It’s been nearly a decade since “Gods of Egypt,” the 2016 fantasy epic starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau of “Game of Thrones,” stumbled into theaters with all the grace and sure-footedness of a mythical lumbering ogre. Panned at the time by both critics and audiences, the movie is nevertheless currently enjoying a second life thanks to its revival by Netflix — which has thrown this dud out to unsuspecting audiences, enough of whom have at least tried it out to push it up to #5 on the streamer’s daily Top 10 movies in the U.S. as of this writing.
In “Gods of Egypt,” Coster-Waldau plays Horus, an Egyptian god who teams up with a mortal thief to save the world from Set, the god of darkness (played by Gerard Butler). Basically, there’s melodrama galore, over-the-top battles, and tons of CGI spectacle — which probably explains why the movie only managed to secure a 15% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 193 reviews) and a 37% audience score, from more than 25,000 user ratings.
Another day, another Netflix Top 10 oddity
This is, nevertheless, a common story where Netflix is concerned. Semi-regularly, a film widely considered a flop resurfaces on the streamer, climbs into the Top 10, and makes you wonder: Who’s actually watching this? “Gods of Egypt” is the latest example. It’s not that the movie has suddenly gotten better or that the opinion of it has changed over time — it’s still a critical disaster — but Netflix has a way of putting older titles in front of millions of subscribers, tempting them with a big-name cast and flashy visuals. Many viewers clearly don’t know what they’re getting into.
Chances are that “Gods of Egypt” snuck into the Top 10 because subscribers either haven’t heard of it or barely remember it from its theatrical run, so they give it a shot. But if you’re in the mood for a fantasy adventure that’s actually worth your time, Netflix does have far better options. Try the Norwegian creature feature “Troll,” the Millie Bobby Brown-led “Damsel,” or Charlize Theron’s action-packed “The Old Guard.” All three deliver plenty of spectacle without the baggage of “Gods of Egypt’s” fantasy misfire.
