Epic previews with pulse-pounding action and fantastical creatures led to heavy anticipation for the Feb. 25 premiere of “Gods of Egypt.” Unfortunately, the movie did not live up to the excitement of its previews.
“Gods of Egypt” features a classic action-adventure plot. The protagonist Bek (Brenton Thwaites), a mortal, strikes a bargain with Horus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), the god of the air.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau manages to imbue his character with some majesty and mystery, but his character Horus’ evolution from gruff and vengeful to selfless and tender is too black and white, idealistic, and Disney-esque to evoke any real emotion from the audience.
Bek helps Horus defeat his evil uncle Set (Gerard Butler), god of the desert, in return for help saving the woman he loves. Unfortunately, Gerard Butler fails in his portrayal of the cruel god of the desert Set and comes across more as a common thug than an ancient god of Egypt.
The movie is set in a vaguely Egyptian, heavily CGI-ed land where gods and mortals coexist. The effect is confusing because the colors were too vibrant and the movement of animated characters and objects was choppy.
With rigid dialogue and robotic delivery by the actors, the plot lagged throughout the movie. In addition, the central aspect this movie failed to impress, which led to a completely lackluster film.
Physically, the gods of Egypt are more than twice the size of the mortals. Their size on-screen only highlights the actors’ lack of presence because even while towering over the mortals, the gods aren’t godly.
While most of the dialogue was unoriginal, a few humorous lines stood out. Unfortunately, many one-liners tended to feel forced, and occasionally turned a dramatic scene into a parody.
“Gods of Egypt” had the potential to be a successful film. Scattered throughout the movie were exciting fights between gods, mortals, and beasts, as well as breathtaking land, celestial, and underworld scapes.
From the casting to the script to the animation, nothing really worked. “Gods of Egypt” is not worth your money. Watch it at home, or don’t.
