Gods of Egypt

The downward trajectory of Alex Proyas’ output reaches a new low with Gods of Egypt, as the movie, for the most part, comes off as an excessively broad would-be blockbuster that outstays its welcome to an almost astonishing degree. Gerard Butler and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau star as Greek gods Set and Horus, with the narrative detailing the larger-than-life battle that ensues after their father (Bryan Brown’s Osiris) chooses the latter to rule Egypt instead of the former. (The movie’s ostensible protagonist is Brenton Thwaites’ mortal Bek, as he proves instrumental in effectively triggering Set and Horus’ struggle for power.) It’s worth noting that Gods of Egypt is, at the outset, a far more entertaining blockbuster than one might’ve anticipated, with Proyas’ gleefully over-the-top approach to the material going a long way towards initially capturing the viewer’s interest. (There’s little doubt, as well, that Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless’ go-for-broke, impressively unpredictable screenplay plays a key role in confirming the movie’s early success.) The watchable atmosphere persists right up until Gods of Egypt marches into its lethargically-paced, episodic midsection, as the film increasingly revolves around Bek and Horus’ journey across Egypt and their encounters with various characters – which, perhaps unsurprisingly, results in a hit-and-miss vibe that’s increasingly more miss than hit. And while Proyas’ refusal to take any of this seriously is certainly refreshing – how seriously, for example, can one take a film in which a sword doubles as a flamethrower? – Gods of Egypt‘s been saddled with a needlessly epic running time that ultimately, unfortunately renders its positive attributes moot.

** out of ****