Les dieux d'Égypte

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.

An entertaining mess that mixes Egyptian Gods and human beings in which the supreme God Ra : Geoffrey Rush has divided Egypt in two parts , the wealthy , prosperous region of River Nile governed by his son Osiris : Bryan Brown and the barren desert run by his another son Set, the relentless God of Darkness : Gerard Butler . But Set wants to take over Egypt's throne plunging the quiet kingdom into destruction , chaos and conflict . As during a spectacular coronation, Set kills his brother Osoris , then Horus : Nikolaj Costner Waldau , son of Osiris and Isis , escapes. Horus who blinded by his uncle is hidden and useless to carry out a merciless vengeance . Then Horus -The Falcon God- is unexpectedly helped by a young human named Bek : Brenton Thwaites who makes a deal with him to save his sweetheart Zaya : Courtney Eaton , who was taken captive, as she encounters in the infraworld to be judged by the death Gods . All of Heaven is at War . All of Creation is at stake . The Journey of a Lifetime begins . The most powerful force on Universe is about to be unleashed . The Battle for Eternity Begins .

A noisy and bombastic adventure with plenty of 3D computer generator special effects , mayhem , and total destruction . It is a cheesy fun in the Saturday Matinee tradition with abundant and overwhelming battles , noisy action and breathtaking fights . A loudy and crowdy epic movie about Egyptian Gods marred by its exccessive FX and lots of scenes with no much sense . Here shows up ordinary contrivances with giant Gods , impressive palaces that are destroyed by violent fights , witchery , bizarre beasts and enormous monsters . Main and support cast are pretty well . Along with newcomers actors as Brenton Thwaites , Courtney Eaton , Elodie Young , the recently deceased Chadwick Boseman , there appears veteran players as Gerard Butler , Geoffrey Rush , Bryan Brown , all of them are frankly well .

It displays a brilliant and sunny cinematography with full of color by Peter Menzies Jr. As well as a moving and rousing musical score by Marco Beltrani . The motion picture was professionally directed by Alex Proyas , though hindered by its overlong runtime and too much visual effects . Alex Proyas is a good filmmaker who has directed successful films such as : The Raven, Dark City, Garage Days , I Robot , Knowing , among others . Rating : 6/10 . Worthwhile seeing .

There's simply no justice in this world. This world where safe, sanitary entertainment is king. This world where audacity is roundly mocked and true vision garners sneers of contempt. Alex Proyas has made something ridiculous with his ancient Egyptian VFX extravaganza, Gods of Egypt. He's also made a visionary piece of summer blockbustasia. Weighed against the sterile ephemera slipping into and out of theaters today, Gods of Egypt proves its worth.

It is not Egypt-the geographic region in Northern Africa-that is represented in Gods of Egypt. Maybe this is an important point to consider for those puritanical air wasters who successfully raised a fuss over this film's racial demographics. It is a mythical Egypt where ten-foot-tall humanoid gods live among their creations. The fuss is moot. One of these gods is Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Horus, the heir to Egypt. Another is Set (Gerard Butler) the jealous uncle who wants what any jealous movie uncle wants; power over the kingdom. The very basic adventure outline even makes room for a thieving street rat and his puppy dog romance. This story isn't going to surprise, move, or enlighten anybody. But you know what? Neither will Captain America 5.

Coster-Waldau is a serviceable hero; Brenton Thwaites is a serviceable sidekick. But Gerard Butler is the most entertaining of the cast. Butler has softened into one of our most lovable movie rogues in recent years, but we forget that his break out role was as 300's King Leonidas; a hyper-masculine icon. With Set, Butler gets another go at straight savagery, and he's as committed to the character as any he's played. There are other fine actors present; all of whom get a chance to look or sound patently preposterous. To give you an idea, Geoffrey Rush shows up with a white ponytail and a flaming headdress to shoot sun bombs at a cloud with teeth. But who cares about the actors? This ain't 12 Angry Men.

A movie like this, without imagination, is Avengers: Infinity War. Bland, weightless, flat, grey, tepid, digital runoff. It's true that Gods of Egypt is stuffed with computer generated effects, digital backgrounds, lots of action, and wall to wall green screen. But there is a vision behind all the effects, and that is an all-important distinction. Alex Proyas has a passion for image-making. It's a through line in his career. In Gods of Egypt, he uses special effects not to expedite or enhance, but to create. There is a tendency to think of all CGI, all action, as the same. That's not true. Gods of Egypt uses CGI to CGI's best cinematic potential; to create worlds, wonders, images that spring right from the imagination of the filmmaker. You can see in the crowds of thousands, in the surrealist landscapes, and in the striking ancient-Egypt-on-LSD architecture, that there is a real filmmaker at work here. There is creativity on display. Wild unhinged visions of a world that only exists within Gods of Egypt's two hours.

I don't want to be carried away by hyperbole. Just because Gods of Egypt is visionary, doesn't mean it's great. In the end, this is still a modern VFX blockbuster, complete with many of the smaller problems that entails. There is ample room for bathroom breaks when the action stops and the dutiful business of humor, exposition, and "true love" is addressed. But it is hard not to go to the mat for a VFX blockbuster that actually amazed and delighted me. Gods of Egypt debunks the theory that huge CGI summer spectaculars are inherently stale. With a director that doesn't care about looking silly, blockbusters can still be astonishing. Gods of Egypt is a great blockbuster. I had genuine fun. Not a manufactured, conglomerate approved good time, but an actual imagination high you can only get by experiencing a work of passion and artistry.

79/100.

One of those (perhaps too frequent) oddball Hollywood epics where, the first time you see it, you go "what were they thinking?" But it deserves a second glance. This film is in the grand tradition of the famous 1940s fantasy films like THIEF OF BAGDAD 1940. Flaws and all, it also works as a love story, and you can never have too many of those. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

These films are neither as logical as a STAR TREK saga nor as linear as an Indiana Jones adventure. By nature, they tend to jump around, they tend to be a bit wacky, and they often encourage outlandish performances from their stars.

Which is what we have here. The #1 A-List name star, Gerard Butler has arguably never been more unrestrained in his career. He gives the impression that, after he takes over the world of the living and the world of the dead, his next target is Hollywood itself.

In fact, the lesser known stars give the better textured performances and connect with the audience.

Give it a chance -- as a love story that riffs off some extremely misunderstood Egyptian myths and succeeds in spite of itself, it works a treat.