Review of Stargate (1994) by David A — 19 Nov 2009

Plot: James Spader plays a linguist / archaeologist hired by the government to decipher ancient hieroglyphics on an old Egyptian ring-like-thing. Turns out the ring is a Stargate, a passageway to another planet. Along with army leader Kurt Russell, Spader travels to the planet on an observation mission, and ends up inspiring the primitive inhabitants to question their self-serving authority figure, played by Jaye Davidson. Strengths: The first half hour is fantastic. The film successfully brings you into the archaeological world, and makes the Stargate?s presence both plausible and believable. Spader is marvelously geeky and likable; Russell is stoic, yet able to pull off an occasional laugh. Sound mixing and special effects are unsurpassed. Weaknesses: After they get to the planet, it takes too long for the language barrier to be broken. Clichés pop up like weeds: they get stuck on the planet; Spader falls in love with a beautiful waif; Russell?s suicidal tendencies are squelched by a youth who helps him reconcile the loss of his own son; and to top it off, the detonation of a six-minute time bomb takes the better part of fifteen minutes. Davidson may or may not have given a good performance - who can tell with his synthesized voice in a seemingly desperate attempt to de-feminize him? Final Cut: Most films require you to suspend your disbelief; this one makes it necessary to eventually abandon it altogether.

[from The Watermark, 1994-11-19].