scorpion King , Book of souls¨ 2019 by Don Michael Paul with Zach McGowan , Mayling , Peter Mensah, Nathan Jones .

Ok Movie

[ckijora-25147 · 5/10 · 16 December 2018]

It was a decent action movie I suppose, but the cast was truly gorgeous.

Do not waste your time

[Hockridge · 1/10 · 28 October 2018]

This movie is written and acted so poorly. I have never written a review however being a fan of the Mummy and Scorpion Kings I rented this movie and now wish I could get my money and time back. Both my partner and I actually drifted off at different times which is also rare.

An action movie directed by a soap opera director

[teropaananen · 2/10 · 23 November 2018]

The director has no idea about how to shoot a good action scene.

There are so many pointless slow motion scenes, shaky camera action shots, out of frame closeups and other bad, bad camera work that any film school student could've made a better movie.

The less said about the script/writing and the horrible acting, the better.

Whoever is in charge of this movie franchise should just stop. Don't make any more of these.

A bit waste time

[marta-24174 · 3/10 · 24 October 2018]

If it know what it is but bored after 30 min. Didn't carry on just though it's a bit waste time.

Great myth and magic for teenagers

[robertemerald · 7/10 · 10 March 2019]

To be honest, this production could have only just held its head above the B. Luckily its head is safe, despite a low budget. Brilliant casting, with stars from Black Sails and Spartacus continuing in similar sword-fighting roles. Plenty of muscle, beautiful strong and magical women, flying in the air fights and a really crazy huge original offsider (possibly a stand out here). The plot was faithful to the genre and the franchise. Not too many effects but tastefully done (this is not Gods of Egypt). This is probably the best Scorpion I've seen, great for teenagers (though there is quite a lot of killing though not much blood), or fantastic for a Saturday arvo lazy if you are into fantasy.

Wow. Just wow

[ackj-55958 · 1/10 · 17 November 2018]

One of the worst movies I've ever seen. It was like watching a really bad soap opera. The Scorpion King was nice to look at and the music was quite lovely but my goodness, that was a rough one to get through. Good luck all who press play....

Best Scorpion King Movie except for the one(s) starring The ROCK

[lovettstough · 10/10 · 26 October 2018]

I actually really liked this movie. To me it is the the best one out of the Scorpion King Movie franchise except for the one(s) starring the Rock of course. The lead actor in this is moving up in his career. I first ever seen him play in the STARZ original series Black Sails and then I seen him play in Marvels Agents of Shield and now this movie and I am sure he has played in other stuff I just have not seen. Obviously I liked the ladies more the Nubian warrior princess/queen and the one that played the book of souls. I loved how everybody worked together at the end to help defeat evil. Great movie!

Horrible film but fun to watch...

[bairjohn · 7/10 · 24 October 2018]

It does have a slow pace, but the fight scenes are well choreographed. I think the writing had it's moments, but was not much dialogue. Direction was slow, and the scenes were choppy for a quest oriented film.

The acting was moderate to ok Pearl Thusi did a great job of carrying the film. Graphically not bad at all, and the camera work was very well done. I don't think I would watch it again, but was entertaining.

Hardly high art

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 20 December 2019]

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.

Finally!

[Dimple67 · 23 October 2018]

This SK has some muscle and style and action for action fans! The humor is downplayed as the swords and fists and fantasy elements take center stage! I love it! Good actors, fun action and some feisty characters all working in favor of a sexy and mysterious movie! Loved Zach McGowan and Pearl Thusi and Peter Mensah!!! Keep 'me coming!!!!

I quit looking for plagerism about half way through

[savior-11 · 4/10 · 25 October 2018]

If you enjoy the ridiculous prerequisite of women warriors and bits and pieces from these movie greats;

Sword and the Sorcerer Beast Master Red Sonia Army of Darkness Quest For Fire Naked Prey Raiders Of The Lost Arc The Da Vinci Code National Treasure Stargate Epic of Gilgamesh Excalibur The Golem The Hulk Frankenstein .....

You're gonna love this movie.

Not unbearable

[banekaitlin · 5/10 · 27 November 2020]

There were some pretty predictable parts. It's cheesy and the characters are one-dimensional, but it doesn't take itself too seriously. There are some awkward attempts at humor. But if you like camp and B movies, you might like it. I probably wouldn't watch it again, but it was alright. The only character I liked was Tasa.

it's dull

[SnoopyStyle · 4/10 · 9 January 2021]

In ancient Egypt, warlord Nebserek steals the Fang of Anubis to launch a conquering war. Nebserek burns down Mathayus' village. He is known as The Scopion King and joins Nubian princess Tala to find the Book of Souls.

