Customer Reviews

Stargate

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I had seen Stargate many many years ago, and I had forgotten alot about it except that I liked it. On TV I saw a few programs of Stargate SG-1. I liked them so much that when I saw the 10 season box set come availiable on Amazon I bought it. I love it. I just started season 10. So when I saw the Ultimate Edition of the original Stargate movie on Amazon, I scored that too.

Well I watched the Ultimate edition and did I ever learn lots of cool stuff about SG-1. It was a win/win situation. Actually Stargate the movie is technically way better than the SG-1 but what the heck it's a movie. If you're a SG-1 fan GET THIS MOVIE. You will learn where the Gooaulds come from.

I rate it top marks. 5 stars.

I must admit that when I first saw this movie, I marveled at the then incredible effects and cinematography. It involved a story that was unique and piqued my interest as I've often marveled at the civilizations of ancient Egypt and the Great Pyramid.

Altho I did thuroughly enjoy this flick, I certainly don't think it's worth the $1,918.98 list price even WITH the free shipping. It's not even the DVD format version!

All in all, save your money and wait for it to be shown on the TNT network again.

I must admit that when I saw Stargate, I was amazed at the then incredible graphics. The storyline itself was rather unique and piqued my interest since I often marveled at the history of ancient Egypt and the Great Pyramid.

Nevertheless, although being an entertaining flick, I certainly don't think it's worth $1,918.98 list price even WITH the free shipping. It's not even in DVD format!

Save your money and just wait for it to be televised again on TNT.

If you're like me, you are really - really - getting tired of producers, film compaines, whomever there is to blame re-re-re-releasing the same DVD with different packaging, and calling it the "Ultimate" or "Supreme" or "this time it really is a Limted edition" special releases. The motivation? Raking it in from fans who expect and want more. You'd be better off spending your bucks elsewhere.

There is NOTHING to make this DVD stand out from any of the numerous previous releases. Save your money! Sure the director's cut is great - but it's on what, three previous releases?

Stargate, as a film, is really a solid example of imaginative science fiction. The characters are a little cardboard-y, and the plot is, of course, wholly unbelieavble (as is the norm for science fiction, though!)...Overall, though, this film succeeds in being very, very entertaining to watch. Additionally, the entire premise of the film is so original that it was a thoroughly enjoyable - if light - film experience. The ending had something to be desired, but this is still an entertaining movie.

Of course, this film really doesn't have much to do with the actual stargate conspiracy, but it is interesting, nonetheless. Kurt Russell does, believe it or not, an excellent job with his role and manages to balance a powerful character in this film.

Now, for this DVD. Firstly, the DVD is cheap. That's always a plus. However, all the DVD has on it is the movies: I was pretty much expecting there to be what MOST DVD's have (-ie, traliors, interviews, etc)...I was disappointed to find that this edition did not contain any theatrical trailers. There is, however, a short side-film about the Stargate and the prospect of there even being one.

First off, once you get past the idea of a Stargate the rest kind of falls into place. The government, with the help of Professor Daniel Jackson (James Spader), figures out how to work it. Pro. Jackson, with an escort of soliders led by Colonel Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell) step through it to the other side.
They find a desert planet where humans are being made to mine for the same material that the gate was made from.
The people are Egyptians who were removed from Earth over 10,000 years ago, by an alien, and even Daniel Jackson can't understand their language because living languages CHANGE.
The movie is careful to stay away from many of the cliches of most sci-fi movies but also stays away from having characters which are TOO simple. Both Daniel and Jack (played by James and Kurt) are real people, not cardboard cut-outs, with all the flaws and merits of our own reality. The natives are catch between trying to be friendly towards strangers AND not pissing off their Gods.
The science and technology used by Ra and his men look very sleek and very real. From the spaceship to the gliders, everything has a touch of old Egyptian myth mixed with advanced alien know-how.
The DVD comes with two versions of the movie, Director's Cut and the theatrical cut, in which the former has audio commentary. The DVDs also have a great 'Making of Stargate' featurette, a 'Is There a Stargate?' short starring Erich von Daniken himself, trailers, scane access, crew and cast information and production notes.
Everything you could want in a DVD set, a mixture of sound science fiction, a touch of great effects and the pinch of old fashion adventure. This is a great pop corn flick. Enjoy!

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.

In "Stargate" an ultra-secret military experiment on a mysterious ancient Egyptian artifact reveals it to be a device for crossing huge distances of interstellar space. How or why the device works proves less important than how it can be used. 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 Khemitic 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 Ra, a super-intelligent being that used super-science to create the ancient Egyptian empires. Fearing Ra's power, his ancient slaves buried their stargate, thus trapping Ra on the other side. Now realizing the way is open to return to Earth, and feeling somewhat vindictive, Ra 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 scrtipt) 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.

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.

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.