Gerard Butler’s action fantasy movie “Gods of Egypt” divided audiences upon release in 2016, but now it’s finding new life on streaming. This wild take on ancient Egyptian gods cracked the Netflix top 10 just days after arriving on the platform. That’s particularly impressive considering it didn’t exactly earn a glowing reception upon release (as you can see by its abysmal 15% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes).
Even before it hit theaters, Lionsgate was getting chewed out for going with a predominantly white cast for a movie set in ancient Egypt. Butler and “Game of Thrones” actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau star as warring Egyptian gods alongside Brenton Thwaites as a mortal thief who gets drawn into their scheming to save his true love. Pedants will argue that, technically, it’s set in an alternate reality version of ancient Egypt, one where gods co-exist alongside mortals. But that’s a milquetoast excuse that falls particularly flat given Hollywood’s long history of whitewashing.
Controversy aside, though, “Gods of Egypt” is also just a boring mess of a movie. It relies heavily on big-budget effects to highlight its action scenes and attempts to bring Egyptian mythology to life in a big way — and it falls short on both fronts. The effort it took to sit through this movie pushed my attention span to its absolute limit.
If you’ve already streamed it (or you’ve dodged it because of the reviews), here are three movies like “Gods of Egypt” that we think are actually worth your precious viewing time.
‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ (Netflix)
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I went into “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” knowing next to nothing about D&D and fully expecting the jokes to sail right over my head. Instead, it ended up being one of my favorite fantasy movies of all time. Even if you’ve never rolled a D20 (or have no idea what that means), if you enjoy an epic adventure that refuses to take itself too seriously, this one deserves a spot on your watchlist.
It kicks off with a roguish bard Edgin (Chris Pine) and his no-nonsense barbarian partner Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) cooling their heels in prison after a heist goes sideways. Once they make a break for it, they pull together a mismatched crew, including the insecure sorcerer Simon (Justice Smith) and shape-shifting druid Doric (Sophia Lillis), to rescue Edgin’s daughter and recover a stolen relic. Along the way, they cross paths with Xenk (Regé-Jean Page), a paladin so absurdly overpowered that he becomes a walking punchline in the best possible way.
Watch it now on Netflix
‘The Forbidden Kingdom’ (Plex)
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A fantasy action movie starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li? Say less. 2008’s “The Forbidden Kingdom” is the only flick the two martial arts legends starred in together, and it’s basically the live-action “Dragon Ball” adaptation that “Dragonball Evolution” should have been. The two even share a similar inspiration: the 16th-century Chinese epic “Journey to the West.”
“The Forbidden Kingdom” follows a modern-day American teenager obsessed with kung-fu (Michael Angarano), who stumbles upon the Monkey King’s magical staff in a Chinatown pawn shop. The lost relic transports him back to ancient China, where he joins forces with a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King.
Watch it now on Plex
‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (Netflix)
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One of Guillermo del Toro’s early masterpieces, “Pan’s Labyrinth” is a dark fantasy that’s as breathtakingly beautiful as it is unsettling, making it a worthy watch if you’re looking for another heart-pounding escape to a fantastical world. Set in post–Civil War Spain, it follows 10-year-old Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), who moves with her pregnant mother (Ariadna Gil) to a remote military outpost run by her cruel stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergi López).
While exploring her new home, she stumbles upon an ancient labyrinth hidden in the nearby forest. Lurking inside is an ancient faun (played by Doug Jones, voiced by Pablo Adán) who tells her she is the reincarnation of a lost princess, and that her father (Federico Luppi) built the labyrinth as a gateway to return to her kingdom. Before she can reclaim her place, however, Ofelia must complete three perilous tasks — each one as dark and twisted as the world she’s trying to leave behind.
Watch it now on Netflix
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