Gods of Egypt (2016)

Plot summary (story synopsis): Egyptian god Osiris (Bryan Brown - F/X, Cocktail) hands over the throne to his son Horus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau - Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones). However Osiris's brother Set (Gerard Butler - 300) kills Osiris and seizes the throne, blinding Horus in the process and sending Horus off into exile. 

Petty thief Bek (Brenton Thwaites - Maleficent) steals back one of Horus's eyes from Set, restoring some of Horus's powers. Horus promises to bring Zaya (Courtney Eaton - Mad Max Fury Road) back from the dead in exchange. God and mortal team up to defeat Set.

***

Gods of Egypt is an entertaining movie. With Alex Proyas (Dark City, I Robot, The Crow, Knowing) directing, it does not disappoint. It's definitely a commercial movie, more I Robot than Dark City. In any case, Alex Proyas's storytelling still works. Yes, I'm an Alex Proyas fan.

(Script is by Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama, both of whom worked on Dracula Untold and The Last Witch Hunter. The mythology in both of those movies was decent, but the characters didn't really work. So I'm seeing Alex Proyas's fingerprints all over God of Egypt.)

Gods of Egypt is a strange mix of Thor (young prince's character is tested), Whatever Dreams May Come (trying to save a dead loved one from the underworld) and Clash/Wrath of the Titans. It ends up with the good-natured, family-friendly, action-adventure/comedy vibe of The Scorpion King.

It's definitely better than Percy Jones, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Clash/Wrath of the Titan's, the Conan remake, John Carter, etc. There's a certain spark, a sense of fun, a love of fake mythology, in Gods of Egypt that is missing in too many by-the-numbers Hollywood Fantasy movies.

The movie is a fast-paced visual treat with engaging characters. The $140 million budget is all up on the screen. The coronation scene at the start brings back memories of Hollywood's "cast of thousands" spectaculars from decades ago. Undoubtedly with the crowd size enhanced with computer trickey, but impressive to look at nonetheless.

The flying gods are a bit jerky, looking like a Ray Harryhausen stop-motion tribute. The giant battle snakes (seen in a trailer) and other creatures are much better. And the rest of the special effects and sets, work very well.

Lighting by Peter Menzies Jr. (Hard Rain, The 13th Warrior, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) is suitably epic and pretty.

The cast and the characters work too. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau comes across as a refined Snake Plissken. While Brenton Thwaites is effective as the brash comic sidekick, like Matthew Broderick in Ladyhawke. Gerard Butler is a bit out of place, with his Set having a Scottish accent (the rest of the cast have English accents, hmmm, wait a minute, this might be on purpose). But my main complaint is that the doe-eyed Courtney Eaton doesn't get enough screen time.