Stargate

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Summary: Don't believe the previous comments!
Review: This movie is the one of the best ever made. The series is much better, but don't miss this one, you'll regret it.

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Summary: StarGate SE Alot better than old flip disc!
Review: This special edition of Stargate is a very good dvd. It's picture quality may be a little bad at times but the added footage, not having to flip the disc, and the edition of the directors commentary which is pretty good makes this a dvd woth buying if you are a fan of the movie!

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Summary: Stargate
Review: I love this movie. The premise behind it is unique and very interesting. The special effects are excellent for 1994, and the actors are superb. I really enjoy it. I reccomend the special edition--extra footage and widescreen!

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Summary: .
Review: I have not seen the special edition, but I would be profoundly surprised if it much improved upon this poor film. A few nifty effects and a potentially interesting premise are all that this movie has going for it. The characters are flat and unengaging, the pacing is awkward, the details are corny, the aesthetics are disappointing, the action isn't very exciting, and ... well, you get the idea. The fact that this film gets so many good reviews simply reminds me what painfully low standards many science fiction fans seem to have.

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Summary: Let's take a ride on the Egyptian Express!
Review: From watching the opening twenty minutes of this film, I got the idea that this would be an updated cinema version of the short-lived Irwin Allen TV series "The Time Tunnel". A small squad of soldiers and one archaeologist (James Spader) are led by an air force officer (Kurt Russell) who somehow miraculously and unexplainedly overcomes severe depression caused by the accidental shooting death of his son. Spader's character deciphers the hieroglyphic symbols on a circular piece of stone and discovers it's really a gate providing a shortcut to another civilization somewhere on a planet in another galaxy. When a mechanical probe sent through the gate reveals there's a life-sustainable planet on the other side, the small armed force passes through and finds the planet holds a civilization quite similar to the ancient Egyptian one found on earth about four thousand years ago. This civilzation is technologically superior to ours on earth, but is socially stifled also. The leader is a youthful "god" Ra (Jaye Davidson), supposedly the personification of the Egyptian sun god. Ra leads a small group of individuals who are accepted as "gods" by the great masses who serve as ignorant slaves. Russell and company intermingle with the slaves and get them organized to eventually overthrow their false god masters. What then follows is a battle that appears very similar to the ones in the Star Wars films; the Yuma, Arizona desert provides the backdrop for a struggle between slave and master. From watching this, it appears the producers of this film wanted to point out three different things: 1) It's quite plausible our own civilization on earth is the product of extraterrestrials landing here in a time at or before the dawn of recorded history. 2) Religion is a product of man's own ignorance or unexplainability of scientific phenomena. 3) No matter how technically-advanced a civilization may be, it cannot survive when it's too dependent on slavery. This film gave me the idea that on this planet, all the right ingredients for a major social reform were there all of the time; it just took Russell and company to provide the catalyst for the chemical reaction to become spontaneous. The DVD version is not the greatest; the picture quality is not quite there and it's recorded on both sides of the disc when the movie is not really that long (a little less than two hours). This was probably one of the earliest movies to be transferred to DVD, which probably accounts for its presentation on a two-sided disc.

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Summary: A real special edition
Review: The special edition of Stargate certainly is worth buying. The deleted scenes are very interesting and create an even stronger atmosphere. I will never ever watch the normal version of the movie again.

But there is one big catch: The picture quality of the DVD really is bad. But if you liked Stargate, then i definitly recommend this DVD.

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Summary: Special Edition Review
Review: I see that some of the reviews below must refer to an older release of the disc. The Special Edition is a single sided disc. The opening menu provides the viewer with the option to watch the film as it was shown in cinemas or to watch it with extra footage (the default setting).

I find this film to be highly enjoyable. Its not too taxing but it has a sense of adventure lacking in other films. There is a sense of wonder about this film that makes it watchable (sadly the TV series lacks the film's charm, pace and sense of wonder and imagination).

The only negative point regarding the DVD is the picture quality. The film is okay until the scene when Ra's ship first lands. As the dust swirls the picture quality noticeably drops - evidently there were problems trying to compress this image and in order to avoid artefacting something had to give. In spite of this the film is watchable, the overall picture quality varies from 10/10 to 7/10. I doubt that this will spoil anyone else's enjoyment. For those who prefer 200% technical perfction from any film I doubt that there is any DVD, video cassette in existence that can satisfy them.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie, but DVD isn't worth it.
Review: Stargate is one of the best science fiction films of the last decade. The story line is very original and keeps you very entertained throughout this movie. On the other hand, the DVD version of this film is one of the worst DVD transfers to date. Some of the coloring is off, and the fact that you have to flip the disk over in mid movie is just annoying. Stargate is a great movie, but I would suggest the VHS version instead.

Rating:
Summary: A Sci-Fi film with intelligence!
Review: Like the Star Trek franchise of movies, STARGATE is actually a sci-fi film with an even mixture of intelligence and blazing action. The intertwining of an alien being the explanation for Egyptian history and mythology is not new, but is handled in a clever and exciting way. The effects are excellent as is the production design. My favorite being the rings that shoot down to transport people along with the excellent sound effect that accompanies them. The Stargate itself is also a design masterpiece; and the geometric concept behind a Stargate and the point of origin; and the idea of encoding the chevrons to get to another planet in any part of the universe....

The viewer will see how the alien influences Egyptian historical culture, (or how Egyptian historical culture influences Hollywood aliens!).

As usual, James Spader does a fine job. His scatter-brained, yet highly intelligent, Daniel Jackson is charming with just enough nerishness to pepper his character. Kurt Russel does well as the taciturn Col. O'Neil, still mourning the death of his son.

The only disappointment is the last twenty-or-so minutes where the action is definitely progressing at a breakneck speed, but in all honesty, we never do care about the otherworldly extras enough to get lost in the suspense of saving their planet. However, this is definitely one of my all time sci-fi/action favorites.

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Summary: Excellent movie with nice DVD features
Review: This movie is an excellent transfer of the original. The picture and sound quality was great, and the extra footage was very interesting. I especially liked the special DVD feature of being able to play the special edition with the extra footage, or the theatrical version without the extra footage. I would recommend this version to anyone who liked the original.