Gods of Egypt

Already from the trailer alone, you know that this is going to be a special effects movie. And with that in mind, you might already be setting yourself up for a movie that doesn't really require much thinking from you as an audience.

Well, that is partially true actually. The movie is a spectacular display of visual effects, both in CGI and props. And these dazzling effects do carry the movie a great long way, I will say that much. And the story, while it is simplistic, actually did turn out to be entertaining. Sure, it wasn't a brain challenger, not by a long shot, but you know what you are getting into with "Gods of Egypt".

While we are on the CGI and special effects, then I must admit that it was the selling point for me, because I was blown away how they had managed to bring ancient Egypt and their ancient Pantheon to life with today's CGI and special effects.

As for the cast, well, they could have opted for someone a bit more thespian, considering the talents of both Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau and Gerard Butler. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that they did it poorly. Actually far from it, but they are more of a physical kind of acting in terms of action, more than they are set in ways of deeper character portraying through acting.

There is a lot of action throughout the entire movie, and you are constantly being bombarded with visual effects, to the point where it brims on being over-used. But it worked for me.

If you enjoy a good fantasy movie with roots in actual ancient history, then "Gods of Egypt" is definitely worth your time and money. I do think, however, that "Gods of Egypt" is the type of movie that you can watch every now and again with some years in between each watching.

I am rating "Gods of Egypt" a well-deserved seven out of ten stars. This was good, wholesome entertainment wrapped up in a visually impressive package.

Alex Proyas' "Gods of Egypt" is a film that is boldly and unabashedly silly and preposterous. Few other words can describe it. It has the pratfalls that beset typical Hollywood fare. It is already the subject of controversy due to its preeminently Caucasian cast. It has both critics and audiences sharpening their knives, a film supposedly destined for failure.

Oh, but it works because the film truly bonkers. Truly insane. Truly out of its mind.

Proyas, a gifted and visionary filmmaker, is renowned for having thought-provoking and striking imagery in all of his films, and this film is without exception. Where in any other film do you get to see goddesses horse-riding giant fire-breathing serpents? Or wagons carrying infinite amounts of gold dumping their load in a funnel-like tube ala dump trucks? Or for that matter, gods bleeding gold? Or Gerard butler riding gold- chromed giant beetles into battle? Or gods that have body parts that, when disfigured, instantly become detachable jewelry? Or...

Admittedlly the plot is indeed silly even by blockbuster Hollywood standards, however a lesser Proyas film is still more visually inventive than the usual Hollywood movie factory output, and that is always a plus. Whereas a film like "Pan" bludgeons us over the head with its disgusting cynicism and disrespect for the source material by portraying its titular hero as a clichéd messiah figure, Proyas directs with the exuberance of a kid in Disneyland - with Disneyland replaced with an Egyptian museum exhibit – eager at the chance to create his own action packed tale while still respecting the gods as, well, gods.

What is there to say about the plot, except that it has gods and it has Egypt? You get exactly what's on the tin. You get a chiseled hero in the form of Horus (Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau), his athletic and quippy comic sidekick (Brenton Thwaites) and beautiful love (Courtney Eaton), who set out to defeat Horus' evil uncle Set (Gerard Butler, simultaneously parodying his "300" persona while being supremely sinister).

The whole thing sounds very Greek. But rather than eschewing the silly tone and making it "Gladiator"-style dark and dreary ala the recent "Clash of the Titans" movies, Proyas and the actors let loose and have a ball with the material, never being too self aware while being silly enough to make for compelling viewing. Even rising star Chadwick Boseman (terrific in both "42" and "Get on Up"), as Thoth the god of knowledge, relishes in chewing the scenery with every moment, never afraid of being campy. Not bad.

