Product Description

In the notorious city of Gomorrah, an evil ruler is determined to lay waste to all the nomadic peoples of the desert. The few remaining tribes, never natural allies, have to unite or perish. Knowing their enemy relies on the visions of a sorcerer, they hire a skilled assassin, Mathayus to eliminate the visionary. After infiltrating the enemy camp, Mathayus discovers that the sorcerer is in fact a beautiful woman. Rather than eliminate her, he takes her deep into the desert badlands, knowing that the ruler's henchman will stop at nothing to rescue her and bring her back. Seriously wounded in the ensuing battle, Mathayus must find the strength to lead his scrappy band of allies back to Gomorrah for a final confrontation.


The Scorpion King tackles Blu-ray in an impressive 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 framed transfer. The undisputed strength of this disc lies in its impressive level of fine detail. Even in the film's opening minutes, where the scene is lit by candles and other crude forms of light, fine detail in faces, clothing, and surroundings is first-rate. Facial detail is excellent, evidenced by Balthazar's scars. They offer both texture and depth, and even in the dimmest of light, without the disc resorting to artificial brightening, viewers can see the pores, lines, and scars on his face. The varied leather and cloth clothing and armor worn by the men in the film is striking with all the fine details prominently on display and easily visible, such as frayed edges and cracks in leather bands. Colors, too, are impressive. Bold colors stand out against dull backgrounds, as seen in a brief scene of red against gray and black during the film's initial narration sequence. In fact, other than the earthy tan and brown colors that are so prevalent throughout, red is one color that is seen in many scenes, and it stands out as true and real, never overblown or sticking out like a sore, hot thumb. Chapter 13 brings a visual change-of-pace as some green foliage and multicolored flowers abound in a few shots, and the transfer never misses a beat in rendering these new elements thrown its way. Textures on various buildings are superb, so visible and clear are they that you may believe you can touch the screen and feel the rough surfaces. There is the occasional speckle/blemish on the print that spikes at times, notably in chapter 11, but its presence is never completely distracting. A light layer of grain covers a transfer that features standout black levels that are inky and true-to-life, and that generally never show a hint of gray. The Scorpion King on Blu-ray is a top-quality cinematic viewing experience that is a pleasure to screen if only for the fantastic visuals viewers can lose themselves in for ninety minutes.





The Scorpion King vanquishes most other Blu-ray soundtracks with its top-notch DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless surround sound extravaganza. Like the other films in The Mummy series, this track offers a fine, active, and all-encompassing surround sound experience. It effortlessly creates a 360-degree sound field where we are placed squarely in the midst of the action. Fine ambience is always to be heard in the surround channels (and even in spots in between where I have no speaker), including the most minute or miniscule chirps of crickets and birds, the baying goats, and other assorted animal noises heard in and around a bazaar. The twirling of various weapons, from swords to flails, flows around the listening area with frightening accuracy and excellent imaging. Arrows pierce the nighttime sky in chapter four and come at you from every direction, and the effect is uncanny, perhaps leaving you checking for entry wounds on your body. The blowing wind of a sandstorm in chapter eleven is one of the most exciting moments of the film, providing an impressive feeling of becoming swept up in the moment. Needless to say, there are some spectacular moments in almost every chapter and sequence. The Scorpion King is a nonstop barrage of perfect sound. Bass packs quite the punch as well; the end of the movie is the finest example of chair-rattling effects in the film. Dialogue is handled smartly throughout and is the finishing touch on a soundtrack that must be heard to be believed.

Blu-ray Movie DVD Disc - The Scorpion King Features

Video
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Audio

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1


Subtitles

English SDH, French, Spanish, Mandarin
Disc
25GB Blu-ray Disc

Package Content

Blu-ray Movie DVD Disc (25GB) - The Scorpion King x 1