Line #31 Film/GodsOfEgypt


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gods_of_egypt_ver11_xxlg_copy.jpg]]
2
3	''Gods of Egypt'' is a 2016 [[SwordAndSandal sword-and-sandal]] [[FantasyFilms fantasy]] film based on Myth/EgyptianMythology starring Creator/GerardButler, Creator/NikolajCosterWaldau, Creator/GeoffreyRush, Creator/ElodieYung, Creator/BrentonThwaites, Creator/ChadwickBoseman and Creator/CourtneyEaton. It is directed by Creator/AlexProyas and produced by Creator/{{Lionsgate}}.
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5	Set, the merciless God of the Desert, has taken over the throne of AncientEgypt and plunged the once peaceful and prosperous empire into chaos and conflict. Few dare to rebel against him. A young human thief, Bek, seeks the aid of the powerful god Horus to dethrone and defeat Set so that he can save the life of the woman he loves.
6	----
7	!!The film contains the following tropes:
8	* AdaptationalVillainy: In Egyptian mythology, while he ''did'' kill Osiris and feud with Horus, Set wasn't necessarily outright ''evil''; he played a pivotal role in fighting Apophis and stopping him from devouring Ra every night. In this film that duty is solely Ra’s, [[spoiler:and when Set is given the position, he opts to let Apophis devour the Earth and the afterlife rather than protect them.]]
9	* AdaptationalWimp: Thoth, the god of wisdom, is depicted as a vain KnowNothingKnowItAll, and [[spoiler: gets offed by Set]]. Also, ''all'' of the major goddesses suffer from this.
10	* AdvancedAncientHumans: By virtue of contact with the gods.
11	* AlienBlood: The gods bleed molten gold.
12	* AllYourPowersCombined: Set [[spoiler: takes body parts from other gods -- Osiris' heart, Horus' eye, Thoth's brain and Nephthys' wings -- and bonds them to his armor to gain their powers. It supposedly grants him dominion over the land, omniscience, wisdom, and protection from harm, but for the most part it's just to get him up to Ra's barge and give him enough power to withstand Ra's SwordBeam. These abilities may have had something to do with remaking the world in his image (hence why he picks those specific ones), but the film never goes into detail as to how that would play out.]]
13	* AnAesop: {{Lampshaded}} by Ra when he explains that every god needs to learn an important lesson in their lives, and a central theme for many characters.
14	** Bek needs to learn to have faith in the gods. [[spoiler:He does, eventually. He also becomes much less self-centered, and after having started out as a thief, he ends up the steward of the kingdom.]]
15	** Horus needs to learn to become a protector of humanity. [[spoiler:He does.]]
16	** Osiris needed to learn to rule as well as to set his power aside when the time was right. [[spoiler:He did, and is cited as an exemplary god by Ra for this when Ra tries to convince Set he can yet learn his lesson.]]
17	** Set needs to learn to be alone with himself. [[spoiler:He fails to grasp this lesson, and instead attempts to take over the world so everybody worships him.]]
18	** Thoth needs to learn to be wise instead of merely knowledgeable. [[spoiler:While it takes him getting killed and returned to life by Ra, his words at Horus's coronation clearly show he has learned this lesson.]]
19	* AppealToFlattery: How Bek eventually gets Thoth to join the group.
20	-->'''Bek:''' ...before it kills me, I'm going to tell it that I asked the God of Wisdom to come but he was afraid he'd get the answer wrong.\
21	'''Thoth:''' This is the cleverest strategy you could devise? Playing on my ego? How vain do you think I am?\
22	''Bek, Horus and Hathor look around at all the [[MesACrowd clones of Thoth]] standing around them.''\
23	'''Thoth:''' Yes, well... Fine. Fine! Let's go.
24	* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Horus and Hathor bicker constantly, but obviously love each other, even though they CannotSpitItOut.
25	* BackFromTheDead:
26	** [[spoiler:Bek and his lover are both dead near the end, but are brought back when Horus asks Ra to do the impossible]].
27	** [[spoiler:The other gods Set slew are shown alive at the end, implying Ra resurrected them as well.]]
28	* BadassBoast: Horus after being taunted about his blindness:
29	-->"Even if I were blind, deaf, and bereft of limbs, you would ''still'' be no match for me!"