Look, it's clear that the film is a B-grade Saturday night matinée film straight from the 1950s. Ever heard your grandparents told you about those? The ones where there's usually a double feature showcasing silly low budget sci-fi/horror/fantasy plots with handsome men and gorgeous gals, supremely cheesy one liners and having no purpose other than to put a goofy smile on your face from start to finish, almost guaranteeing a good time out? Well, this is one such movie, but with a blockbuster budget and the added pleasure of having Proyas wrapping the fun around with his wonderful thought-provoking visuals and production design, and going wild with this thing. Two set pieces involving a gigantic worm-like demon and the Egyptian afterlife are visual marvels, triumphs of set design and visual effects, evoking senses of awe and wonder like films from yesteryear and other gifted visionaries. For mainstream filmmakers, CGI is the cheat sheet. For Proyas, it's his toy box. This is eye candy on a spectacular scale, and audiences won't get short-changed.

Bear with me here, but if you were to replace the cast with genuine Egyptian actors, I think the film would be mired in even bigger controversies because it will definitely look more inaccurate and seemingly insulting than it supposedly already is. It's stupid, yes, but it's gloriously stupid and never succumbs to taking itself ever so seriously. Proyas sort of knew what he was doing here, and he didn't give a damn about what others thought. And that's the kind of filmmaker I admire the most.

I saw this film without expecting anything in particular, the trailer full of action scenes piqued my curiosity in addition to the director's name : Alex Proyas whom I discovered thanks to the very good I, Robot with Will Smith. I must admit that I did not go there without worry in view of the (very) negative reviews, from the press as well as spectators, but I came out of the screening more than satisfied. For once I don't understand why this film is being taken down on all fronts...

Admittedly, it's far from being a great movie but still there are a lot of things to take. Gods of Egypt is therefore a successful action/adventure film, skillfully combining fantastic with the peplum genre in an odyssey in the heart of ancient Egypt, at a time when gods rubbed shoulders with mortals. The atmosphere, the sets and the costumes transcribe well the features of Egyptian mythology, arid deserts with their sandstorms and majestic tombs, all with a mysterious aspect that makes us want to know more about its legends.

The story does not look very far in terms of originality, we approach themes such as wars of power and conquest, heredity, the initiatory journey with a touch of essential romance, but we can forgive this narrative facility with respect to the action. Alex Proyas is not Michael Bay in this field but hé comes out with honors by staging fights between titanic gods in animal/metal armor. So in terms of special effects, we appreciate spectacular good quality. The rhythm of the narration is sustained for 2h10 even if 2-3 timeouts affect the quality the story.

Frankly, even if it remains imperfect, Gods of Egypt is nonetheless a good entertainment , coupled with a rather pleasant little history lesson on Egyptian mythology. A pleasant surprise, I don't approve the bad reviews. 7/10.

This was a movie I was really looking forward to as i love Egyptian mythology, the effects are awesome, acting is good, Nikolaj Costar-Waldau and Gerard Butler make exciting opponents, good fighting scenes, fair amount of appearance by many different Egyptian gods. Overall greatly entertaining for anyone who is interested in lore, myths, legends and fantasy movies. Just ignore the negative reviews, sit back and enjoy the show :) Indeed, it may even be one of the best movies which has a plot in ancient Egypt in the last few years. Geoffrey Rush as Ra is the cherry on top. Runtime is over two hours which passes away in a jinx since the action is non stop and there are always new extraordinary god characters on screen with different skill sets, good and evil characters with lots of variety. Have a good time.

I enjoyed this film. I read what all the critics said and they all seemed to hate it. I knew then that I'd probably like it...and I did! First you think it's going to be Aladdin-like because of the market scene. It has those moments but it's a love story as well as an action movie. The scenery is beautiful and I enjoyed it as well as the affairs, the true love, the backstabbing...literally. What I really liked, for me personally, was all the hunky heroes! There were some really good actors that are also very attractive. This is also true of the women in the film, the women were very attractive. If you like good looking actors, tense moments, some diabolical scheming, cool scenery although CGI, historical settings and a hero who saves the day, you'll enjoy this movie!