Brendan Fraser’s return to the fore has served two purposes: first, to remind us that in Hollywood no one disappears or dies, they can simply mutate anytime. Second, to bring another actor into the category of Keanu Reeves or Danny DeVito: that of nice people that the internet loves. So much so that his statements become news.
CGI: Giant Unwilling Faces
Maybe if you saw ‘The return of the mummy’ in theaters (as is my case) you did not see anything strange in the special effects of the Scorpion Kingbut the reality is that Dwayne Johnson’s first relevant role did not end up treating him well: the special effects were taffy and, looking at it now, it looks half-baked.
Reminiscing about his first meeting with The Rock, Fraser has told GQ “I didn’t meet Dwayne until after the premiere because it was a piece of tape on a stick we talked to. Of course, then they put CGI on it. I know, I know. Be kind! I saw the guys who did the Scorpion King CGI at the premiere and they said, ‘Hey, how are you? We did the CGI of the Scorpion King. Yes, we needed more time. It was something last minute‘.” That does not mean that memes have spread like wildfire for years, of course.
Part of the charm seen now is… could be remastered I guess, but it wouldn’t be as much fun if you didn’t see this idiot video game character made by Dwayne. In his way it is perfect how it works.
It must be said that the special effects are a bit sideburns they were not an impediment for Dwayne Johnson to get to play the character again in the spin-off of ‘The Mummy’, ‘The Scorpion King’. Later, The Rock gained fame as an actor for himself and the role went on, in the four subsequent sequels, to be played by other actors whose careers never quite took off. And it wasn’t just the CGI’s fault.