Uncovering the origins of 2002's 'The Scorpion King', starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Mathayus, 'Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior' is an attempt to build — or simply cash in — on the success of the 'Mummy' franchise.

The prequel begins with the king as a 13-year-old peasant boy (Michael Copon) who witnesses the kidnapping and death of his father at the hands of Sargon (UFC Heavyweight Randy Couture).

Out for vengeance, young Mathayus trains with the Order of the Black Scorpion to sharpen his skills as a killing machine, then journeys to the underworld to retrieve the one sword that can help him defeat Sargon. When the future Scorpion King finally confronts Sargon, the fate of the entire human race hangs in the balance.

While the inclusion of Couture will have UFC fans clamouring for a copy of the DVD, the MMA star unfortunately can't deliver on the acting front and without The Rock there is simply nothing else going for this prequel.

At a stretch South African viewers may enjoy the fact that the movie was shot on location in Cape Town, so it features a number of local cast members, including Natalie Becker as Astarte (Queen of the Underworld).

But for a film that is intending to be an epic, there is very little action, awe or even quality. In short, there is very little sting left in the Scorpion King tale…