Stargate : La Porte des étoiles

I first saw STARGATE about seven years ago and left with memories of thinking that it was in some way an old fashioned movie . I couldn't put my finger on why I thought this was an old fashioned movie but after seeing it again tonight I can perhaps explain it better now

STARGATE isn't so much as " old fashioned " , it's just got a rather old type of plot that's versatile . It's almost like a Tarzan movie from the 1940s where a bunch of good white guys ( In movies in those days bad guys were usually white - The good guys were always white ) team up with the king of the jungle in order to fight a bunch of evil slave traders . The story could easily be reworked with a bunch of 18th century good guys led by Errol Flynn getting shipwrecked on an island where they meet noble natives and defend them from evil pirates . Rewatching this movie again after a gap of several years I often forgot that I was watching a far fetched SF blockbuster and thought I was watching a historical drama , something that's not to be taken as a criticism . I also became aware of subtle plot points that I'd missed on first viewing . For example I thought the death of O'Neil's son was so underdeveloped that it was totally unnecessary to include this in the movie but there's a couple of scenes where it is important to the plot later on . I also knew that the movie wasn't going to be an ALIENS type of movie , something the original trailers confused me about . let's face it , a special forces team creeping about a dark pyramid . It's got be similar in tone to ALIENS . If that's what you think STARGATE is going to be about you'll be as disappointed as I was first time I saw it

Of the cast Kurt Russell and his special forces group are slightly wooden but I won't criticise the cast since these type of characters always lack flair in these genre movies . James Spader is slightly unconvincing as hero Dan Jackson due to wimpish nature and effette hairstyle ( Was Jackson conceived as a female character ? ) but Jaye Davidson is absolutely superb as Ra . This is the same Jaye Davidson from THE CRYING GAME and I was totally shocked to find this was the second and last feature film he appeared in . According to the trivia section of STARGATE it appears he's difficult to work with but someone cast him in more movies please

As for the Roland Emmerich / Dean Devlin partnership there are a few faults . One is the opening of the script that contains no hook and fools the audience into thinking they'll be watching a RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK type movie which they won't be . The script also contains a few unlikely plot holes such as the special forces team taking some GPS equipment with them something that wouldn't work on a planet where humanity had never been , and also discovering in an unlikely scenario that they won't be able to return to Earth thanks to Jackson . There is a very interesting point to the subtext however and that is that if there is a god it doesn't necessarily mean he'll be benign or good . Food for thought . Thankfully Emmerich doesn't go overboard on the CGI while he also had the good sense ( Say it again ) to cast Jaye Davidson as Ra

By no means a classic SF movie STARGATE is solid entertainment and is rather more enjoyable on second viewing

Stargate is one of those great movies that hasn't got the respect it deserves. At first I thought the movie was about time travel since they go to a place that is like Ancient Egypt, which didn't really interest me at all. Then I caught an episode of the T.V. show and got curious. When I saw the movie I was blown away. The special effects were ones I had never really seen before (such as opening the Stargate for the first time). I was getting tired of seeing sci-fi movies where every alien race spoke perfect English and I thought I would experience that until the team met with the villagers which I thought was better. It's always cool to see Kurt Russel kicking ass in films. It was also different to see James Spader play the semi-nerdy guy instead of the asshole he mainly plays. I was also amazed when Roland Emmerich chose one of the simplest villains for a movie, an ancient Egyptian god. I watch this movie every week and I never get tired of it.

Stargate's plot, acting, and score all contribute beautifully to the mysterious ambiance that is the essence of this enthralling and suspenseful film. While your disbelief definitely needs to be suspended to cover some inconsistencies, the atmosphere and action of the movie make it worth your while. Not only does Stargate combine science fiction with history, but it weaves them together in a way that remains exciting the entire film, despite major changes of environment. Upon hearing some major elements of the film, one might think that aliens, ancient Egypt, and atomic bombs could only come together in some kind of bizarre montage. However, this film is strongly plot-driven, and while this does make it typical in some respects, the plot itself is remarkable. Hardly artsy, the score is in many places Hollywood-ish, presenting emotion in a straightforward manner, yet it too is enjoyable. None of the acting is spectacular, but this is made up for by the characters' wholesome qualities and ability to change (however slightly) over the course of the movie. To summarize, while nothing in the film is a complete divergence from the standard, it follows the Hollywood style in a manner that is original enough to make a solid and enjoyable adventure. This is the actualization of the potential within the Hollywood film "template": a good story told well in all respects. [9/10]

Stargate is a terrific movie that has produced 2 hit TV shows, conventions and fans from all over the world. This movie started it all. I found it in my Uncle's basement and decided to watch it. It has an interesting storyline tying in Ancient Egyptian Mythology to make it even more interesting. It's about a struggling archaeologist with strange ideas about the gods and rulers of Ancient Egypt. Only one person is willing to believe him, and recruits him for a translator. What they find is even more amazing than they expected.

It's a highly underrated movie, in my opinion it's better than most sci-fi movies and very interesting.

For the 90s this is a decent scifi film, the characters were well cast and the storyline was interesting. The effects and costuming are pretty good. Russel and Spader make for unlikely duo, but they kind off work.