30	* BarredFromTheAfterlife: Initially, Osiris makes it so that this is averted by allowing anyone into the afterlife regardless of wealth or station in life. Set, however, changes this once he usurps his brother's rule. Under Set's new law, only those with enough wealth can pass through onto the afterlife, and he deliberately refuses to allow anyone but those most loyal to him the wealth necessary to fulfill this condition. Those that can't pay have their [[DeaderThanDead souls destroyed upon being judged]]. [[spoiler: In the end, Horus changes the law to have souls judged by their character, not their wealth.]]
31	* BelligerentSexualTension: Horus and Hathor, particularly after Hathor joins Horus and Bek's quest.
32	* BittersweetEnding: Horus takes back Egypt and saves the world from being destroyed, but his parents are dead and [[spoiler:Hathor sent herself to what seems to be Hell by taking off the bracelet protecting her and giving it to Bek so he can find his wife in the afterlife. However, the film ends with Horus going to rescue her, implying that there's still hope for them to be reunited. Furthermore, Set and Osiris' deaths imply that Ra no longer has a viable replacement for his beleaguering duty to hold off Apophis, meaning either he'll have to find a new replacement or the world will again be in danger of Apophis once he perishes.]]
33	** Or that Horus would've to make the same sacrifice as Ra did in the future.
34	* BlindedByTheLight:
35	** Set defeats Horus at the beginning of the movie by shining a light into his eyes with a magical shield. His {{Mooks}} carry similar shields to keep Horus off-balance during the fight.
36	** Bek uses Horus' eye to blind Urshu's guards and escape with Zaya.
37	* BodyToJewel: Godly body parts turn into glowing jewels whenever Set removes them. Examples include Horus's eyes, [[spoiler:Nephthys's wings, Thoth's brain, and Osiris's heart]]. They turn back into flesh-and-blood organs when returned.
38	* BrokenPedestal: Horus used to look up to and idolize Set, up until the moment of his betrayal.
39	* ButtMonkey: Despite being a clever thief whom Horus has to rely on to retrieve things from dangerous places, Bek gets this treatment. He is constantly thrown around and commanded to do things, and is even called a stray baboon by Thoth.
40	* CainAndAbel: Osiris and Set, because Set resents the facts that [[spoiler:Osiris was made King of Egypt and permitted to have a son]].
41	* CannotTellALie: Thoth by his own admission is incapable of lying.
42	* CharmPerson: Hathor's powers include the ability to make any being in creation obey her will -- be it man, woman, god or beast -- so long as they can hear her voice and make eye contact. [[spoiler:Only TrueLove can make a person immune to it - and this even includes Horus, whose true love is Hathor herself]].
43	* {{Chickification}}: Some of the goddesses shown are victims of this:
44	** Isis, goddess of magic, ActionMom who fended off Set multiple times in the Osirian cycle AND the most powerful goddess of the Egyptian pantheon, is reduced to a whimpering mess the second Osiris is shanked by Set, and then kills herself.
45	** Serqet, a primordial protection goddess considered among the most powerful, is reduced to a weak minion of Set (and is a generic skimpy-dressed human rather than a badass scorpion-taur).
46	* ChromeChampion: Horus is covered with form-fitting golden armor when he transforms.
47	* CombatPragmatist: Set. He is never seen straight up fighting any other characters on equal ground. He uses underhanded means, such as [[spoiler: killing Osiris with a surprise attack, using reflective shields to disorient Horus, etc]] to get the upper hand in fights. This is despite the fact that he supposed to be the strongest Earth-bound god in the setting.
48	* CoolOldGuy: Ra, the Lord of Light. He's considerably older than the other gods, but he can still keep Apophis at bay and is powerful enough that Set [[spoiler:needs the powers of four other gods just to survive one of his attacks]] and still isn't powerful enough to kill him. [[spoiler:And at the end he grants Horus' wish to bring Bek and Zaya back to life.]]
49	* CoolShip:
50	** Ra's great barge that he uses to tow the Sun across the sky every day.
51	** Nephthys has a small barge towed by a flock of birds.
52	** Set has a flying chariot drawn by giant beetles.
53	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Hathor's time as "Mistress of the West".