The plot is straight forward but somehow overly complicated. It's probably the muddled expositions. This is a B-movie. It's not terrible but also not good. The biggest problem is that it's dull. The cinematic lacks kinetic energy. It doesn't really offer anything. Zach McGowan is a solid grunt but not a leading man. There is action but nothing special. It is play-acting sword and sandals.

This movie sucked

[blacktwizzler · 1/10 · 28 May 2019]

For me it was not entertain for those who rated 10 must have been paid. Why I didn't like it? 1. There is no back story about the scorpion king. 2. Too much monologuing. 3. How in the he'll you get shot with 5 arrows and not die nor fall to the ground. 4. How could 5 well trained hunters not able to track one man and on top of that allow him to sneak up on them and defeat them all. 5. How is it possible to have a full moon after three days not to mention a blue moon which only supposed to happened every three years. 6. How did the book of souls girl change her hair style within miniuts or scenes. 7. Why don't the book of souls girl have better clothes instead of running around in what looks like a bikini. How do you get stung by scorpions and all of a sudden you get super strength 8. How is it that you can stand in a fire pit that just consumed two people and not get burned. I mean there is a lot more that I can say that will pick this movie apart but it was just too dumb for me to just go with it. Even the dialog was unbelievable, I tried so hard to just sit back and enjoy the movie but it was impossible

Oh my god! Why??

[phwagz-46691 · 1/10 · 3 November 2018]

In a world of scripts and actors this must be the nexus where the worst premise is scripted and collides with a cast of the most uninteresting who meets the most untalented. I can only beseech a compassionate god not to allow a sequel to be made during my lifetime. If time travel is ever achieved then perhaps we can send a terminator back in time to kill the funding ( a bloodless solution) of this alleged "movie".

Surprisingly good.

[debabrata4747 · 7/10 · 26 October 2018]

Scorpion King movies are my guilty pleasure. I enjoyed the first one immensely and somewhat the last couple of movies, I did not have much expectation from this one but, boy was I wrong, I was in for a surprise. This was awesome, the best Scorpiom King movie after the first one. A well thought out and smart movie which embraces the Scorpion King legacy and tries to follow the continutity laid out in Mummy 2 and the first Scorpion King movie. The sets and locations are pretty good, the costumes well done, the acting is above average, special shout out to Zach McGowan as the Scorpion King and Pearl Thusi as Tala. The music is very good, sometimes bordering epic, derived from the original Scorpion King soundtrack and quite a bit from Mummy 2. The graphics are not very good but given the budget they did their best and it does not distract that much. There is some feminism thrown in keeping with the current trend. The action is plenty and fastpaced. There is a Hulk like creature and used quite effectively and they got the ending right. The story has some ties from the first Scorpion king movie and more than once it reminded me of that movie. I missed The Rock in this one, I was imagining him in many of the scenes, but that does not mean the lead actor is bad, he is quite good, but he does not have the screen presence of Dwayne Johnson. If you are a Scorpion king fan or a fan of the Sword and sorcery genre, do check this out. 4 out of five stars.

For white americans only

[cookbeats · 2/10 · 26 May 2019]

White man in Egypt. Smh. This movie is trash. We all know there wasnt one white or european in Egypt.

Not bad at all. Different budget & this would have been even better. Still enjoyed it.

[ScottDWhalen · 8/10 · 29 October 2018]

I thought this would have been worse that it was. Ankidu protector of Amina was pretty interesting. I enjoyed this one, but again could have been better under a different budget.

I don't quest

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 26 October 2018]

You don't have to have watched the other four in the series to understand this one. The series has been going in the direction of comedy and camp. This film has none of that. Like the other films, it uses a loose concept and knowledge of ancient times in regard to people and geography. BTW the Sumerians wrote in cuneiforms and not hieroglyphs. The Akkadians were a Semitic people who lived basically in Iraq. I don't think there was ever a "last one."

Nebserek (Peter Mensah) obtains the all-powerful sword of Anubis and wants to kill the Scorpion King. Through a long series of events, the Scorpion King (Zach McGowan) goes after Nebserek along with the Queen of the Nubians (Pearl Thusi) a half-naked Amina (Katy Louise Saunders) and her clay golem (Nathan Jones).

This is a formula action film with a climax battle which includes the two titan-like guys in a fight to the death. Decent performances for a "B" film. I missed the corny stuff.

Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity. People in scanty outfits, Zach McGowan nude from the side.

Please stop

[anthonyf94 · 3/10 · 3 September 2019]

Fifth chapter of this saga, "The book of souls" repeats all the problems of previous movies (expect maybe the first one, the better, absurd to say). Plot weak and full of infodumps, pathetic and useless pathos, horrible dialogues, very very bad acting. McGowan can make you reevaluate The Rock.