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Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Gods Of Egypt (2016) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
God Awful
Those of you who keep up to date with the goings on in the film world may be thinking Gods of Egypt was released way back in February; and you’d be right for thinking that.
The film, directed by Alex Proyas (I, Robot, Knowing) performed so poorly in America at the start of the year that its UK release was scrapped, until now. But is the resulting film as bad as its figures would suggest? Or are we looking at a future cult classic?
Good god no. From shocking dialogue to laughable special effects; Gods of Egypt is a dreadful dirge of a movie with practically no saving graces. It’s just that bad.
The survival of mankind hangs in the balance when Set (Gerard Butler), the merciless god of darkness, usurps Egypt’s throne and plunges the empire into chaos. Hoping to save the world and rescue his true love, a defiant mortal named Bek (Brenton Thwaites) forms an alliance with the powerful god Horus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) to stop Set before he destroys everything.
Thankfully, the plot itself isn’t too bad and has a vaguely interesting premise. The problem is how it is executed. Alex Proyas takes our protagonists on a rollercoaster ride of bland set pieces, populated by cardboard enemies and special effects that manage to look expensive and awful at the same time.
Gold, blood red, sparkling granite and deep, rich blacks all combine for a nauseating colour palate, only worsened by the cinematography. No shot is lingered on for any great amount of time – it’s like Alex Proyas was too terrified of allowing his audience to see the mess up close, shifting from frame to frame every few seconds.
Elsewhere, the acting is fairly inconsistent. Gerard Butler yet again channels his character from 300, while newcomer Brenton Thwaites looks po-faced as he spouts complete and utter drivel, a departure from his promising turn in 2013’s The Giver. The painful attempts at comedy fall flat on every single occasion and ensure no cast member leaves with their dignity intact.
2016 has thrown up some pretty bad films. London Has Fallen, Through the Looking Glass and Zoolander 2 spring immediately to mind, but this manages to outdo them by a country mile.
Overall, Gods of Egypt leaves you with more questions than it answers. Why is the Egyptian god of darkness Scottish? Why is it over two hours long? What on earth was Summit Entertainment thinking pouring $140million into this thing?
There is some good news at the end of this rather murky rainbow however. Your question as to whether you should go and see it may well be the only question that can be answered.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2016/06/18/god-awful-gods-of-egypt-review/
The film, directed by Alex Proyas (I, Robot, Knowing) performed so poorly in America at the start of the year that its UK release was scrapped, until now. But is the resulting film as bad as its figures would suggest? Or are we looking at a future cult classic?
Good god no. From shocking dialogue to laughable special effects; Gods of Egypt is a dreadful dirge of a movie with practically no saving graces. It’s just that bad.
The survival of mankind hangs in the balance when Set (Gerard Butler), the merciless god of darkness, usurps Egypt’s throne and plunges the empire into chaos. Hoping to save the world and rescue his true love, a defiant mortal named Bek (Brenton Thwaites) forms an alliance with the powerful god Horus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) to stop Set before he destroys everything.
Thankfully, the plot itself isn’t too bad and has a vaguely interesting premise. The problem is how it is executed. Alex Proyas takes our protagonists on a rollercoaster ride of bland set pieces, populated by cardboard enemies and special effects that manage to look expensive and awful at the same time.
Gold, blood red, sparkling granite and deep, rich blacks all combine for a nauseating colour palate, only worsened by the cinematography. No shot is lingered on for any great amount of time – it’s like Alex Proyas was too terrified of allowing his audience to see the mess up close, shifting from frame to frame every few seconds.
Elsewhere, the acting is fairly inconsistent. Gerard Butler yet again channels his character from 300, while newcomer Brenton Thwaites looks po-faced as he spouts complete and utter drivel, a departure from his promising turn in 2013’s The Giver. The painful attempts at comedy fall flat on every single occasion and ensure no cast member leaves with their dignity intact.
2016 has thrown up some pretty bad films. London Has Fallen, Through the Looking Glass and Zoolander 2 spring immediately to mind, but this manages to outdo them by a country mile.
