Critical Review of Gods of Egypt Movie

Kwo Mun Wong (1006147484)

11/23/2023

1. List 3 characters and describe them in your own words

Osiris in the movie is portrayed as a kind and wise old man who shared the afterlife with mortals.

He was stabbed by his brother Seth during the crowning of his son Horus. Outside of the movie,

he is depicted as a green-skinned mummy-like man in which the green color symbolizes rebirth.

He lived a dreadful life, once the king of Egypt, killed by his brother Seth, but was resurrected

and became the God of the dead. He is widely worshipped due to the importance of the afterlife

for Egyptians.

Hathor, an ancient Egyptian goddess, embodies the celestial mother, joy, and love. In the movie,

not only is she known for love but also as the Lady of the West and can connect with the

afterlife. She is willing to sacrifice her freedom to save Horus, her true love, and fought with him

till the end. She is kind, even to Bek, sacrificing her own life to save Bek’s lover from judgment.

Outside of the movie, she is often depicted as a cow or as a woman with cow horns, symbolizing

fertility. Hathor's domain extends beyond maternal aspects to music, dance, and festivities. She

has many roles, such as sky goddess, solar goddess, and afterlife goddess. She is one of the most

worshipped goddesses with cult centers and temples across Egypt centering in Memphis.

Bek is the main mortal character in the movie and is not found in the original myth. He is

charming but reckless and does not worship gods, which is extremely odd in ancient Egypt. He
stole Horus’ eyes from Seth, allowing Horus to regain his power. Although he is mortal, he can

fight a blinded Horus, keep up with Horus’s pace during his journey, and even distract Seth in the

final battle, allowing Horus to defeat Seth. He is loyal and determined, fighting through life and

death to resurrect his lover Zaya. It is unbelievable how he is just a mortal.

2. Plot Summary

In the movie "Gods of Egypt," the ancient world is plunged into chaos when the god Seth seizes

the throne of Egypt and casts the land into darkness. A young mortal hero, Bek, embarks on a

journey to save his love and overthrow Set. Along the way, Bek allies with the god Horus, and

together they engage in epic battles, facing mythical creatures and overcoming divine challenges

to restore balance to the world.

3. Favorite character representation/portrayal/depiction and why

Thoth is my favorite character. He is the god of wisdom in the movie, depicted as a wise, nerdy

god. My favorite part is when Horus seeks his help; he has many duplicates and is studying a

piece of lettuce. The scene is chaotic and funny. Ironically, although portrayed as the god of

wisdom, he failed to answer the riddle of the sphinx twice and panicked, contradicting his

personality. The contradiction between the title "god of wisdom" and the scenes makes him my

favorite character.

4. Least favorite character representation/portrayal/depiction and why

Horus is my least favorite character. He is ignorant and inconsiderate. His emotions govern his

actions, which is how he was depicted in the original myth. He cut off his mother’s head, even

though her initiative was to help him win. In the movie, he tried to kill Bek, even though Bek
brought him his eye. He promised Bek to resurrect Zaya when he didn’t have the power to do it;

he lied to get Bek’s help. In the original myth, Horus uses tricks to win in the boat race and the

sexual conflict, which again shows that Horus is a trickster. The representation of Horus in the

movie is not completely positive, and I think it is an accurate representation of the original story

in terms of Horus’ personality. In summary, the artifice of his words and actions makes him my

least favorite character.

5. Describe one image or scene from the film that stood out to you. Why?

The scene in which Ra fights Apophis on his sun boat stood out to me the most. I appreciate this

scene because it references the lecture on Ra's journey. Although there are some differences, such

as Ra being in space in the movie while, according to the myth, Ra fought Apophis in the

underworld, I like this scene because it revolves around the concept of ma’at and Ra’s duty to

protect the world from chaos. In the movie, he states that this is the burden of being the sun god,

which strikes me the most, as power comes with responsibility.

6. Review/Critique - What did you think overall?

"Gods of Egypt" is a fantasy action film featuring Gerard Butler as the evil god Seth, Nikolaj

Coster-Waldau as the god Horus, Chadwick Boseman as the god Thoth, Élodie Yung as the

goddess Hathor, and Geoffrey Rush as the sun god Ra. The world premiere occurred on February

25, 2016. The story is set in ancient Egypt and is based on the myth “The Contendings of Horus

and Seth.” The story follows a mortal named Bek who teams up with the god Horus to rescue his

beloved and save the world from the evil god Seth. The film revolves around epic battles,

mythical creatures, and the quest for justice in a world where gods and mortals coexist. Despite
its visually stunning CGI effects, the film received mixed reviews for its plot and cultural

representation.

Overall, the film is mediocre. From the perspective of a person who is not familiar with the

myth, the plot is jumpy with average fighting scenes and ends abruptly with Horus defeating

Seth. However, if the viewer has read the myth before, they would appreciate the creativity of

using supporting characters like Bek and Zaya to piece together the original fragmented story.

The film did not fully capture the details of the realm of the Egyptian gods and mythology. For

example, Apophis exists in the underworld, but the sun god Ra fights it in the universe. In the

myth “Journey of the sun god Ra,” Ra does not fight Apophis alone; other gods helped him,

including Seth, which is not depicted in the movie. There are many versions and interpretations

of the myth; some say that Ra favored Seth to be the King. This is somewhat shown in the scene

when Horus met Ra. Ra thinks Horus is no better than Seth and doubts Horus’ ability. The film

might be based on a version that focuses on the battle between Seth and Horus, with human

armies joining the battle, as seen in the early part of the movie. Compared to the more well-

known version of the myth, Hathor is less important; she healed Horus’ eyes and told Ra about

Seth’s crime. In the movie, Hathor fought with Horus from start to end and sacrificed her life to

save Zaya. There are many differences between the original myth and the movie, and I

recommend viewers to find them out.

Viewers might be shocked when they realize how many gods are in Egypt, especially if they

have a Christian background. They will know that gods are not always benevolent in Egypt; Seth

is evil, and Horus, although portrayed as a hero, lies, tricks, and acts like a human. Moreover, we

can see the importance of “religion” in ancient Egypt. The life and death, fate of humans are

controlled by gods; thus, the intense worship, as seen in the scene where all humans kneel to
Seth. Viewers might notice that female goddesses are weaker and controlled by stronger male

gods. If I were to change something in the movie, I would use more Egyptian music, as it is

difficult to dive into the realm of ancient Egypt when the director uses Hollywood music. I

would recommend the film if you are into CGI, epic battles, and are interested in ancient

Egyptian myths.