‘Tut’ is mummy direst
NO ONE would be more surprised than the late Pharaoh Tutankhamun, aka King Tut, to see himself reincarnated some three millennia later as an action hero.
Or, perhaps more accurately, as the star of a six-hour miniseries that sometimes can’t decide whether it’s a chariot epic, reimagined history or soap opera, all the while sprinkling some “Game of Thrones” around the edges.
Avan Jogia plays Tut, who became pharoah at age 9. Now, at 19, he must shape the future of mighty Egypt while navigating palace treachery, lawless Mitanni invaders and a wife, Ankhe (Sibylla Deen), who is in love with his closest friend, Ka (Peter Gadiot).
Did we mention Mrs. Tut is also his sister? And that Mr. Tut falls in love himself with a commoner, Suhad (Kylie Bunbury)?
Ben Kingsley plays Ay, the grand vizier, whose job was mentoring Tut through the teenage years, which are hard enough even when you aren’t pharaoh.
In one of the many ways the show recasts history to create better television, Jogia’s Tut has grown into a daring, swashbuckling warrior who secretly mingles with his people to learn about their real lives.
This Great Man image leads him seamlessly into epic battle scenes that seem headed for the cartoon gore of a “300.”
But then they abruptly stop — as do the sex scenes, which feel half done, as if the producers couldn’t decide whether to really do them or not. Meanwhile, the soap keeps generating suds, while Kingsley plays it solemn. Clearly, the producers started with the premise they could make this “Tut” anything they wanted. They just don’t seem to have decided exactly what that was.