Gods of Egyptis a movie about god who are much improbable than humans , transform into flyingBeast Wars - vogue robots , and bleed amber blood . For reasons only producer and director Alex Proyas may full understand , it cost $ 140 million to make , and it ’s already on track to be one of the year ’s first bigbox business office flops .
It is a fundamentally idiotic and whacky movie that bear no sex act to either Egyptian story or the existent world that we inhabit in , except for one thing : Gerard Butler ’s performance as Set , the god of shadow , might prompt you of a certain Republican presidential frontrunner . Set is here to make Egypt great again .
No , the chiseled Butler does not physically resemble Donald Trump . He ’s not wearinga ridiculous postiche , using the intelligence " yuuuuge , " or call multitude losers from a ambo . For the first time in his life history , Butler ’s work is insidious . On the surface this might attend like a movie about feuding robot God , but if you look airless enough , divinity of Egyptis an absurd parable about Trump ’s vision for America . Or , maybe all the CGI fire melted my psyche – rent ’s enquire .
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He’s all about getting results
Like Trump , Set knows how to get into his resister ’s heads : intimidation . When the picture show spread , the god Osiris ( Bryan Brown ) rules over Egypt with a mix of kindness , wholesale mitt gestures , and a very vindicated height advantage . Getting latterly in god years , he ’s ready to give away his kingdom to his Logos Horus , the god of tune played with a wizard brattiness by Nikolaj Coster - Waldau fromGame of Thrones . But , then Butler ’s Set , the much young ( and more Scotch ! ? ) brother of Osiris , depict up and kills Osiris , snatches out one of Horus ’s eyes , and essentially takes over Egypt . The guy does n’t even have to caucus .
If you ’ve been watching the primaries play out in South Carolina , Nevada , and New Hampshire , this should be familiar . Horus , like Marco Rubio , Jed Bush , or any other Republican establishment hopeful , thought he had this all wrapped up . Then this brutish goon show up and started push everyone around . And , man , does Set have a Trump - alike ego . At one period one of his servants says , " You look glorious , " and he grins before saying , " I know ! "
His followers are mostly white
If you know anything aboutGods of Egypt , it ’s believably that the movie has faced true criticism for itswhitewashingof history . And , man , those other critic were right : this is a very white Egypt . This think of that Set ’s followers are almost all white , much like the smilingfaces at a Trump rally . One does have to wonder if 20 % of Set ’s supporters , like Trump ’s buff , also thinkfreeing the slaves was a spoilt estimation . Yikes .
He loves gold and tall buildings
God of Egyptis the closest matter I ’ve seen to a amber - plot moving-picture show . Every part of it is glazed and opulent , like the exercise set and costumes were designed by the dudes fromPimp My Ride . This photocould’ve been taken on the curing .
Much like in the election , Johnny Cash rules everything around Egypt . One of Set ’s first move as a ruler of Egypt is to change the rules of how you may get into the afterlife . While under Osiris mortals could get into heaven if they performed good deeds , Set makes it so you ask to pay in gold . And , like Trump , he ’s obsessed with handsome buildings . Looking outside his window at a giant towboat , Butler ask his original builder , " Can you make it any marvellous ? "
patently , this guy require to readThe artistry of the Deal .
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He has daddy issues
There ’s a circumstances of uncanny bull that find inGods of Egypt . I have n’t even mentioned the thief name Bek ( not Beck , sadly ) represent by Brenton Thwaites , the campy performance fromGet On Up’sChadwick Boseman as the god of knowledge Thoth , or the part where two distaff goddesses ( Abbey Lee and Yaya Deng ) ride blast - take a breather snakes . All of this fall out . None of it makes sense .
But even those goofy moments ca n’t hold a flickering CGI cd to Geoffrey Rush ’s hammy take on Ra , the male parent of Butler ’s bad boy readiness . Having served time in thePirates of the Caribbeanfranchise , Rush is no alien to silly costumes , swaggering action , and paragraphs of expository dialogue . But his performance here is something I ’ve never seen before : he looks like the flaming emjoi bring to animation . And , oh yeah , he navigates a jumbo spaceship boat that tows the sun and he does battle every night with a giant disgraceful cloud demon that imperil to destroy the universe . I mean ? It ’s all pretty confusing .
Encased in promising orange CGI fire , flush needles adjust for his selfishness . Like Trump , whose male parent was existent landed estate developer Fred Trump , Set is no self - made God who pulled himself up by his gold - plat bootstraps . Everything he does is an attempt to get out from his father ’s flaming fantasm .
But you can’t look away
This movie is n’t good . I ca n’t in good moral sense advocate it – and Igo to bat forJupiter Ascending . But there ’s something gonzo and invigorating about the whole matter , peculiarly Butler ’s sneering , buffoonish carrying out . Studio executive have long tried to fob the American public into guess Gerard Butler is charming , likable , and should be in movies with Katherine Heigl . He ’s none of those things . But as a horn - alike god who contain pleasance in the miserableness of others ? He ’s perfect .
And the expert part ? None of it ’s real .
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Dan Jacksonis a staff writer at Thrillist Entertainment and he still likesDark City . He ’s on Twitter:@danielvjackson .
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