Overview
Proyas’s The Crow and Dark City gave him fame, and now he directed a new movie based on ancient Egyptian myth called Gods of Egypt. The movie casts famous actors such as Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Gerard Butler, Brenton Thwaites, and Geoffrey Rush. The movie seeks to something the audience will find epic and enchanting, but in the end, the film is plagued by a myriad of problems caused by the inconsistent tone, problematic casting, and a weak script.
In the film, Egypt is a stylized and surreal in a way that gods are much more than mere spirits— they are enormous powered human like beings that bleed gold. Gods of Egypt is set in a world that combines elements of mythology, science fiction, and rich video game graphics. Although the movie has a rich concept, the execution is very inconsistent and fragmented.
Plot Summary
The movie opens in ancient Egypt where gods and men coexist. Osiris, the god of the underworld, is preparing to crown his son. Horus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is the god of the air and sky, and is set to take the crown. However, the ceremony is violently interrupted by Set (Gerard Butler), the god of chaos, who blinds Horus, kills Osiris, and claims the crown.
Now Set leads as the new oppressive ruler, demanding tribute and servitude from men while conquering other gods and stealing their powers. Horus, in disgrace, is in exile. The Egyptian mortal Bek (Brenton Thwaites), a young thief, becomes the focus of the story after his beloved Zaya is murdered by Set’s soldiers. Bek, in a bold attempt to save Zaya, steals one of Horus’ lost eyes and with the help of the god is determined to revive Zaya.
The pair set off on an adventure throughout Egypt’s barren lands and reach the gates of the afterlife, sun scorched deserts to meet with Thoth (Chadwick Boseman), Hathor (Élodie Yung), and Ra (Geoffrey Rush) among others. Monsters, traps and Set himself await in the ultimate showdown.
The climax is a cosmic battle where Horus regains his powers and confronts Set on a huge celestial structure. Ra also fights chaos incarnate in a solar barque, and helps maintain the balance in the universe. In the end, good triumphs. Zaya is brought back to life, and Horus is a fair ruler of Egypt.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Horus – Though Coster-Waldau attempts to give the god-hero resonance and charm, his performance is hindered by knobby dialogue, emotional turns, and uneven pacing.
Gerard Butler as Set – Butler portrays the villain with an energetic and intense focus. While Set is one-dimensional, his characterization is physically commanding and intensely dominant in every scene.
Brenton Thwaites as Bek – The audience today is also represented by a mortal thief who becomes a hero, and Thwaites gives an endearing but subdued performance that is frequently buried in the waves of CGI chaos.
Élodie Yung as Hathor – Zung plays the goddess of love with adding complexity to her character. She does a great job balancing emotion and reasoning while touching upon the burden that comes with divine powers.
Chadwick Boseman as Thoth – As the god of wisdom, Boseman portrays Thoth with wit and sarcasm, and as a clone galore of himself.
Geoffrey Rush as Ra – Rush’s depiction of Ra as a solar deity is otherworldly as he embodies a character who literally battles darkness in space using a fire spear.
Visual Style and Special Effects
From the setting and the characters to the special effects, the Gods of Egypt film and its approach to visuals is rich and sizzling hot like the desert sun as it proudly shows off the extravagance of the ancient civilizations. Gods are now twice the size of the mortals, golden cities are now a tangible reality. Entire palaces now can and float in the skies, as do demonic and mythical creatures like massive snakes, sphinxes and other beasts, that can and do emerge at random throughout the film.
The heavy reliance on CGI in the film’s design drew criticism for its uneven application. Some sequences, like the solar battles with Ra’s ship, are bold and evocative even if they are forgettable. On the other hand, some sequences like the transformation to armored god-form is so cartoony and so disconnected that it gets the complete opposite reaction.
The visuals blend together with high fantasy concepts. There are concepts, some taken from and other resembling video games, or stylized epics like 300, There is a lot to admire but at the same time, it lacks the cohesion or artistic polish to elevate it. There’s imaginations but it forgets that polish, outshining emotional stakes defeating visuals.
Gods of Egypt borrows liberally from ancient Egyptian mythology but reinterprets it with a heavy dose of fantasy. Some key ideas include:
Power and Responsibility: The arc of Horus from arrogant prince to humbled protector is central to the story. His evolution is meant to reflect a shift from selfishness to service.
Life and Afterlife: The film places great emphasis on death and rebirth, particularly through the subplot involving Zaya and Bek. It teases the Egyptian idea of judgment after death, but it takes Hollywood liberties.
Order vs. Chaos: Set and Ra represent destruction and stability, respectively. Their conflict mirrors the mythological struggle of Ma’at (order) and Isfet (chaos) but is handled too simply.
Even though the ideas presented have some mythological depth, they feel rushed and overshadowed by the film’s pacing and special effects.
Controversies and Criticisms
Gods of Egypt received backlash for the primary casting. The main roles featured a mostly white cast despite the film being set in ancient Africa. The lack of North African or Middle Eastern actors in the leading roles attracted criticism for the film’s whitewashing.
Later, both the director and the studio apologised for the controversy, which was deemed insensitive at the time. Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding the film also affected its release and reception.
Over the film’s casting blunders, the over dependency on special effects, which was presumed to enhance the film, the lack of emotion and depth, and the writing were all considered to be at fault. Moreover, critics were also not happy with the film due to its incoherent and poorly structured tonal balance.
Box Office and Reception
The budget for Gods of Egypt was set at $140 million. However, the marketing projection of over $150 million was not achieved due to the funds put into its advertising and the grossed amount. Though there were modest funds coming in from the foreign markets, the movie still faced losses.
The film received negative reviews due to the poor screenplay, along with the vastly criticized overstuffed, overlong run time, and the weak characterization of the film. While the public was divided on the film, there were many viewers who considered watching the movie until the credits rolled due to its engagement of phenomenal graphics and vowing fantasy coupled with visual graphics.
Conclusion
Gods of Egypt attempts to bring ancient mythology to life through stunning visuals and imagination, but fails to deliver on its story, CGI, and casting choices. Because of this, the film serves as a warning to Hollywood about the need to pay attention to balance and depth in storytelling.
The movie had the potential to be a contemporary mythic epic, but the attempt to include all elements of action, romance, comedy, and fantasy alongside a shallow execution rendered the film void of any lasting impact.
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