Rating: 
Summary: A well thought-out Sci-Fi movie
Review: On Earth, an ancient device is discovered, that when activated, opens a door to the other side of the universe. So is the general plot of Stargate, and it makes for a very enjoyable movie. James Spader plays Daniel Jackson, a language expert who deciphers the Stargate's code, and Kurt Russell plays the leader of the military expedition who goes through with Jackson on reconnisence to find out what is on the other side. They find a civilization of humans, kept by the "god" Ra as slaves, and everything goes from there. Stargate delivers a fairly intriguing story with good action scenes, made all the better by excellent speacil effects, including an insanely cool "pulse rifle" weapon. The acting is fine; you can't help but laugh at Spader's nerdiness, and even Russell does well as a hardened military man trying to get over the death of his son. One of the best points about the plot is that while Russell at first appears to be the standard military hardnose, he eventually ends up working along with Spader and the rest, avoiding the cliche of him fighting/betraying his comrades in the name of the mission. The final action scene is a great intermix between three seperate events, which keeps the pace up beautifully. The story is also interesting to follow, from Spader's working out the Stargate symbols to his discovery of the people history. There are a few holes in the plot. The relationship between the two Stargates is never really explained; its hard to tell whether they work together, or both of them just send you to one point, regardless of where the other is. Near the end of the movie, the power of a particular bomb is fairly overated. However, minor flaws aside, Stargate is definitely worth purchasing, combining good action and intersting science fiction. And of course, insanely cool pulse rifles.
Rating: 
Summary: An All-Time Favourite Sci-Fi Flick Of Today!
Review: From the director of The Patriot, Godzilla and Independence Day is none other than Roland Emmerich. This is a beautifully crafted movie. It even has spawned the series SG-1. Although the TV series is as good as the film, the film itself is still the best by all comparisons. And this is the kind of film that made you want to watch the movie over and over again. The only downside about this DVD release is that the movie, although in widescreen, is not anamorphically enhanced for 16:9 TVs. Other than that, this DVD release is fine on the overall. Stargate is still one the best sci-fi films up to date. With great plot and storyline, the film is sure to get you to hold on tight to your seats! And those of you who have a Home Theater System, watch this movie on a loud volume. It'll sure to blow your mind away! :) A one hell of a movie that'll take you on a rollercoaster ride of your life. Calling all sci-fi fans, this is one HOT movie not to be missed!
Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorites
Review: Stargate is an excellent and original science fiction movie. A lot of science fiction is the type that normally only appeals to sci fi fans, but Stargate has enough of a plot to appeal to a wider audience than one would typically expect from such a film. The Ultimate edition has a short documentary - "Is There a Stargate?" It caters to the ancient astronaut theory, which is questionable, but it was a nice touch to add to the dvd. As for the director's cut included, it has only one more scene than the theatrical release, but it does help a little with laying the background premise of the film.
Rating:
Summary: can't think of a better sci-fi movie
Review: indeed this is probably the best sci-fi movie, personally speaking of course. i've seen it countless times and this special edition includes the way-better director's cut which features more depth and more action. first i'll mention that the actores are all amazing - james spader and jay williamson in particular deliver exceptional performances, especially during their scenes together (i'd even say you can write a queer studies seminar paper on ra's character), and mili avital was an excellent casting choice as well (though too bad she has not gathered much momentum since and mainly does israeli tv nowadays). dvd-wise the featurettes are great, especially the erich von däniken segment, the director/producer commentary is very very interesting as well just because of the great thought and resources that went into creating this film. i have to say that the reason this is one of the best sci-fi films ever is because it's so well researched, and it doesn't try to make itself simple to understand for the average joe viewer. i've also read the novel adaptation and it's the same case there as well. when you compare this movie to the tripe that's usually being produced when it comes to sci-fi, you can see that there is a clear motivation for everything and even a highly believable scenario - aliens don't just come to earth out of the blue, just like von däniken's book states, there has always been enough 'evidence' on earth to suggest that the ra character exists, that the stargate existed etc.. of course it's all far-fetched but not impossible nonetheless. finally the musical score in the movie is one of the greatest scores ever so make sure you have your sorround system installed for this movie.
