Hollywood
has
always suffered from a jaundiced perception of reality that creates
discontent about its films, and “Dark City” director Alexis Proyas’
superficial
sword & sorcery saga “Gods of Egypt” (**1/2 OUT OF ****) is the
latest
casualty. Anybody who followed the pre-release controversy surrounding
this $140 million spectacle about Egyptian mythology knows that the
pillars of
political correctitude have criticized it savagely it for its largely
all-white
cast. Comparably, “Alien” director Ridley Scott contended with the same
criticism of his Biblical epic “Exodus: Gods and Kings” for its
essentially Caucasian
cast. Scott claimed he couldn’t find bankable actors of color or
ethnicity to portray his characters so his film could recoup its
multi-million
dollar budget. “Gods of Egypt” director Alexis Proyas and Summit
Entertainment, the studio that released this 127 minute extravaganza,
apologized about
their whitewashed cast before the film’s release. Nevertheless, this
isn’t the first time Hollywood has clashed with the politically correct
about
casting the appropriate actor and actress. Most recently, the botched
fairy-tale fantasy “Pan” cast Mara Rooney as a Native American character
when
she was anything but Native American. Films better and worse than “Gods
of Egypt” have drawn flak from the Politically Correct fraction. “Birth
of a Nation,” “Cleopatra,” “Prince of Persia,” “Argo,” and “A Beautiful
Mind”
exemplify popular Hollywood films that violated the tenets of political
correctness. Casting celebrity actors rather than unknown native
counterparts to attract audiences is the primary reason. Clark Gable
was far
from British when he starred in “Mutiny on the Bounty” back in 1935.
Of course, a British actor would have been more credible, but Hollywood
wanted
a genuine star instead of an authentic Englishman. John Wayne was
miscast as the Asian warlord Genghis Khan when he appeared in "The
Conqueror" in 1956. Hollywood concerns
itself about making money more than abiding by political correctness.
Occasionally, however, a Hollywood producer appeared, like Mel Gibson,
who defied
traditional casting protocol. In his adventure epic “Apocalypto”
(2006),
Gibson hired Native American actor Rudy Youngblood to play a Mayan
warrior. Happily, Youngblood was conversant
enough with speaking in Mayan to make the difference work. In “Gods of
Egypt,” Gerard Butler could have eliminated his Scottish accent, but the
political incorrectness of his casting prompted neither Proyas nor Summit to
recast another actor. Indeed, miscast as he is, Butler remains a highly
sought-after actor and his bankability as a star enhanced the box office
potential for this mythological melodrama.
The
larger-than-life exploits in “Gods of Egypt” occur before the dawn of dynastic
history, and all of it is preposterously outlandish. “Dracula Untold” and “The Last Witch Hunter” scenarists
Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless appropriated the Egyptian myth "The
Contendings of Horus and Set" as their source material. Pitting the gods Set and Horus against each
other with the throne of Egypt as the prize, Sazama and Sharpless have forged
an above-average, often contrived, but nevertheless entertaining escapade.
Indeed, they recycle familiar conventions, but they have enlivened these shenanigans
with a surprise or two. Proyas,
who also
helmed “The Crow” and “I, Robot,” never lets the pace slacken, and he
stages some
compelling close-quarters combat sequences. Of course, we know the
young mortal heroine, Zaya (Courtney Eaton of “Mad Max: Fury Road”),
never stands
a chance of being condemned to death in the Underworld. The images of
the Underworld look pretty creepy as a group of living skeletons preside
over the induction process. Similarly, you
also know the Egyptian Lord of the Air, Horus (Danish actor Nikolaj
Coster-Waldau of “Game of Thrones”), is going to reclaim his throne that
his
treacherous uncle, Set (Gerard Butler of “300”), took from him after he
tore Horus’
eyes out and forced him into exile. Not only did villainous Set steal
the
crown from Horus, but he also stabbed Horus’ noble father Osiris (Bryan
Brown
of “FX”) to death in front of everybody at Horus’ coronation. Mind you,
you need not avert your eyes because this lavishly produced, PG-13 rated
movie
depicts these depredations in a manner shouldn’t offend anybody.
Despite some grandiosely choreographed battle sequences, “Gods of Egypt”
never wallows
in blood and gore. Everything unfolds as our charismatic young hero, an
“Aladdin” like thief named Bek (Brenton Thwaites of “Maleficent”),
steals a
dress for his gorgeous girlfriend, Zaya, so she can attend Horus’
coronation in
the height of fashion. After Set halts the coronation, murders Orisis,
and then blinds Horus, Zaya finds herself enslaved to the evil Grand
Architect
Urshu (Rufus Sewell of “Dark City”), but she concocts a plan so Bek can
steal
back Horus’ eyes and restore him to his rightful position as monarch.
Urshu surprises them and kills poor Zaya with a well-aimed arrow. A
desperate Bek appeals to Horus to save Zaya. The lofty Lord of the Air
calculates that he can save her before she reaches the ninth gate of the
Underworld. Secretly, Horus isn’t being
entirely truthful to Bek. Meantime, Horus’ grandfather, the Sun God Ra
(Geoffrey Rush of “Shine”), wages a never ending battle against a toothy titanic
worm with which Set seeks to destroy Egypt so he can acquire immortality in
life.
Most of
what occurs is stuff you’ve seen before in movies celebrating legendary Greek
gods, such as “Clash of the Titans,” “Wrath of the Titans,” and “The
Immortals.” The Egyptian settings, however, add novelty to this
narrative. The deserts of Australia stand-in
splendidly for the Sahara Desert. The computer-generated imagery is truly exceptional,
with some of the best 3-D effects. At times, when you are admiring some
of these over-the-top shenanigans, “Gods of Egypt” feels like an awesome guilty
pleasure. Despite its politically incorrect casting, “Gods of Egypt” qualifies
as exciting from start to finish. The spectacular CGI laden effects are
dazzling enough to compensate for its standard-issue, formulaic conventions. The shape-shifting gods who tower above mere
mortals reminded me of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the “Transformers”
franchise. Some scenes that invite derision involve characters riding
humongous, fire-breathing snakes or Set soaring above a battle in a sleigh
pulled by giant scarab beetles. Sadly, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau emerges as a
rather lackluster hero, while Butler overshadows him in every scene.
Altogether, “Gods of Egypt” is lightweight but enjoyable hokum.
