Story
In the opening monologue of Gods of Egypt, we learn that Egypt and all life has been created by gods. The gods are human in appearance but twice the height of normal humans. They have gold running through their veins, superhuman strength, powers of transformation and the ability to live for thousands of years.
The god Osiris (Brian Brown) rules over the lands and people of Egypt but is about to hand his crown over to his son Horus, the Lord of the Air (Nikolai Coster-Waldan). On the day of the coronation, Osiris’s brother, the resentful, jealous and ambitious Set (Gerard Butler) arrives with an army and kills Osiris. Set then defeats Horus in combat, plucks out his eyes (which are the source of Horus’s power) and exiles him.
In the years that follow, Set becomes a tyrant, enslaving the masses and murdering all who defy him. Hope arrives in the form of a young mortal named Bek (Brenton Thwaites) and his true love Zaya (Courtney Eaton). Zaya steals plans to the vault where Horus’s eyes are kept and convinces Bek to break into the vault, steal the eyes and return them to Horus. With his superpowers returned, Horus will be able to defeat Set.
Bek manages to steal one of Horus’s eyes from the vault and escape, but at the cost of Zaya’s life. Bek makes a deal with Horus: in exchange for his sight, Horus will bring Zaya back from the dead once he has defeated Set. After regaining his sight, Horus sets about taking revenge on Set and stopping the God of Darkness from destroying all of creation.
Themes
Egyptian mythology; the supernatural; vengeance; tyranny
Violence
Gods of Egypt has extended sequences of intense fantasy violence. At times, these sequences are brutal and disturbing, although they show an unrealistic lack of blood and gore. The gods have gold blood, which also lessens the impact. For example:
- During a coronation ceremony, the elderly Osiris is stabbed in the stomach. The old man falls to the ground and we see gold-coloured blood pooling over the ground while someone presses a cloth against the wound to stop the bleeding. Osiris takes several gasps and then dies. People on the coronation stage scream while the massive crowd standing in front of the stage erupts in panic, with people screaming and running from the area.
- The scene in which Horus’ eyes are plucked out, after an extended fight with Set, is disturbing. Although the actual plucking out isn’t shown, golden blood leaks from the fallen god’s empty eye sockets.
- Bek and Zaya recklessly speed through city streets in an Egyptian chariot. A man standing on a balcony fires an arrow, which pierces Zaya in the side of her chest. Bek pulls the arrow from her chest, but no blood and gore is shown. She says, ‘I’ll love you forever’, and then she dies in his arms.
- A god grabs a young man by the throat and lifts him several feet into the air, pinning the man to the wall as he struggles.
- A god battles against five-armed Minotaurs, punching, kicking and throwing the creatures through the air. He uses his sword to cut and slash at the creatures, cutting bodies and severing arms and legs. After the battle a pile of dead mutilated creatures and body parts lie on the ground. One of the creatures is speared through the chest, and the sword comes out of its back. In a later scene another god uses his sword to cut off a Minotaur’s head.
- Battle violence includes armies attacking a city with Minotaurs and giant elephants, which rampage through streets and trample many people. Soldiers slash and stab people with swords. There are explosions and fires, and many people die.
- A god argues with his wife and she grows wings out of her back and attempts to fly off. Her husband grabs her by the wings and uses his sword to hack them off and throw them on the floor. The removal of the wings happens off screen, but we hear her scream.
- Two giant cobras being ridden by goddesses attack a god and a young man. Fire spews from the snakes’ mouths and they lash out with their fangs, taking giant bites out of buildings. One snake is killed when stabbed from underneath, and the rider is strangled with a whip. The second snake and rider are set on fire and explode in flames.
- A god overpowers and kills another god, tearing out his brain and holding it up in victory.
- A father and son fight each other with long spears that shoot fire and flames. The son then uses his spear to impale his father through the chest, and flames shoot from his back.
- In one of the movie’s more gruesome scenes, a god wounded in battle drags himself along the ground trailing a large pool of golden blood behind him. A second god approaches the wounded god and spears him through the chest. The god’s body disintegrates.
Sexual references
Gods of Egypt has sexual references and innuendo throughout. For example:
- A woman talks about always satisfying a man. The man responds, ‘Satisfy me now’.
- A god says a goddess has been given ‘plenty’ (of sexual attributes). The goddess replies, ‘You never complained’. The same goddess then says, ‘I can make any man or beast do my bidding’.
- In one scene a woman asks a man if he prefers the rear view of her body to the front view. The man replies, ‘Yes I do’. The woman turns and walks away, and the scene shows her clothed buttocks.
- A god tells his wife that no amount of women will satisfy him, especially not her alone.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Gods of Egypt shows some use of substances. For example:
- Men drink from gold cups.
- A woman pours wine from a jug into a glass and sips the wine.
Nudity and sexual activity
Gods of Egypt has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- One scene shows the silhouette of a naked woman standing behind a screen. Her breasts, thighs and buttocks are clearly outlined.
- Women wear tight and revealing clothing throughout.
- A man sits naked in a bath (we see his bare torso). A woman (fully clothed) sitting next to the bath caresses his bare chest. He playfully pulls her into the bath on top of him and kisses her on the lips.
- A man enter a woman’s bedroom, and they lie on the bed kissing passionately. The scene cuts to the pair lying naked underneath the covers, implying that they have had sex. His bare chest and abdomen are visible as are her shoulders, back and top of her buttocks. Her long hair coves her naked breasts.
Product placement
None of concern
Coarse language
Gods of Egypt has some occasional low-level coarse language and name-calling.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Gods of Egypt is an epic action fantasy that targets and is likely to attract teenage boys. It has had several negative reviews for an uninteresting story line, bad acting and poor dialogue. At 127 minutes, this movie is also very long.
The many violent and scary scenes and characters make Gods of Egypt unsuitable for children and young teenagers. You might also be concerned about the sexual references and attitudes to women shown in the movie. This movie deserves its M rating and isn’t recommended for viewers under 15 years.
These are the main messages from this movie:
- When you stray from your path you become weak.
- Protecting and caring for people is more important than seeking revenge.
- How we act in life matters, and you’ll be rewarded for doing good deeds.
If your child sees Gods of Egypt, you could talk about how the movie represents women. For example, it shows women as sexual objects. How could this impact on young viewers?