Considering I didn't rate the big Hollywood blockbuster The Scorpion King (2002) I sure as hell didn't expect I'd think much of the straight to DVD sequels.

The second surprised me and was actually really quite fun, a great take your brain out fantasy outing.

This one, was closer in quality to the first but still better than you'd expect all things considered.

Starring Ron Perlman, Billy Zane, Temuera Morrison, Kimbo Slice and Dave Bautista it's straight to DVD status is blatant but it's not entirely awful.

Set after the 2002 outing it tells the story of our Scorpion King protagonist fallen on hard times and becoming a mercenary. Sadly The Rock by this point had become too big a star to return so Victor Webster stepped in. Now I do hate characters being recast but under the circumstances I think he did a decent enough job both in his performance and appearance.

With an odd level of comedy Battle for Redemption delivers the goods to a degree but not the ones you'd be seeking from a movie like this. The fight sequences are poor, the story is cliched to hell and the likes of Perlman are barely on camera at all.

Not bad, not good, just passable stuff.

The Good:

Couple of great characters

Billy Zane

Some surprisingly good comedy

The Bad:

Selina Lo

Action scenes are underwhelming

I do hate recasting

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

This film is a sequel to a prequel to a prequel of a sequel of a remake (No seriously!)

Last time I saw Olaf he was called Donald Gibb

Since his rise to power developed in Scorpion King I¨ , Mathayus' (Victor Webster) kingdom has fallen and his sweetheart The Sorceress (Kelli Hu) has deceased by pest . Nowadays , drifter Mathayus is a bounty hunter and a hired killer , then he have to defend a kingdom governed by Horus (Ron Perlman) from his rogue brother (Billy Zane) , a nasty tyrant who has convoked dark forces by reading The Book of the dead : as three ghost warriors with incredible power suddenly appear to defeat them . Mathayus assisted by a German barbarian hunk named Olaf (Christopher) has to rescue a princess , daughter of Ramusan (Temuera Morrison) from the claws of the feared Talus who kidnapped her.

Thrilling and fantasy movie with lots of action , fights , adventures and swordplay . Here Mathays/Victor Webster must face off some fantastic enemies and tyrants for the chance to regain the glory and power he once knew . This passable 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 themselves as well as showing muscles and strength , while women are all scantly clad. This one has a better cast than the second outing that were unknown actors , here stands out a nice cast as Victor Webster , Ron Perlman, Bily Zane , Temuera Morrison and Dave Bautista , furthermore a young gorgeous newcomer Kristal Vee.

The motion picture was professional, though with no originality , directed by Roel Reiné . He is a good Dutch filmmaker who has directed some good films , and with success enough . This Netherland filmmaker has directed a number of films and many of them are sequels . Roel has directed all kinds of genres with penchant for action movies . He has shot remakes and sequels as Hard target 2 , The condemned 2 , The Man with the iron mask , 12 rounds , Seal team eight , Redbeard , The Marine 2 and decent movies as The Admiral , the lost tribe, The Bear . As well as many episodes of notorious TV series as Black sails, Knightfall , Redball legend , Inhumans , 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 .

Exotic looking Victor Webster has assumed the title role taking over in a mostly deadpan fashion. The Akkadian king has fallen from grace and is now on a quest from King Horus (Ron Perlman in a minor role) to go after his rival brother Talus (Billy Zane). Talus is on the march against Horus' ally in the eastern kingdom (India) in order to obtain the "Book of the Dead."

Webster is forced to work with the oafish Olaf (Bostin Christopher) from northern Germania. He has a wife Olga and 17 daughters. There are many stereotypes and if I started in on how this film is an anachronistic and historical nightmare, I would be writing a tome after the first 10 minutes. The movie takes on the aspect of a "B" comedy by adapting modern sayings to its age. For instance, a prisoner gets his ear ripped off by Talus who then holds the ear to his mouth and says, "Might you hear me now?"

The movie is dotted with this type of humor.

Dave Bautista plays Argomael the head of the Indian group. They also speak English but with an accent unlike the Akkadians, Egyptians (?),and the frequently belching Olaf. There is a fourth party in this...a person named "Cobra." Krystal Vee, a trained Thai kick boxer, plays the princess who must be rescued. Lex de Groot, who plays a messenger, is also listed as Billy Zane's stunt double, although I couldn't tell when he needed one.

There is a quest within a quest, an oriental harem, a blond Japanese warrior, and ninja style warriors complete with cg ninja action. Billy Zane was excellent as the bad guy. The movie works when it is a "B" comedy. The serious scenes highlight the bad script and acting. Some of the fight scenes had me scratching my head such as when fighters "ride" elephant tusks to propel them 2-3 feet in the air across the span of 5 feet. They had to slow-mo the scene to make it look effective. It might have been better deleted. The movie was intended for a younger audience. If you keep your expectations low, view the movie within its context, and simply want an enjoyable film without it being an epic or requiring a lot of thinking, then this would be a worthwhile teen rental.

No f-bombs, sex, or nudity. Use of "P" word. Urination. Krystal Vee showing off leg and midriff. Good movie for Billy Zane fans.