5
(usage of religious mythology)
6
6
(worth seeing more than once)
(violence, mild sexuality)
The original "Stargate" movie does not appear to have any aspirations of being a franchise. It just looks like a summer blockbuster sci-fi action movie not unlike Independence Day and other save-the-world action flicks. Of this type of movie "Stargate" is high among my favorites for numerous reasons not the least of which is the rich, complex universe created with the SG1 series (and its spinoffs).
The story begins with the discovery of a mysterious artifact, but its importance will come later. First we need to be introduced to Daniel Jackson, a guy with some outrageous ideas. He believes that there is more to the ancient Egyptian history than science has been able to explain, but since he doesn’t have any real answers nobody is willing to listen to anything he has to say: no one except Catherine who needs his help with an ancient artifact.
When Daniel discovers the full meaning of the artifact’s markings a whole new world opens up to him, literally. The Stargate creates a wormhole to another planet where a primitive tribe of people is ruled by the Egyptian god Ra, not in a figurative or superstitious manner, but by a physical being that is actually an alien parasite in a human host body.
Jack O’Neill is a capable but broken man. The loss of his son is more than he can bear. He is leading this mission to Abydos ready to blow any threats as well as himself to bits if necessary. When Ra attacks and Daniel can’t find the coordinates to reopen the stargate and get the team home Jack is ready to take them all out to stop Ra. But Ra is not so easily stopped.
As they hunt for a way to get home and put an end to Ra, Daniel discovers he must stop Jack from turning this into a suicide mission whether it needs to be or not. Are these simple villagers going to be a help or a hindrance? How do you convince someone to fight a god?
Having some interest in Biblical history I’m also familiar with a little ancient Egyptology, the inclusion of it in such an unusual and modern way is one reason I enjoy this movie so much. It takes the idea of ancient alien visitors to a whole new level and builds upon the unknown in reality to create a fictional explanation. The reality of the gods and logical explanation of them is one of the best ideas I’ve seen in a sci-fi movie in a long time.
Another element I like about the story is watching the lack of common language between the people. Part of Daniel’s challenge is learning how to communicate. It’s more realistic than coming across a race that speaks English and makes the problem of getting home that much more difficult.
The acting goes a long way to making this story work. James Spader in particular does a great job in creating a hero that is not the type commonly found in blockbuster movies. He’s not some buff ex-military type saving the world; he’s a scientist, geeky and using his mind to find solutions. It beats watching someone burst into a room and take out 50 heavily armed guys without taking a hit. Daniel comes across as someone that is not tough but not incapable either. He's a nerd, but he's also a believable hero.
Jack is more of the common action movie hero except that his emotional state in uncommonly unstable. Kurt Russell pulls this off nicely. He conveys the tumult covered by the tough military shell. While it’s no surprise to have good lead actors, what really sells the movie is the acting ability of the people of Abydos. They are all completely believable as a foreign race of people aided in part by their excellent delivery of the foreign language. I'm particularly amused by Erick Avari to the point that I have followed some of his other roles. French Stewart never fails to entertain, Mili Avital is innocently beautiful, and Jaye Davidson delivers a performance as Ra that few could hope to match.
The special effects are quite well done. The stargate effects in particular are a lot of fun to watch reminding me somewhat of hyperspace travel in Star Wars. The mechanical heads of Ra and his guards are great and the ships are realistic. There aren’t that many strange creatures since the aliens are in essence inside human bodies, but there is some flash and dash to keep the sci-fi fan satisfied.
Morality
This is a very tame movie. It barely deserves the PG13 rating. There’s almost no hint of sex. Sha'uri begins to strip for Daniel (we see bare shoulders), but he stops her.
There is a little strong language most of it very mild.
O'Neill smokes and allows one of the local kids to try it. The end result, though, is that smoking isn't a good idea.
Really there is surprisingly little violence considering this is essentially a blockbuster action with a lot of people shooting each other. Even so, people do get shot, blown up, and basically tortured by alien devices. It's never particularly graphic, and death is treated with gravity.
Spirituality
As I mentioned this story heavily revolves around Egyptian mythology. Ra exists though he is an alien with powerful technology rather than an actual deity. It would be easy for this to become the kind of story that advocates casting down all faith in all gods, but to me it feels more like standing up against a tyrannical ruler. If anything you might say that this is a story about casting down false gods without going so far as to consider if there is a true God.
