Title: Gods of Egypt
Director: Alex Proyas
Starring: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Gerard Butler, Brenton Thwaites, Elodie Jung, Geoffrey Rush.
If you are seeking a movie where you can turn off your thinking caps and observe 300’s tenacious King Leonidas (Gerald Butler) compete against Game of Thrones’ charming Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), ‘Gods of Egypt’ will be just your cup of tea.
Alex Proyas embarks on a visual epic fail, that plays out like a video game and is weak in the entire narrative written by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless.
The survival of mankind hangs in the balance when Set (Gerard Butler), the merciless god of darkness, usurps Egypt’s throne and plunges the prosperous empire into chaos and conflict. Hoping to save the world and rescue his true love, a defiant mortal named Bek (Brenton Thwaites) forms an unlikely alliance with the powerful god Horus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). Their battle against Set and his henchmen takes them into the afterlife and across the heavens for an epic confrontation.
Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer seems to have lost his magic touch. The man behind ‘Dark City,’ ‘I Robot’ and ‘Knowing’ creates a tacky Dubai ambiance, where the Power-Ranger-like-deities contend their leadership. The grandiosity of Ancient Egypt and its Gods is shattered into ridicule: we observe Horus and Set transform into their animal-combative features, and Ra (played by screen legend Geoffrey Rush) who preposterously sets himself on fire out of the blue.
Don’t think of bringing children to watch ‘Gods of Egypt’, to educate them on the history of the ancient civilisations of the Nile River and the deities they worshiped. But if you’re in the mood for a guilty pleasure, where an A-list cast entertains with acrobatic combats and cliched adventures, don’t miss it.
Technical: C+
Acting: B-
Story: C
Overall: C+
Written by: Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
