Along the way, Horus meets mere mortal Bek (The Giver’s Brenton Thwaites), who will somehow overcome incredible odds to defeat Set.
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It’s all set against the backdrop of ancient Egypt, and as the trailer suggests, there’s no lack of exploding pyramids, arena matches between bird-gods, and Gerard Butler ripping out eyeballs. That’s the premise of the swords-and-sandals-and-sorcery epic Gods of Egypt, from director Alex Proyas. I’ve enjoyed his films like The Crow, Dark City and I’Robot, so I definitely have hope for this film. I’m not going to pass judgment on this film sight unseen, but here’s the thing: sure, given the millennia that has passed since the height of ancient Egyptian civilization, it’s hard to know with any precision just what ancient Egyptians actually looked like. A few took issue when Exodus: Gods and Kings had white actors as Egyptians. In order to succeed, he must enlist the help of the powerful and vengeful god Horus [Nikolaj Coster-Waldau] in an unlikely alliance against Set [Gerard Butler], the merciless god of darkness, who has usurped Egypt’s throne, plunging the once peaceful and prosperous empire into chaos and conflict. The rest of the cast includes Abby Lee, Courtney Eaton, Geoffrey Rush, Elodie Yung and Chadwick Boseman.
Maybe you think such controversy is overblown, or maybe you don’t.
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Gods of Egypt is due to hit cinema screens on the 26 of February next year in the United States of America, and on the 8 of April here in the UK.
