Review of Stargate (1994) by Mason B — 17 Aug 2014
The real tragedy of Stargate is that for the first forty minutes it is a decent and fun film. Don't get me wrong, it's full of plot holes, cliches and contrivances, but there's still a great feeling of fun and discovery.
The film begins with a down-on-his-luck egyptologist played by James Spader, who is the typical awkward, bumbling yet brilliant nerd that you've seen in many other movies. Fortunately James Spader plays him very well.
He is taken to a top secret military base because he's apparently the only scientist in the world who can decipher the hieroglyphics on the Stargate, a round metal object that can transport people across the universe.
He is and a group of soldiers led by Kurt Russell decide to travel through the Stargate to see what's on the other side. So far so good. Up until this point I had been watching the screen in anticipation because I wanted to know what was on the other side of the Stargate, despite the many flaws the film had already exhibited.
It is shortly after entering the Stargate that the film seems to run completely out of ideas, and quickly becomes a very standard action-adventure. The second half of Stargate brings nothing imaginative to the screen, and piles on stereotypes and stupidity.
It happens so gradually it's actually like watching a film devolve. And to top it all off it makes absolutely no sense, with every new development just raising more questions and creating several plot holes.
By the end of the film I had become numb to the stunning predictability of it all. Stargate is a film that maddeningly takes it's interesting concept and removes every bit of ingenuity from it.
This review of Stargate (1994) was written by Mason B on 17 Aug 2014.
Stargate has generally received positive reviews.
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