Overall, Gods of Egypt leaves you with more questions than it answers. Why is the Egyptian god of darkness Scottish? Why is it over two hours long? What on earth was Summit Entertainment thinking pouring $140million into this thing?
There is some good news at the end of this rather murky rainbow however. Your question as to whether you should go and see it may well be the only question that can be answered.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2016/06/18/god-awful-gods-of-egypt-review/
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2456 KP) rated Murder at the Mena House in Books
Apr 2, 2020
Deadly Trip to Egypt
Jane Wunderfly, a war widow, is accompanying her aunt Millie on a trip to Egypt in 1926. She has always dreamed to seeing the Great Pyramids, so this trip is a dream come true. The only hiccup might be her aunt’s not so subtle attempts at matchmaking. That is, until she has some run ins with Anna Stainton, a beautiful socialite who has decided Jane is a rival. When Jane finds Anna’s dead body, the local police think Jane has a good motive for murder. Reluctantly teaming up with the mysterious Mr. Redvers, Jane begins to hunt for the real killer. Can she figure out what happened?
This book is fun, and it captured me from the first couple of sentences. Jane, Redvers, and the rest are a delight to spend time around. I definitely laughed at some of Jane and Redvers’s scenes together. Yet the characters do have layers, and I enjoyed seeing those emerge as the book progressed. I was having so much fun, it took me a while to see the plot was a little weak. While there are clues and twists, it felt like we could have used a few more of them. Still, the writing kept the pages turning, and the climax was suspenseful. I enjoyed this debut, and I’m very curious to find out where Jane goes next.
This book is fun, and it captured me from the first couple of sentences. Jane, Redvers, and the rest are a delight to spend time around. I definitely laughed at some of Jane and Redvers’s scenes together. Yet the characters do have layers, and I enjoyed seeing those emerge as the book progressed. I was having so much fun, it took me a while to see the plot was a little weak. While there are clues and twists, it felt like we could have used a few more of them. Still, the writing kept the pages turning, and the climax was suspenseful. I enjoyed this debut, and I’m very curious to find out where Jane goes next.
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David McK (3649 KP) rated X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) in Movies
Apr 26, 2019
Third entry in the 'new' X-men series (that started with the 60s set First Class, then had the cross-generational Days of Future Pay bringing both sets of X-men into the one film), so probably about sixth overall (or seventh if you included the spin offs), this is set in an alternate 1980s and is actually surprisingly unengaging.
Unlike the time travel shenanigans of the previous film (and the Sentinels), Wolverine only makes a cameo in this while the 'big bad' is actually the worlds first mutant who - in the prologue - gets buried in ancient Egypt.
Unlike the Marvel universe films, however, Quicksilver survives in this!
Unlike the time travel shenanigans of the previous film (and the Sentinels), Wolverine only makes a cameo in this while the 'big bad' is actually the worlds first mutant who - in the prologue - gets buried in ancient Egypt.
Unlike the Marvel universe films, however, Quicksilver survives in this!
Erika (17789 KP) rated The Buried: An Archaeology of the Egyptian Revolution in Books
Feb 16, 2020
I wasn't sure what to expect of this book. Was it a memoir of the author? A history of the Arab Spring? A history of archaeology in Egypt?
Well, it was all of the above, and I'm not sure I dug it. I minored in archaeology, so that was the main reason I read it. I knew somewhat of the Geo-political situation in that area of the world, but I avoid a lot of current events.
Don't get me wrong, Hessler is a great writer. However, I didn't sign up for a memoir.
It was an interesting mesh of all three subjects, I'm not sure it strictly worked.
Well, it was all of the above, and I'm not sure I dug it. I minored in archaeology, so that was the main reason I read it. I knew somewhat of the Geo-political situation in that area of the world, but I avoid a lot of current events.
Don't get me wrong, Hessler is a great writer. However, I didn't sign up for a memoir.
It was an interesting mesh of all three subjects, I'm not sure it strictly worked.
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