54	* DarkIsNotEvil: Anubis is the scariest of all the gods and the only one who doesn't assume a human appearance at any point in the movie. He is also kind and professional in his job of escorting the souls of the dead to their final judgment, and when Apophis threatens the world, immediately puts himself between the demon and the souls of the dead.
55	* DeathCourse: Bek must pass one in order to get one of Horus's eyes.
56	* DisneyVillainDeath: Subverted. [[spoiler:Set]] ''does'' plummet thousands of feet [[spoiler:after getting his stolen wings ripped off]], but he survives the impact (albeit barely). [[spoiler:Horus finishes him off.]]
57	* DivineConflict: The film starts with Set killing Osiris and taking over Egypt, and throughout it all he continues waging war against the Gods who resist him, who are led by none other than his own wife, Nephthys.
58	* EldritchAbomination: Apophis, the demonic force of chaos that wants to eat all of creation. Look closely: Apophis isn't actually a giant worm or serpent, it is a two-dimensional moving gateway to ''somewhere else'' and ''lined with teeth''.
59	* {{Elopement}}: It is stated early that Bek and Zaya ran away from home together.
60	* EverybodyHatesHades: Subverted. Anubis (while certainly monstrous) is depicted as being benevolent and helpful to the people who die and have to travel the Underworld, which is actually more in line with Egyptian mythology. He's also a fairly reasonable god when it comes down to it, being perfectly willing to barter with Hathor [[spoiler:to buy Zaya's way into the afterlife]].
61	* EvilTowerOfOminousness: Set's obelisk, which he claims is a tribute to Ra.
62	* EvilUncle: Set to Horus.
63	* EyeScream: Set gouges out Horus' eyes.
64	* EyepatchOfPower: Horus sports one throughout most of the movie, after getting one of his eyes restored.
65	* FauxAffablyEvil: Set gets very chummy whenever he's about to betray or kill someone. Case in point, when the leader of the Minotaurs reports that he failed to capture Horus, Set acts concerned, tells him that he should get his injuries looked at, and starts to walk away... [[YouHaveFailedMe only to spin around and]] [[OffWithHisHead decapitate him]] without batting an eye.
66	* FiveFingerDiscount: During Horus' coronation, Bek "helps" some people in order to help himself take their jewels without notice. Zaya notices this and he excuses his actions saying that he's getting tributes for the gods.
67	* FlatWorld: The world is shown to be a colossal disc, with the land of the living on one side and the land of the dead on the other.
68	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Horus mentions that [[spoiler:Osiris' heart was never found after Set has his body dismembered]]. Near the end of the movie we find out that [[spoiler:Set kept it as part of his plan to increase his own power when he tried to usurp Ra]].
69	* ForeverWar: Ra has been in constant conflict with Apophis by continuously driving it away day after day to prevent it from consuming the world in chaos and destruction. [[spoiler:He planned to pass on this duty to Set when he was ready.]]
70	* FriendOrIdolDecision: [[spoiler: At the climax, Horus has to choose between saving Bek or reclaiming his second eye, both of which are about to fall off the obelisk. He chooses Bek.]] Subverted in that [[spoiler:a kid finds the eye off-screen and returns it to him after the battle.]]
71	* GildedCage: Hathor's life as Set's queen--she lives in luxury, but has no power or say in what she does around Set and essentially serves as Set's SexSlave. She explicitly calls herself his prisoner, to which Set hangs a {{Lampshade}} by commenting that her "prison" doesn't seem so bad.
72	* GodOfGood: Osiris was this. Considering he was the only god shown that was consistently respectful of humans, wanted to make the afterlife accessible to all mortals regardless of whether they provided offerings or not, and made his first temple a place where the poor could bury their deceased loved ones.
73	* GodOfTheDead: Anubis, natch, of the scary-looking and stickler-for-rules variety, but not at all without empathy and ''very'' protective of the dead and the afterlife in general[[spoiler:, to the point of interposing himself between Apophis and the dead when Apophis attempts to devour the afterlife]].
74	* GoldenSuperMode: Horus is covered in golden armor in his SuperMode. Ra also emits a bright golden glow in his most powerful form.
75	* GreaterScopeVillain: Apophis is a threat to all of creation, but he is not directly involved with Set's plans. [[spoiler:He still benefits from them when Set's actions give him the chance to attack the world directly]].
