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Why the Stargate movie still holds up 15 years later
It's probably been 15 years since I last saw Stargate, although it's no particular fault of the film's; indeed, it's director Roland Emmerich's earliest movies as a mainstream Hollywood filmmaker that have enjoyed the most longevity, or at least audience affection. (In comparison to Independence Day or even Universal Soldier, it's hard to imagine that 10,000 B.C. will be remembered as fondly, if at all.)
But in retrospect, Stargate seems like the right idea at the right time: combining scientific theory with swashbuckling action, the film continues to be a crowd pleaser even today, which is why its new 15th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray offers a welcome reintroduction to the film's populist charms, complete with plenty of new bonus content.
Not perhaps unlike the original Lethal Weapon, Stargate isn't shackled but certainly seeded with tragedy that threatens to undermine its otherwise featherweight touch: James Spader's character's professional ostracism notwithstanding, Kurt Russell's general is tormented by the accidental death of his son, and when we first meet him he's sitting on a bed with a gun, apparently contemplating suicide (or at the very least reconsidering a career in the military).
But it's these two against-type performances that fortify the film's oddball appeal: Spader's wincing smile, so often used as a deliverer of condescension, now registers each larger-than-life revelation with goofy acceptance, while Russell's steely wildness has been molded into melancholy pragmatism, providing the fantastic escapism of the plot with a palpable emotional reality.
That said, the movie is a fairly perfect combination of light touches and genuine intensity; for every moment of banana-peel humor, there's a suspenseful showdown, and vice versa. As a pastiche of David Lean-style epics, familiar science fiction texts, mystical mumbo-jumbo, and breezy action, Stargate really gratifies in the most generalized way possible, which is precisely why it continues to resonate, spawning an entire universe of mythology and storytelling that spans TV series, comic books, and video games.
While the film has been released a few times on DVD, the new Blu-ray betters its predecessors primarily with bonus content, since the presentation of the film itself often leaves much to be desired. In particular, there's a remarkable amount of flicker in many of the images on screen, which is something that, color quality or grain detail aside, should be absent in high definition. Unfortunately, this doesn't even refer to the effects shots, which are notoriously susceptible to visual deterioration since older films required multiple passes on the same source material to achieve a specific effect; rather, even in dialogue scenes there's a faintness and that flicker of digital information that suggests the transfer was prepared for standard rather than high-definition presentation.
That said, the remainder of the extras are fully satisfying: the disc features both the theatrical cut and an extended edition that was released a few years ago, as well as a commentary track with Emmerich and writer-producer Dean Devlin, an interactive trivia challenge, a picture-in-picture presentation that provides interview footage and production images, a three-part documentary about the film's making, legacy and impact, and a new gag reel. Actually, to be fair, the gag reel isn't particularly satisfying; rather than compiling flubs or mistakes, its' one extended take where members of the cast and crew wreak havoc on set, and while it's kind of fun, so little of it works (a guy with a chainsaw fails to chop Emmerich's director's chair in half) that it's more a waste of time than a filler of it.
Otherwise, the documentaries detail the way in which Emmerich and Devlin were still largely unknown quantities in Hollywood when they started on the film, how they modeled it on so many of the films and franchises that inspired them, and then how they translated that into something that eventually became a sleeper hit upon its release in 1994. While there are no particularly shocking revelations to be found, the majority of the information is presented briskly and proves entertaining even to a casual fan of the film.
The rest of the extras are essential the same as in previous editions, including a "making of" documentary and a featurette entitled "Is There A Stargate?" But ultimately the only shortcoming of this collection of content is the presentation of the film itself—although to be fair, it's hardly prohibitive for folks who might be buying the movie for the first time, and otherwise looks okay in terms of clarity and cleanliness.
Overall, however, Stargate 15th Anniversary Special Edition is an engaging collection based on the strength of the film's story and the substance of the bonus content, even if the way it's presented sometimes leaves something to be desired.
By Andreas at 9:50 AM ON 11/05/09
Nice review.
"Kurt Russell's general"
Ahem. Colonel. Which in any case is probably too high a rank for this mission. A Captain would have been more appropriate given the size of the contingent. Still, I can understand the choice given the high profile. A General would have been too high. General is not a field grade rank and would not have been right.
But I digress... ;)
By a different tim at 10:07 AM ON 11/05/09
Rmrmeber in the original movie when they kept seeing that eye symbol? And James Spader kept saying "Oh yeah that's the eye of Ra" He said it a bunch of time and he was wrong everytime. It was actually the eye of Horus. Why does hollywood do that? Huh? why? Lol sorry that was my biggest beef with the film, other than that I liked it.
By Carpe at 10:13 AM ON 11/05/09
"...it's hard to imagine that 10,000 B.C. will be remembered as fondly, if at all."
I think many people who saw 10,000 B.C. overlook its quasi-prequel similarities to Stargate:
The idea that the Pyramids were built long before the Egyptians.
