Review of Stargate (1994) by James C — 11 Mar 2012

When an ancient artifact is discovered in Egypt with mysterious markings, the US government calls in a specialist in languages to decipher them, little knowing the adventure that lies ahead.

The idea of mixing Egyptian mythology and science-fiction is not new and has been done in books for years, but it is a subject matter that has only been touched a few times by the Hollywood machine, and 'Stargate' is probably the best known example. With the cast, effects and obvious budget of a blockbuster, this movie still stands out from the rest as it has a slightly more grown-up feel with it's storyline and characterizations. The plot is quite engaging, but does tend to drag a bit in places, but the action (though sporadic) does keep the viewer involved. The characters are all well written (especially Kurt Russell's), and are all played to the max by the cast. The gore is virtually non-existent, but it is one of those movies where you do not expect any graphic violence. I have always been a bit of a sucker for Egyptian mythology, and the sets and costume design are incredibly well handled. All in all, this a great movie that jump-started an entire franchise, and it still stands out today as being one of the only 90's summer SF blockbusters that didn't have a completely generic story, and is more story driven then explosion after explosion.