I find Daniel's reaction to Sha'uri to be unusual for Hollywood. Obviously if the goal is to shoot for a PG13 rating as opposed to an R then there isn't going to be a lot of skin or sex. Even so most movies would have the hero taking the beautiful young girl to bed if only implied. Instead, Daniel covers the girl back up. Only later, after learning this was supposed to be a part of a marriage ritual, does he take her up on it after which he treats his marriage commitment to her with the utmost sincerity which will go on to be a driving force for the character in the SG1 series.
Final Thoughts
If you need a good sci-fi action movie to watch tonight check out Stargate. It’s a necessity if you’re going to really enjoy the TV show, but it’s good on its own, too.
Buying Guide
The original "Stargate" movie has seen a few different releases over the years with significant differences between them.
There are 2 Blus out there. The newest is the 15th Anniversary Edition (sometimes labeled as the “Ultimate Edition” though that may only be a region 2 designation), with the older one being the “Extended Cut.”
The Anniversary offers 2.40 widescreen at 1080p with 7.1 DTS HD audio. Reviews suggest that this is FINALLY a presentation quality worthy of this film and is a significant upgrade over anything previously available. The audio and video are highly praised. Extras include features on concepts & casting, making the film, the legacy of the story which has expanded into a TV franchise, a picture-in-picture feature with varied content, a trivia game, an interview with a real historian whose views sound similar to Dr. Jackson's, an older making-of documentary, a gag reel, a trailer, and a commentary. The first 4 in that list appear to be exclusive to the new Blu.
The older, Extended Cut Blu offers 2.33 widescreen at 1080p with 5.1 Dolby EX surround sound. Reviews give me the impression that this is a fair presentation – a noticeable improvement over the DVD's but not nearly as impressive as the newer Anniversary Blu. The only extra is the commentary.
I found listings for at least 3 different DVD versions. The “Ultimate Edition” is the latest and greatest of those. You'll get 2.35 widescreen and audio options that include 6.1 DTS ES and 5.1 Dolby EX. This is said to be a significant improvement over the previous DVD presentations and is hailed as being pretty good though not at the levels of the Blus. Extras include the interview with the historian, the making-of feature, the commentary, cast bios, production notes, and trailers. The trouble is that from what I can tell this was re-released in a lesser form with fewer extras. The 2-disc edition offers more than the 1-disc, but both are called "Ultimate."
The “Special Edition” offers the extended cut of the film and is what I will cover in detail below.
The original DVD, labeled simply “Stargate” offers questionable quality and no extras. I believe you have to flip the disc for this one.
Final Recommendation:
If you prefer DVD then you should go for the 2-disc Ultimate Edition if you care at all about video quality or bonus features. If you're buying Blu definitely get the 15th Anniversary Edition which has all of the major bonus features that came before it plus a few new ones and the best presentation quality by far. The only reason to go for any other release is because you've found it extremely cheap and are more interested in saving money than in the quality or content.
The Special Edition DVD from Artisan was the second release and is a single disc.
Video
2.35 N-A widescreen:
The widescreen image is non-anamorphic which means it plays back in a 1.33 frame. This means on a widescreen TV the image is surrounded on all sides by black bars and feels like watching the movie through a window. The image is grainy and dull with minor but noticeable flecks of trash. It's not very sharp which means details, especially if they are at any distance, are easily lost.
Audio
5.1 Dolby:
The audio is clean and fairly strong. Moments like entering Stargate Command and firing up the gate offer some pleasant rumble. The surround sound immersion is pretty good.
Packaging
The case is standard plastic.
The insert is a book full of production notes and great images as well as a chapters list (54 chapters!).
The interface has a boring menu with a little background animation and sounds of the Stargate connection scene. The chapters index marks which ones are new for the special edition.
The best part of the release is the inclusion of the director’s cut of the movie. It clocks in at about 2 hours and 9 minutes (the original is 2 hours 1 minute). The deleted scenes are great additions to the movie, well worth having. A large part of them is Ra taking his host which is interesting to see. The original theatrical version is also included here.
Extras