Review of Stargate: The Ark of Truth (2008) by Van C — 01 Mar 2008

Realistically, anyone watching this flick has usually been a fan for anywhere from 11 to 14 years (14 in my case) so it's kind of a given that the film would have to be pretty dire in order to disappoint. Not that it ever does, Ark of Truth is an absolute belter of a movie and worth watching for every single second.

It's easy enough to dismiss it as just a really long episode of the series but there are some subtle enough differences to set it apart. For one thing, it's decidely more violent. Sure, Stargate has always had a certain level of military violence but a near ten minute long sequence of Cameron getting the ever-loving crap kicked out of him to the extent of looking literally eight seconds away from death is a new concept for the franchise. Likewise to a few other sequences, particular one involving a closed door that ranks amongst one of the darkest moments Stargate has ever seen.

The production values also seem noticeably improved. For a sci-fi flick made on a paltry $7 million, Ark of Truth looks frankly amazing - exemplified superbly by a sequence involving Teal'C's trek through an alien mountain range. There's been a high demand for theatrical Stargate movies for a long time now and if they can expand the production values on something that looks THIS good already then it's a justified demand if ever there was one.

Addressing the flick's accessibility for a non-fan, it's really not going to float anyone's boat. Of the three villains faced by SG-1 here, two of them have literally years of backstory to follow on from and while maybe an extra half hour could have padded the film out with enough exposition to explain them, it would have taken something away from what is ultimately a ninety minute sci-fi adrenaline shot to any fan of the franchise.

An absolute high point for Stargate and one I will watch again and again, Ark of Truth is a superb closing to the Stargate franchise's ongoing storyline, while still leaving the way clear for more stories to come. And they can't come soon enough.