“Careful, Mathayus. You are a pawn in a game of kings.”
“No, I’m a warrior with a code of honor.”

The Scorpion King Mathayus (Victor Webster) is back for another adventure in this all-new sequel from the producers of The Mummy. After Mathayus (Victor Webster) is framed for the murder of a King Yannick, he joins forces with the mysterious Valina (Ellen Hollman) on a quest to reinstate her family’s claim to the throne. They must find the legendary crown of Lord Alcaman before it falls into the hands of Yannick’s evilly-ambitious son Drazen (Will Kemp) as legend says that the crown grants its wearer untold magical powers. Joining them on this quest is Valina’s eccentric father Sorrell (Barry Bostwick), who believes the crown’s powers can be explained by science.

This is easily my favorite film of the Scorpion King franchise. Even though Victor Webster is reprising his role from the third film, it feels like a whole new character. The film is much lighter and more fun than the previous installments. It recaptures the spirit that made the original The Mummy films so much fun. There is a very Indiana Jones/King Solomon’s Mines adventure feeling to this installment of the franchise. The film opens with a Raiders of the Lost Ark-like scene as Mathayus must steal an item from a podium in a cave. And later there are The Last Crusade-like booby traps and riddles.

Throughout we get lots of amazing action sequences—sword fighting, horse chases, a female cage match and more. These are very well choreographed, and the film makes use of some famous fighters to help sell the action—Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, Royce Gracie, Roy “Big Country” Nelson, and Don “The Dragon” Wilson. There are also some great guest stars like Michael Biehn, Rutger Hauer and Lou Ferrigno. (I’m not sure why Ferrigno gets top-billing on the Blu-ray cover as he is only in one scene!) I really like that the film doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is what makes it so much fun to watch. There are lots of “bad” puns, witty dialog and physical humor sprinkled throughout.

The Blu-ray visual presentation is top-notch—the picturesque landscapes and castles look beautiful, special effects are seamless, and action sequences crisp and clear. The audio presentation is also excellent—the dialogue, sound effects and delightful Pirates of the Caribbean-like score are all blended nicely.

The Blu-ray contains 15 minutes of delightful deleted scenes, a 5-minute gag reel, a 17-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, and a highly-entertaining audio commentary with the director and cast. It’s impressive that Universal has included so much bonus material on a direct-to-video sequel!

What’s Included:

Film: (1:44:51)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish DTS Digital Surround 5.1, French DTS Digital Surround 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

DVD:

• 480p / Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital Copy (For redemption deadline see NBCUcodes.com):

• UltraViolet DigitalHD Copy redeemable via Universal, Flixster, Vudu or Target Ticket
• Digital Copy redeemable via iTunes or Windows Media

Extras (* Blu-ray Only):

• Deleted Scenes* (15:23)
  A great collection of deleted scenes—there’s a lot of fun material here. Many of these scenes are rough cuts, without any special effects inserted, which provides a nice glimpse behind-the-scenes at how the film was made. Play All or select from “Spear Guards”, “Rise of Dragon”, “Mathayus Leaves on Camel”, “Sorrell Dying”, “King Training Fight”, “Yannick Considers Peace”, “Drazen Confronts Yannick”, “Escape – Extended”, “Drazen To Crowd – Extended”, “Heroes Run-in With Guards”, “Horseback Talk After Escape”, “Drazen Slaps Gorak”, “Valina and Roland Walk & Talk”, and “Mathayus and Sorrell Walk & Talk”.
• Gag Reel (5:46)
  This hilarious gag reel contains the usual material like flubbed lines, malfunctioning props, alternate takes and general fun/antics on set—it looks like this film must have been a lot of fun to shoot!
• The Making of Scorpion King 4: Quest For Power (17:36)
  Play All or select from:
  • A Brand New World (5:09)
    The cast talk about the premise of the film, what it was like filming in Romania, and working with director Mike Elliott. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with director/producer Mike Elliott, and actors Barry Bostwick (“Sorrell”), Ellen Hollman (“Valina”), Victor Webster (“Mathayus”), Esmé Bianco (“Feminina”), Will Kemp (“Drazen”), Roger Halston (“Roland”), Eve Torres (“Chancara”), and Royce Gracie (“Anngar”).
  • Great Chemistry (6:53)
    Director/producer Mike Elliott talks about the amazing cast, while the cast members discuss their characters and what it was like working with one another. Also includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with stunt performer/Mathayus double Stephen Dunlevy, and cast members Victor Webster, Brandon Hardesty (“Boris”), Will Kemp, Barry Bostwick, Esmé Bianco, Ellen Hollman, Eve Torres, Michael Biehn (“King Yannick”), Rutger Hauer (“King Zakkour”), Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (“Cronkus”), Royce Gracie, Roy “Big Country” Nelson (“Roykus”), and Lou Ferrigno (“Skizurra”).
  • Real Fighters, Fake Punches* (5:45)
    A behind-the-scenes look at what went into making the film’s entertaining fight sequences. Includes interviews with fight choreographer Grant Powell, and actors Victor Webster, Royce Gracie, Roy “Big Country” Nelson, Eve Torres, Don “The Dragon” Wilson (“Gizzan”), Ellen Hollman, Will Kemp, and Lou Ferrigno.
• Feature Commentary (1:44:51)
  Director Mike Elliott and stars Victor Webster (“Mathayus”), Barry Bostwick (“Sorrell”), Ellen Hollman (“Valina”) and Will Kemp (“Drazen”) provide a highly-entertaining audio commentary throughout the film, giving the viewer a lot of interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits. The cast are watching the completed film for the first time, so it’s fun to hear their reactions to the movie and its special effects.

Final Thoughts:

Quest For Power reinvigorates the Scorpion King franchise, bringing a much-needed dose of humor to the film series. This installment is a non-stop roller-coaster ride of action and adventure. With an interesting story, exciting action sequences and lots of humor, this is easily the best Scorpion King film yet. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great, and contains some really entertaining bonus features as well as DVD, Ultraviolet and Digital Copies of the film. There is no need to have seen the previous films in order to fully enjoy this 4th installment of the franchise.