76	* HandicappedBadass: Horus, once Bek brings him back one of his eyes. He gets the second back [[spoiler: after defeating Set]].
77	* HeroicSeductress: Hathor accepts to be Set's SexSlave to save Horus's life. Later, she also offers sex to Thoth in exchange of his help.
78	* HeroOfAnotherStory: Nephthys has been leading the divine resistance against Set's rule while Horus has been wallowing in self-pity.
79	* HoldTheLine: Anubis performs this [[spoiler: at the Final Gate, holding back Apophis long enough for Horus to kill Set and restore Ra]].
80	-->'''Anubis''': My strength is not infinite; if the Lord of the Air has any plan to rectify this, he should do so with haste!
81	* HumanFocusedAdaptation: Averted. While Bek has a story of his own, Horus is a prominent protagonist too.
82	* ImmortalitySeeker: Set seeks true immortality on Earth to rule over his kingdom, not being content with immortality in the afterlife. [[spoiler:He's willing to destroy the barrier between the lands of the living and dead to get it.]]
83	* InstantArmor: Horus is able to manifest golden armor with wings at will. Set can do the same, though his is black without wings [[spoiler:until he has Nephthys' wings bolted onto it]].
84	* InsufferableGenius: Thoth knows practically everything, a fact that he will remind you of ''constantly''. [[spoiler: However, he does not initially know the answer to the riddle of Art/TheSphinx.]]
85	* JerkassGods: In general, all of the male gods (except for Osiris and Anubis) as well as the goddess Hathor, have shades of this.
86	** Horus starts off as pampered, arrogant and narcissistic, [[TookALevelInKindness but grows out of it]] through the story.
87	** Set enslaves his followers and plans to destroy the world.
88	** Arguably ZigZagged with Ra, father of Osiris and Set, and king of all gods. When Horus calls him out on not caring about Set's evil actions, nor trying to stop him, Ra replies that Horus himself is no better (possibly on account of Horus' own {{Jerkass}} behaviour prior to Set's arrival and slaying of Osiris) and teaches Horus that he, Ra, has more important things to do — namely, to hold off the monster Apophis and prevent it from devouring the world every night. However, when Set comes to Ra, angrily calling him about the mistreatment he received as TheUnfavorite son while Osiris got it all, Ra explains that it was because he wanted Set to succeed him as the world's protector against Apophis. Understandably, Set is infuriated and wants none of it; Ra having failed miserably to comprehend Set's feelings, never thinking he would perceive it as mistreatment, AND never explained himself before all was said and done either. Then, after Set is defeated and order is restored to Egypt, Ra concedes Horus' wish and resurrects Bek and Zaya, showing that he's not so uncaring after all.
89	** Thoth and Hathor have shades of this as well, and Bek holds the opinion that all gods are this. [[spoiler:Hathor is heavily implied to make her HeroicSacrifice in order to subvert this trope and change Bek's mind. It works.]]
90	** It could well be said that the movie is actually a [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction]] of this trope. Aside from Set, who plays the trope straight, all the gods who show these tendencies during the film are only hampered by them and either visibly grow out of them entirely or at least accept the need to put the largest part of it aside in order to help save Egypt.
91	* LargeAndInCharge: Ra is father and king of the gods, and he grows large enough to tower over his already-towering children when drawing on his full power. In general, gods are a couple feet taller than humans and rule over them.
92	* LampreyMouth: A distinct feature of Apophis.
93	* LightIsGood: Ra, willing to forgive everything and endure an eternity of loneliness to make sure his world survives. [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in the case of Horus, whose golden winged form evokes this trope while he's actually self-absorbed and vengeful for the sake of vengeance. [[spoiler:He gets better by the finale.]]
94	* LogoJoke: The Summit Entertainment logo is shaded red, and briefly takes the form of Egyptian pyramids, seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQHcVRfVySc here]].
95	* MagicalAccessory: Hathor's bracelet, which serves to protect her from being dragged to the underworld.
96	* MagicalNegro: The most significant character played by a black actor is Thoth, who knows more than everyone else [[spoiler: and is killed off the second he's no longer useful]]. Somewhat subverted in that he is an InsufferableGenius rather than being CloserToEarth. [[spoiler:When he's been resurrected at the end of the film, he seems to have let go of his arrogance, however.]]
