Review of Stargate (1994) by Russell G — 16 Nov 2016

Combining aliens, gateways to unknown places in space and time and the history of ancient Egypt is a unique and exciting idea. By studying Egyptian ruins and artifacts, a team of historians and scientists under control of the United States military, open a gateway to another world.

The story takes time to introduce you to a likable but overlooked historian character played by James Spader. The audience parallels his experiences as his pessimism slowly turns into curiosity, then excitement and then ultimately of wonder.

Spader's enthusiasm and sheer joy of uncovering ancient mysteries keep the movie fun. It is particularly helpful to the movie by sharply contrasts the stern attitudes of the military crew around him.

The light situational humor and Spader make for a playful take on a conceptual science fiction adventure like this. Action during the climax does quite not hold up to the rest of the movie. It does not look particularly bad for its time, but has a somewhat campy feel to it.

Without establishing the playful tone earlier, this could cause the entire production to collapse, but because it is there, it still works. It is a wildly imaginative concept. No wonder a successful television series followed it to expand the idea and build off this story.