The Blue Elephant is a cinematic achievement that should've paved the way for more courage and further adventures by Egyptian filmmakers.

The film's mediocrity is thinly veiled by an overabundance of flashy CGI, a clear attempt to disguise a lackluster story. It feels like the director believed spectacle would substitute for substance. Despite its exhausting length, its sole significance is perhaps marking a new, effects-driven chapter for Egyptian cinema—and nothing more.

Browse discussions about “The Blue Elephant”

Jump to Reddit for live threads on this title.