Gods of Egypt disappoints with lack of diversity and clichéd plot — 2/5 stars

Lionsgate

by Julia Huang, TALON Asst. Copy Editor

Gods of Egypt recently opened in theaters globally on Feb. 26, 2016, and depicts the fight between the heroes, a human thief named Bek, played by Brenton Thwaites, and Egyptian god Horus, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and the forces of evil, namely the god of darkness Set, played by Gerard Butler.

The main issue lies in the fact that white actors play many of the Egyptian gods and humans. Though director Alex Proyas and Lionsgate apologized for this after receiving adverse reactions from the posters they released in Nov. 2015, Proyas also stated that budget constraints deterred him and that “[his] movie is not meant to be ‘history’.” These reasons do not justify his choices, but at least they expressed regret for their casting decisions.

Hollywood whitewashing has an extensive past with movies including Exodus: Gods and Kings, and The Last Samurai, where Tom Cruise plays a Japanese samurai.

The other issue is the basic plotline. After conflict erupts when Set kills his brother, king Osiris, during the coronation of Horus, Osiris’ son, and pilfers Horus’ eyes, banishing him afterwards. With the help of Zaya, his lover, Bek comes into possession of one of Horus’ eyes and arrives at the god’s prison. However, Zaya dies during the skirmish and can only come back to life if the king saves her, and thus Horus has to accomplish his revenge in a few days otherwise she will remain dead forever. The god withholds information that he cannot actually revive her from Bek.

These events successfully introduce the deadline for the adventure the heroes go on, despite being clichéd. While the protagonists travel to Set’s shrine to pour sacred water on it in an effort to weaken the god of darkness, Set gathers more power for himself. When the heroes arrive at their destination, they overcome the traps there by fighting CGI-created mythical creatures.

Set reveals to Bek that Horus cannot actually save Zaya and takes the sacred water. This generic plot twist stalls the heroes enough for Set to cause more conflict. The villain starts forming a new world, allowing the current one to be destroyed. Not so surprisingly, Bek and Horus intercept his plans, and Horus kills Set.

Although Bek dies in the fight, Ra, Horus’ grandfather, brings both him and Zaya back to life in appreciation of Horus’ deeds. Horus becomes king, and Bek serves as chief advisor.

The creators’ hopes for a sequel will dissipate based on current negative receptions.

Bek and Zaya face one of Set's divine bodyguards. Gods of Egypt recently opened in theaters globally on Feb. 26, 2016.
Lionsgate
Bek and Zaya face one of Set’s divine bodyguards. Gods of Egypt recently opened in theaters globally on Feb. 26, 2016.