Gods of Egypt attempts to brings the awe-inspiring myths of ancient Egypt to the silver screen, with mixed results. Barring some shoddy CGI, it is a beautiful-looking film. Towering obelisks, colossal pyramids and the vast waters of the Nile stretching into the distance are all a joy to behold, but beauty can only take a film so far. Unfortunately, Gods of Egypt is a largely paint-by-number action-adventure film that fails to live up to the legends it depicts.
Horus, god of the sky, is to inherit the kingdom of Egypt from his father, Osiris, and assume control over all its mortal and immortal subjects. Horus is powerful and brave, but also spoiled and immature, dismissive of the mortals his father seems to hold in such high regard. Unfortunately, Horus’ coronation ceremony is cut short when his uncle, Set, the god of darkness, storms in and launches an armed insurrection. Set kills Osiris, rips out the mystical eyes of Horus and claims the throne for himself. Crippled and humbled by Set, Horus must team up with an impetuous mortal thief named Bek to reclaim his eyes and free the people of Egypt from Set’s oppressive rule. But can he overcome his immaturity and learn what it truly means to be a god and a king?
Formula does not necessarily make a film bad, but Gods of Egypt is formulaic without doing anything particularly interesting with that formula. Good acting and good writing can make formula shine, but Gods of Egypt has to settle with average acting and average writing. Horus, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones), is a cliche; he’s a handsome and capable man whose only real flaw is failing to notice that perhaps other people can be as handsome and capable as he is. Bek, Horus’ mortal traveling companion played by Brenton Thwaites (The Giver), attempts to add a little color to proceedings with flippant banter, but the lackluster chemistry between the two characters ensures these exchanges are staid at best. This poverty of character extends to the villain as well. Gerard Butler’s (300) Set is clearly supposed to be this eccentric and unhinged deity — think Hades from Disney’s Hercules — but Butler’s performance doesn’t scream “maniacal god” so much as it screams “normal guy walking around in silly clothing.” Set is a largely uninteresting villain, a complement to Bek and Horus.
The film does come alive at points. One particular scene has Horus and Bek taking on two enormous, fire-breathing serpents with nothing more than a single spear between them. But it’s difficult to get invested in the action and drama when you couldn’t care less about the people it’s happening to.
Gods of Egypt is by no means a bad film, but it isn’t a good film either. It’s pretty to look at and packed to the brim with action, but it lacks heart. Though if action and spectacle are all you’re looking for, you can do a whole lot worse.
