Gerard Butler certainly doesn’t mind donning sandals and swords. Heck the film 300 is what put him on the map for much of us and he’s back in that genre with the CG-heavy Gods of Egypt, out now on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Butler star as rival gods Horus and Set, whose fates are interconnected when Horus’ father announces that he is leaving the power of the Egyptian land to him, which does not sit well with Set. That unleashes a battle of the most epic of proportions between the two that will affect every man, woman, child and gods in the entire Egyptian landscape before all is said and done.
Set seizes power and banishes Horus. But, with the help of a few mortals, Horus might just find his way back and redeem his revenge and take power from his evil brother and set Egypt back on its road to gold-laden glory.
As you can tell from our theatrical Gods of Egypt review, we found the film entertaining enough, especially from an action-eye candy point of view. Butler shines in the role and he’s joined in the acting awesomeness with Coster-Waldau as the two really are a yin and yang of power in this struggle for the future of Egypt onscreen.
The person who deserves much of the credit is director Alex Proyas (I, Robot), who tackled the massive scope of the film with a firm hand and a creative team that was up to the challenge of creating a visual spectacle that matches the ambitions of the production’s helmer. The film is written by Matt Sazama Burk Sharpless (who both penned The Last Witch Hunter) and also stars Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush as the man who may hold the key to this whole explosive affair.
Bonus features are as enlightening as they are entertaining. We have to start by saluting Transformation: Costume, Make-Up and Hair. The eleven-minute featurette shines a spotlight on the unsung heroes of the production. When it comes to any period piece, costumes, make-up and hair are keys to authenticity and with Gods of Egypt, they are as important as anyone. The behind-the-scenes looks at how these artists work their magic is stunning.
On Location: Shooting in Australia is an almost 13-minute look at how Proyas used a lot of real locations, along with an army of blue screens, to further add the realism to the look of his film. The land Down Under was an interesting choice for the native Egyptian. Once you witness this bonus feature, you can see why the helmer chose Australia and how the landscape not only doubled for his homeland, but enhanced his ability to shoot the movie in the manner he needed to make it work.
An enormous aspect of the filmmaking process on Gods of Egypt, clearly, involved special effects. For those who love to have the question answered, “How did they do that?,” you won’t want to miss A Divine Vision: Creating a Cinematic Action Fantasy. The production design and special effects challenges are explored in the most interesting of manners.
While we’re on the subject of the mystery behind the magic of movie-making, check out The Battle for Eternity: Stunts. The almost-12 minute featurette delves deeper into the action sequences themselves and highlights the stunt men and women who brought the fight choreography to life. And then there’s Of Gods and Mortals: The Cast, which is a pretty solid set of interviews with the cast as viewers get even more behind-the-scenes footage.
Film: C
Bonus Features: B