Stargate (Ultimate Edition/ Director's Cut) [Import]: Amazon.ca: Kurt Russell, James Spader, Alexis Cruz, Viveca Lindfors, Mili Avital, John Diehl, Leon Rippy, Carlos Lauchu, Djimon Hounsou, Erick Avari, French Stewart, Gianin Loffler, Roland Emmerich, Dean Devlin, Joel B. Michaels, Mario Kassar, Oliver Eberle, Peter Winther: DVD

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Product Details

Actors: Kurt Russell, James Spader, Alexis Cruz, Viveca Lindfors, Mili Avital
Directors: Roland Emmerich
Writers: Roland Emmerich, Dean Devlin
Producers: Dean Devlin, Joel B. Michaels, Mario Kassar, Oliver Eberle, Peter Winther
Format: Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC, Import
Language: English
Subtitles: Spanish
Region: Region 1 (US and Canada This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 2
MPAA Rating:
Studio: Artisan
Release Date: Feb 18 2003
Run Time: 119 minutes

Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (124 customer reviews)

ASIN: B0000844I8

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Product Description

Amazon.ca

The Stargate universe has expanded so rapidly since 1997, what with three TV series, three additional movies, and even an animated show, that it's possible to overlook the big bang that started it all. This Blu-ray release of director Roland Emmerich's 1994 Stargate theatrical film should help remedy that, especially as it's accompanied by a raft of bonus material. Emmerich and Dean Devlin, his co-screenwriter, envisioned a sci-fi epic with a working title of "Lawrence of Arabia" in Outer Space--an apt description for a big-budget project that, while sometimes burdened with some silly plot details, never fails to impress. As the film begins, archaeologists in Egypt discover the ancient stargate in 1928--yet it isn't until many decades later that the disheveled but brilliant Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader), a linguistics expert, figures out that this ancient doorway between worlds can transport humans to the far side of the universe in a matter of seconds. The discovery soon becomes a top-secret military operation, with Colonel Jack O'Neill (Kurt Russell, in a far more serious portrayal than the insouciant character played by Richard Dean Anderson in the Stargate SG-1 television series) leading a mission that lands him, Jackson, and a group of soldiers on a desert planet where a primitive race lives under the heavy hand of Ra (Jaye Davidson, fresh off an Oscar-nominated performance in The Crying Game), an omnipotent Egyptian god who's kept himself alive through the millennia by inhabiting a human body. The visitors get along fine with the peaceful villagers (indeed, Jackson falls in love with one of them), but Ra and his minions are a different story, especially once Ra realizes that O'Neill intends to destroy the stargate, thus prohibiting any further travel to Earth. In the end, despite the story's lofty pretensions (it's suggested that the bad guys visited here some 10,000 years earlier--so might we all be descended from aliens?), lots of stuff gets blown up, and our heroes… well, suffice to say that there aren't a lot of surprises, which is by no means a bad thing.

Stargate is an impressive technical achievement; the sets are magnificent, the effects are convincing (especially since it was made at a time when computer-generated imagery was in an embryonic stage), and the distant planet's inhabitants even speak a version of ancient Egyptian. All of that is explained in the better and more recent of two making-of featurettes contained in the bonus material. Other extras include an unrated, extended (by about eight minutes) cut of the film; featurettes examining the possibility of a real stargate and other pseudo-science; a gag reel; a trivia contest; audio commentary by Emmerich and Devlin; and an interesting picture-in-picture "ultimate knowledge" option in which various experts discuss the production's Egyptian iconography and other details. --Sam Graham

Special Features

Nothing beats a sci-fi movie with wall-shaking sound, and the Stargate Ultimate Edition delivers the goods with 6.1 DTS ES and 5.1 Dolby Digital EX. Yes, Stargate has been released on DVD numerous times, but this 2003 version is the best yet, with improved sound and a generally clean picture that's now anamorphic widescreen rather than letterbox. Held over from the previous Special Edition are the combination of the theatrical cut and director's cut (nine minutes longer), and a commentary track by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin on the latter. The other new features worth mentioning are two documentaries: a 12-minute discussion of Erich Von Däniken's (Chariots of the Gods) studies of possible alien visitors, and a 23-minute making-of feature that concentrates on the film's design and production. So maybe the supplemental material isn't overly generous, and English subtitles would have been nice, but what counts most is the film itself, and even owners of previous versions are going to want to upgrade to the Ultimate Edition, especially at the very attractive price. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Through the Stargate July 9 2007

By E. A Solinas HALL OF FAME TOP 10 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

"Stargate" is, obviously, the movie that later spawned the hit "Stargate SG-1" TV series, and its spinoffs.

But taken on its own merits, "Stargate" is a pretty entertaining blockbuster with some big flaws. It uncomfortably straddles the fence between "shoot-em-up bombs'n'action" and "mythology sci-fi," but provides a solid villain, some sketchy writing, and the foundation for a hit TV show. Well, it's definitely far better than your average sci-fi blockbuster.

Egyptologist Daniel Jackson (James Spader) has just lost his job, when a mysterious old lady invites him to become involved in a secret military project. Soon he finds out why -- a massive stone ring found in Giza decades ago, with strange symbols on a central ring. When they use his calculations, the Air Force is able to open a wormhole to a distant galaxy.

Obviously a recon team is sent through, led by the grieving Colonel O'Neil (Kurt Russell). This new world is a desert planet, inhabited by a race of primitive human slaves who practically worship the strangers. But things turn deadly when a pyramid ship descends on the desert, and a malevolent "god" decides to obliterate Earth -- using a nuclear bomb O'Neil brought along.

It's a pretty straightforward action plot -- scientist opens gateway to new planet, bad guy shows up and makes trouble, good guys attack bad guy with the help of plucky natives. "Stargate" doesn't add much to the typical formula, but it does dress it up with gilded robes, giant stone statues, glittering starships and sandswept deserts.

In fact, spectacle is what "Stargate" excels at -- it has big armies of invading, big ships, big pyramids, and big battles with Ra's warriors. When it comes to gun battles and explosions, Roland Emmerich does a pretty decent job. However, he gets mesmerized by the gilded interior of Ra's starship and the prettyboy alien slinking around -- the middle part of the movie is very slow-moving.

It's more clumsy at the intimate stuff of character development, such as Daniel's serious romance with a chief's daughter, or O'Neil's depression over his son. It just never feels natural or deep. The accompanying dialogue is usually pretty solid, but sometimes gets downright clumsy ("I don't want to die. Your men don't want to die. These people don't want to die. It's a shame you're in such a hurry to").

Spade pretty much steals the show as a lovable geek who sticks to his guns, even if it makes him a laughingstock. And the geek gets the girl, not the military grunts -- a nice change. Russell is stuck with a rather stiff, humourless military man, although he loosens up in the last lap. And Alexis Cruz, Mili Avital and Erick Avari all get kudos for making the lovable, deep characters come alive without a word of English.

"Stargate" is a fun movie for the spectacle and slam-bang action scenes, so long as the weak scripting doesn't hold you up. And it served as a good foundation for one of the best "exploration" sci-fi series in ages.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Widescreen Pleasure... April 7 2009

By Seamatron

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought myself this DVD for my birthday as it has been a favorite for a long time. I prefer wide-screen version and the featurette interview was a nice bonus! It would have been nice if it had closed-captioning or english sub-titles but the picture is clear and sharp and the sound is good. Get a copy for yourself and enjoy!

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