A god/leader overseeing the Pyramid construction who some believe came from the stars.
The prominence of the constellation Orion.
The god/leader wearing metal finger coverings.
One of the characters speaking in a voice very similar to Ra's.
Superficial similarities? Maybe. But I think Emmerich was having some fun with them.
By UnRiel at 10:55 AM ON 11/05/09
I don't buy the DVDs for the extras. I like DVD for the ability to tell a more comprehensive story than can be supported in a theater. It's disappointing that so far as I can tell only Peter Jackson has taken real advantage of this by producing the LOTL extended editions.
By malohombre at 12:06 PM ON 11/05/09
I always laugh when that ugly kid finally decides to run ,then gets blasted and all you see is his helmet bouncing down !
By ommytror at 12:12 PM ON 11/05/09
Carpe I totally thought the same thing when I watched 10,000 B.C. The similarities are certainly uncanny it always entertaining when creators make shout outs to their other works (provided they aren't too distracting).
By JohnnyB.Damned at 12:50 PM ON 11/05/09
I loved StarGate from the moment I saw it, and still prefer it to the endless SyWhy incarnations...PLEASE nobody do a "re-imagining"!!!
Has anybody ever noticed how similar the score (though still enjoyable) is to John Williams' Star Wars themes?
Stargate is a phenomenal showcase of Patrick Tatapolis' early work at its most elaborate.
I agree about the whole Eye of Ra/Horus bit, too. LOL
By DrunkenScholar at 3:22 PM ON 11/05/09
JohnnyB.Damned you are cracked in the head. SG-1 took the Stargate mythos to epic heights. It makes the movie THAT much better because it is the beginning of a much larger story.
By javaman at 3:46 PM ON 11/05/09
This was a good movie. I can't believe Emmerich was involved, much less at the helm. Most of his other movies are lame (ie. ID4, 10K BC, etc). But this one rocks.
By thunderstud at 7:57 PM ON 11/05/09
I just want to say this is actually the SECOND Blu-Ray version of this movie. There's another earlier one with the cover to the last DVD version out there too. I checked both at the store and it seems like the two Blu-Ray editions are pretty much identical as far as extra content goes. This is just a re-package, I think.
By Sheep Farm at 10:26 PM ON 11/05/09
You know what really stood out about this movie? Do you why everyone, even those with little interest in Mythology and Science Fiction like it so much?
I don't know why. But, I'll venture to guess that it was because of the superb acting.
By jolinar at 11:13 PM ON 11/05/09
Scene:
Colonal Jonathan "Jack" O'Neil (Kurt Russell) fighting a Horus Guard.
GIVE MY REGARDS TO KING TUT ASSHOLE!!!
By Gill Avila at 1:22 AM ON 11/06/09
I'm still bothered by the fact that SG-1's Jack O'Neill says his son's name was Charley when in the kid's room in the original movie the awards all say Tyler O'Neill.
By noahhager at 5:42 AM ON 11/06/09
15 years later still super popular, with multiple spin-offs. I wonder how many times they have doubled their money.
By loonyboi at 9:37 AM ON 11/06/09
Stargate the movie was painful in its day, and remains pretty bad even now.
It's better to watch as a prologue to SG-1, where they took the clumsy ideas and fleshed it out into something sticking with.
The movie itself is dull and cliche. It wants to have the military awesomeness of Aliens but can't get the script right to get there.
By fanbla72 at 5:29 AM ON 11/07/09
i gotta see this film again.
i saw at the cinema back in the day and remember feeling duped and cringing about half to three quarters through. i think i was shaking my fist as the credits rolled.
probably my fault, but i was expecting a little more thought provoking sc-fi mystery and a lot less action style shoot em ups. the trailers had a lot to do with my misconception.
By scubafiend at 1:33 PM ON 11/11/09
loonyboi, SEEK HELP and watch the film again. It isn't striving to be a military movie in and of itself any more than SG1 is a military show. If that is all you got from either, you are missing the point on both groundbreaking productions.
By Rhodohilo at 8:41 PM ON 11/11/09
As the same with Star Trek, why do the higher line officers HAVE to be the ones putting their egos on the line? In the real (sic) world, higher ranks stayed away from front lines. Especially colonels. Kurt Russell made the best army position. James Spader took the prize for best Michael Jackson. Shanks did okay with having new phd's each episode. But, hey, How many other officers didn't come back from a bad gate event? Just like Star Trek, there was always a 'new' character that bites the bullet almost every episode. Now, all SG shows have valuable cast members risking their talents in going where no one has gone before... LOL right
By Rhodohilo at 8:44 PM ON 11/11/09
Michael Jackson = Dr. Daniel Jackson. Too much Red Bull for breakfast...ugh
By wrack at 3:30 PM ON 11/13/09
Excellent! This is how reviews should be written. Wish they would do as well when reviewing novels.
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wrack:
Excellent! This is how reviews should be written. Wish they would do as well when reviewing novels....More »