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.
