Gods of Egypt (2016)

Let's get this out of the way first: most Egyptian gods and the main character should not have been played by Caucasian (white) actors. I tried my very best to get beyond that, but it was jarring throughout and hurt suspension of disbelief. Most of the actors were fine though, especially Nicolaj Coaster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister from Game of Thrones) playing Horus with sincerity and gravitas, but they simply didn't fit the place and the mythology (especially Osiris and Ra). Gerard Butler (Leonidas from 300) was playing the kind of role he's a natural for, warrior-leader in ancient times, but evil this time. As for the main hero, Bek, a blond human thief, I'd just say he was OK, but easily interchangeable with any other decent young actor.

So enough with the casting controversy. Story-wise, it made the mistake of having an older main character narrate, which basically removed any suspense regarding his fate. In an ancient time before history, the Egyptian gods live among humans and rule. The benevolent king Osiris is about to hand over reign of the kingdom to his son Horus. Set, another god, arrives at the coronation, bad stuff happens, and everything is thrown into disarray. Bek, the previously mentioned thief, tries to steal something important (neat traps), loses something precious to him that he wants to regain, and eventually journeys with an exiled god or two. Unfortunately, plot-wise, I felt as if focus groups or someone somewhere ruined parts that could have been more memorable, especially the ending.

The gods were shown a bit bigger and taller than mortals, and could transform into humanoid animals. It might seem a silly thing, but I liked the size differences, which made them instantly recognizable and more impressive. As for the creature forms, those of Horus and Set looked CGI, but I liked their design anyway. As for the other creatures, be they giant snakes or Anubis, they looked and moved great (with the exception of the scorpions). This movie reminded me of a throwback to the big and good adventure/fantasy movies of the 80s and 90s. It wasn't too complicated, it kept you entertained and looking forward to the next incident or encounter. Weirdly, even though "Gods of Egypt" sometimes had the nostalgic appeal of a film made in another decade (with modern special effects though) and went through familiar tropes, it also sometimes felt fresh (like the sand magic or the afterlife). It had a few clever touches (like the assistants of the god of wisdom) but also a few dumb elements ("good" idea to leave your companion alone with a bad guy on a platform elevator going up while you decide to climb the side of the pyramid instead).

Most locations looked very good (for example the "ship" in the sky) and were quite varied. Visually, I found it marvellous, and I didn't mind or notice too much the computer roots . I loved the costumes and armors, certainly not historically-accurate, and the gods looked more than mortal without going over the top (despite the terrible casting). With a couple of exceptions (the chariot escape), I found the action scenes above average, even exciting. The fights were well choreographed, but I liked more when the fights involved the human actors somewhat, instead of just the metallic creature forms that kinda took you out of the setting.

In that kind of fantasy movie, I want to vicariously travel to a different land, experience wonder, and forget the real modern world for a little while. I also want to meet interesting, unconventional characters and be kept involved in the adventures even if they're not the most original. It also needs some heart and sincerity to make the proceedings relatable, even if it's awkwardly done. For me, Gods of Egypt mostly succeeded in doing those things. I quite expect this movie to be savaged by the critics for casting (mostly), camp, lack of originality, CGI and what have you, but you know what? I had fun watching it and I would watch it again at home some time in the future. Not a lot of competition, but one of the better recent mythology-inspired films. Certainly liked it more than Immortals or the recent Clash of the Titans movies.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.