97	* MaleGaze: Invoked. Thoth orders Hathor to [[NoPeekingRequest turn around]] when they visit his library. She accuses him of wanting to enjoy the view, which he both denies and confirms; he wants her to turn around so she can't use her power on him, but still enjoys the view.
98	* MalevolentMaskedMen: Set's human {{Mooks}} wear gold funerary masks.
99	* MesACrowd: Thoth staffs his library with dozens of copies of himself because the only person he trusts to handle the knowledge he records is himself.
100	* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: Set's justification for his actions. He feels Ra favored Osiris over him since Osiris was given the fertile Nile and children while Set was cursed to rule the harsh desert and denied children. Ra's explanation for these actions only pushed Set further.
101	* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: Apophis is basically a giant maw lined with teeth.
102	* MsFanservice: Hathor, who spends her time either ToplessnessFromTheBack, covered with ModestyBedsheet, or dressed in {{Stripperific}} outfits.
103	* MundaneMadeAwesome: Thoth is introduced trying to find the deeper meaning of lettuce. Horus lampshades this when he tears it up and shouts "It's lettuce!"
104	* MundaneUtility: At one point, Hathor uses her [[MagicalAccessory bracelet]] to escape from Set. She takes it off, letting herself be dragged away from the mortal world, then puts it back on and pops back at another place. The experience is not the least bit pleasant, but it's "better than running".
105	* MySkullRunnethOver: When Bek asks Thoth about how he could witness the creation of the world if it there was no world to watch it from, Thoth claims telling him would cause his brain to liquefy.
106	* NayTheist: Bek knows the gods exist; he just can't be bothered to worship them, since they don't answer his prayers.
107	* NiceGirl: Zaya and Hathor, who are the most selfless characters among the cast. Zaya doesn't mind [[spoiler:dying to save Horus, believing he will free Egypt from Set. Hathor becomes Set's queen to save Horus' life and willingly gets herself banished to the underworld to give Zaya a chance to move on to the afterlife.]]
108	* NoSell: Hathor can compel anyone to do anything she tells them unless their heart belongs to another, with the result that her powers cannot work on Bek as he truly loves Zaya. Hathor's powers even don't work on Horus, who truly loves ''Hathor herself''.
109	* OddCouple: Bek and Horus. A human thief who despises the gods and a jaded god who despises the humans.
110	* OurMinotaursAreDifferent: Set's minions include a pack of Minotaur-like gods.
111	* OvershadowedByAwesome: It's quite clear that Horus is the main hero past the first third of the movie; a human like Bek can't take on the gods in a fight and there's only so much a smart thief like him can do.
112	* PassingTheTorch: The reason for [[spoiler:Set's SecretTestOfCharacter]] is that Ra wants him [[spoiler:to take his place piloting the solar barge and keeping Apophis at bay. Set wants none of it]].
113	* PhysicalGod: All of the gods in the film are physical beings yet are distinguished from humans by considerable height, liquid gold instead of blood, a variety of powers, and in some cases being connected to the element they represent. For instance, Set is connected to the desert and as long as it exists he can draw strength from it. Getting rid of the desert would weaken him. They're also mortal, though they have lifespans ten times that of a human.
114	* PleaseIWillDoAnything: Set spares Horus's life at the beginning of the film after Hathor cries out. Thoth later outright tells Horus that her subsequent relationship with Set was the price he demanded for Horus' life.
115	* PowerGlows: Most prominently seen in Ra and his spear. Gods' body parts also glow after being removed.
116	* ThePowerOfTheSun: Ra, naturally. Bek has to stand in Horus's shadow to avoid getting burned while in Ra's presence, and has to hide below deck when Ra unleashes his true power lest he be incinerated. When Ra powers up, he grows twice his normal size and his body is surrounded by a fiery corona.
117	* PsychicAssistedSuicide: Hathor saves Bek and Horus from one of the fire-breathing giant snakes by charming it with her powers, seducing it into immolating itself.