Rating:
Summary: The okay movie that became a really great television series
Review: It is interesting to watch the 1994 "Stargate" film from the perspective of the spin-off television series, "Stargate SG-1," which is on its way to becoming the longest running science-fiction series of all-time. As was the case with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," we have an okay film that becomes a first-rate television series. Once upon a time, 1928 to be exact, archeologists discovered a strange disc buried in the sand of Egypt. The next thing we know we are in the present, and Egyptologist Daniel Jackson (James Spader), is having his colleagues walk out on him as he explains his radical theory about the ancient Egyptians and their language. But then a mysterious old woman (Viveca Lindfors) gives him an invitation to travel to a secret military base buried beneath the Rocky Mountains to do translations. Jackson has nothing else to do, so he shows up, immediately corrects all the mistakes and figures out all the mysteries, and the next thing we know he is being shown the Stargate. He then joins a military group led by Colonel Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell), who has been recalled back to active duty to find out where you go to when you step through the Stargate. The answer is you go to the other side of the known universe where you discover a desert planet where an alien who was known as Ra (Jaye Davidson) by the ancient Egyptians is lording it over the local humanoids. This movie is mostly eye candy. Being shot on a desert planet means that it has lots of scenes shot in bright sunlight, which really is unusual for a science fiction film, where they tend to be dark and murky. "Stargate" brings back the same sort of ideological tension between scientists and the military that we enjoyed during the 1950s with films like "The Thing From Another World," as Jackson is all excited to explore a brave new world and O'Neill is looking for an excuse to blow everything up with the nuke in the big suitcase. Truth about this movie is that it the ideas are a lot better than than the execution. The idea of the Stargate is a nice way of circumventing the laws of physics that scoff at warp drive and other narrative necessities to a good space yarn. It is not a far leap of logic to get from this one Stargate to the idea that there are others, and there is also the nice corrollary that this system explains why there are so many humans scattered throughout the galaxy where they all live on oxygen breathing planets. Beyond that the television series picks up on the Jackson-O'Neill dyad, reducing it to the idea that one is an academic and the other is a warrior and never the twain shall meet. Of course Richard Dean Anderson's O'Neill is even quirkier than Spader's Jackson, while Michael Shanks's Jackson starts off even more humorless than Russell's O'Neill. But it all works, so why quibble? The original "Stargate" ends up being more about style than substance, which is why it is so interesting that the television series could find something substantial upon which to build a television series. If you have yet to see "Stargate" in any version, then you are strongly urged to proceed immediately from this 1994 film to the first season of "Stargate SG-1." Even if you find this film tedious, just get through it and move on to the good stuff. You could not pass go and head directly for season one of "Stargate SG-1," but you really need to know the players and some of the rules of the game before hand.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Film That Spawned A TV Series
Review: Not many films can say that they have spawned a television series. None that I can think of other than Stargate can say they've spawned a series that's lasted as long as Star Trek: The Next Generation. That's a feat in my book! This film takes the viewer to Egypt where an ancient device is unearthed. The device, the Stargate, has the power to hurtle a traveler to distant parts of the universe almost instantly. A team consisting of Col. Jack O'Neill (Kurt Russell), his team of soldiers, and Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader), an Egyptologist go through the gate to explore the world on the other side. They find the planet populated, and learn that not all the beings they meet are friendly. The action and special effects in this film are first-rate. The actors are all excellent, and play very believable parts. Spader in particular does a very good job playing the geek. Russell, similar to his role in 'Soldier', plays a stone-cold military robot, only so because of extenuating circumstances you'll see in the film. The special edition DVD is filled with extras such as deleted scenes that have been put back into the film. These scenes add to the overall experience of the film and help the viewer to understand the characters better. I particularly enjoy the 'making of' featurettes. Pick this one up, it's a keeper!
Rating:
Summary: Stargreat... oh aye
Review: This film is without a doubt one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time. You can't knock it. The way it make the Pyramids to have been made by aliens in a convincing way is great, and it doesn't try to expose to much in a short time, knowing that there is going to be a continuation of the story. And the cast... great. Kurt Russell and James Spader are superb together. When i recently heared that the producer and director of the movie wanted to do a trilogy and heard the premise for them, i'm glad they didn't, because the TV show (SG1), has taken the stargate franchise to new heights, and it's more intersting. If you've seen the series, get this to see where it all began. You won't be dissapointed.
Rating:
Summary: Flawed, but well worth your time
Review: Excellent concepts and terrific special effects. James Spader is very cool, but Kurt Russell doesn't have much to work with and only has one expression throughout the movie. The TV series takes all the best elements and does an amazing job.
Stargate SG 1 is certainly the best sci fi today.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent actioner, burdened w/more FX than a script
Review: In "Stargate" an ultra-secret experiment on a mysterious ancient Egyptian artifact discovers it to be a device for traveling over huge distances of interstellar space. How or why the device works proves less important than getting it to work. So, with eccentric Egyptologist "Mr. Jackson" (Spader), and led by burnt out Col. Jack O'Neal (Russell), a crack team of American commando travels through the gate and finds themselves on a distant planet on the other edge of the galaxy. There, they will find a primitive civilization of humans looking pretty much like those of Pharonic Egypt. They will also learn the secret of the Stargate's creator, and its dark plans for humanity. Turns out that the gate was created by a super-intelligent being who used super-science to essentially create the ancient Egyptian empires. Fearing its power, the Egyptians thus trapping the being on the other side of the gate by sealing the gate at their end. Now realizing the way is open to return to Earth, and feeling somewhat vindictive, the being plans to attack our planet. Only Jackson and O'neal stand in its way. This was a nifty idea for a movie, though not a very original one. (If "Independence Day" was like "War of the Worlds" with F-18's, then "Stargate" was a rip-off of the "Dr. Who" serial "Pyramids of Mars" of 1975 - both feature a vindictive demi-godly Egyptian being trapped on one side of a stargate; "Stargate" swaps Tom Baker's jibes for Kurt Russell's machine guns). The flick generates little suspense (Spader's character can read the hieroglyphics that helpfully explain the premise behind the being that created the Stargate) and the villains (once we've determined that they are just that) have little depth or menace - the script calls for them to look like ancient Egyptians, which gives them the appearance you'd expect from CB Demille. Spader and Russell are two interesting actors, but the script gives them little to work off each other with. O'Neal, we learn early on, is grief and guilt stricken because his son accidentally killed himself with O'Neal's gun. By the end of the flick, he's found his groove again, and is ready to battle evil - but the turnabout seems shallow, and doesn't seem as much fun as it should. Like the rest of the movie, it's big and loud, and not as much fun as it should be.
Rating:
Summary: Well, it comes before the series...
Review: I own this because it comes before the series. The series is better. Basically it's about a gate that was left on earth by aliens who built the pyramids. The gate takes you to the middle of the Sahara desert... oh, wait, it takes you to a far-off world where there are Bedouin - Ooops, no, not Bedouin, other humans seperated from earth. Sorry, I got confused. Anyways, it's neat and you should watch it, then watch the series.
|
