In an era of films that are taking comic book worlds and adding in a healthy helping of grit and gloom, it is nice to see a film take little ideas from mythology and run wild with them. Gods of Egypt may not be great storytelling and the acting may not be the best, but its looks amazing!
Nowadays when I see films like this come out, they are met with an apprehensive audience and brutal critics who want the film to stand up to Citizen Kane. Why are we taking movies so serious now? What has happened over the last twenty years to change our approach to film. Genre has categorized films to the point that few dare to step out side of the box.
This Friday we are getting our first taste of a film that will be doing just that, Deadpool. I can promise you that this film does not disappoint. It is filled with action, wonder, and enough sarcasm to strangle an elephant. I have wondered why we haven't seen Deadpool happened sooner? You could almost say that studios have been a bit scared to release a comic book film that is as vulgar as Deadpool is. This film will be a big success, but it almost cannot fail with the full support of the studio behind it. It is as if 20th Century Fox was wanting to see if the superhero movie bubble would burst quickly, and thankfully it hasn't.
Why can films like Deadpool shine, when films like Gods of Egypt will almost certainly fail. We have seen this trend stay true since we got the horrible Clash of the Titans remakes. I know that there were some redeeming qualities about them, but admit it, they were bad. The first one was just ok, while the sequel was a big mess. I had to watch it drunk, to even feel like I understood the film at all.
The big question I am asking here is CAN MOVIES JUST BE FUN AND EXCITING!??! I don't think that Gods of Egypt be winning any awards, but it looks really entertaining. Sure, it has a white, Scottish male (Gerard Butler) playing an Egyptian God as the films protagonist, but who cares. This film looks to be all about action. and has a star-studded cast, with Gerard Butler, Brenton Thwaites, Chadwick Boseman, Elodie Yung, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, plus Rufus Sewell, Abbey Lee, and Geoffrey Rush! I think that this movie will be one hell of a ride. It will introduce the audience to a story that few know, and will do it with the magic that only Hollywood possesses.
The studio has poured a lot into the visual effects for the film, if the trailers are any indication. GoE looks like it is stacked full of giant snakes (that breathe fire), Gods becoming mortal, flying men, giant scarab beetles, and tons of other crazy things! What is not to like? I like the actors, the subject matter, and the visual effects. If that isn't enough to entice you, the film is helmed by none other than Alex Proyas (The Crow, Dark City, I Robot, Knowing). You can count on me seeing this film when it launches, and you should see it too.
I will be keeping my fingers crossed that GoE will be everything that I hope it will be. Gods of Egypt hits theaters of February 26th.