118	* PunyEarthling: Humans/Mortals are greatly looked down upon by the gods that they worship and are generally protected because of the worship and gifts that they grant. Horus in particular displays abusive and condescending behavior towards Bek for most of the story. Only Osiris seemed to be consistently respectful of humans and genuinely cared for their well-being for reasons beyond service.
119	* RiddlingSphinx: One guards the heart of Set's pyramid, and the heroes recruit Thoth specifically to solve its riddle so they can get past it.
120	* SaltTheEarth: Osiris' first temple was a lush garden, until he was brought there and dismembered. His queen's tears salted the Earth before she took her own life.
121	* ScalesOfJustice: Seen with Anubis.
122	* SecretTestOfCharacter: Ra set one up for each of his sons. [[spoiler:Osiris passed his, but Set failed]].
123	* SexForServices: Hathor offers Thoth a night with her if he'll agree to help with the Sphinx. He seems tempted, but Horus shoots that idea down and Bek goes with the AppealToFlattery instead.
124	* SexSlave: What Hathor essentially is to Set after becoming his "queen".
125	* ShownTheirWork: Hathor talks about having a dark past. In Egyptian religion, Hathor was originally considered to be the alter ego of Sekhmet, Goddess of war and destruction. This changed over time and the two became separate deities. It is noteworthy that when Hathor uses her powers, her eyes become orange/yellow, which is the color of the eyes of a lioness, the animal associated with Sekhmet.
126	* SnakesAreSinister: Two of Set's assassins ride on giant, fire-breathing snakes.
127	* SpaceIsAnOcean: Horus even gets some "water" from it while on Ra's great barge.
128	* StarScraper: Set's obelisk is 2,220 cubits tall, which makes it even taller than the Burj Khalifa. Ra quips that, were it any taller, it would be in the path of his barge.
129	* SuperMode: Horus and Set are able to manifest InstantArmor, while Ra grows double his normal size and is surrounded by a fiery corona.
130	* SwordBeam: Ra's spear is capable of emitting an intense beam of flame, which he uses to drive off Apophis each night. [[spoiler: Set uses it near the end as a beacon to lure Apophis to destroy Egypt]].
131	* TooFastToStop: Horus tricks one of the snake assassins into riding her snake off a cliff, after binding her to make sure she can't make the snake stop in time.
132	* TopGod: Ra the Sun God, Lord of Light and the most powerful of the gods by far.
133	* TrapIsTheOnlyOption: Set puts one of Horus' eyes in a treasure vault filled with deadly traps. He knows that Horus' followers will try to steal it for their god and get themselves killed. And it works.
134	* TheOmniscient: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]], as Ra explicitly says he made sure even he is unaware how the fate of the world will play out.
135	* TheUsurper: Set killing Osiris and usurping the throne of Egypt sets the movie in motion. [[spoiler:It is later revealed that Set is planning to usurp Ra himself as TopGod]].
136	* UseYourHead: After Horus derails her giant snake, Anat headbutts him, which almost causes Horus to fall off.
137	* VillainsWantMercy: Set points out that he spared Horus once. [[spoiler:Horus doesn't return the favor.]]
138	-->'''Set''': [[spoiler: I spared you once. [[AintTooProudToBeg I showed you mercy]].]]
139	-->'''Horus''': [[spoiler: I won't make that mistake]].
140	* WellDoneSonGuy: Many of Set's actions are to gain the approval of his father Ra who he sees as favoring his brother Osiris. This goes out the window when Set learns what Ra was planning for him.
141	* WhatTheHellHero: Ra and Hathor call Horus out on misleading Bek for his own ends.
142	* WingedHumanoid: Horus sports prominent wings as part of his armor when transformed. Nephthys can also sprout a pair of her own, which are part of her body. [[spoiler:Set cuts her wings off and has them bolted to his armor, giving him flight.]]
143	* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Set was originally a loyal son, loving brother, and great warrior that Horus admired. A thousand years of being stuck in the harsh desert as the perceived unfavorite, denied a family, and to be told he was supposed to take over the lonely duty of fighting Apophis drove him to ultimately decide to destroy the world and remake it in his image.
144	* YouHaveFailedMe: Set [[OffWithHisHead decapitates]] the captain of the Minotaur bull-like gods for underestimating the abilities of a one-eyed Horus.

Context Film / GodsOfEgypt