Critic's Grade: D+

"Stargate" opens with a premise that inspires a sense of awe and wonderment, centering around the idea of traveling to unknown reaches of the universe in search of answers to a puzzle that begs to be solved. The story begins in 1928 with the discovery of an enormous relic in Egypt, believed to have been left behind by the ancient Egyptians, until it is discovered by present-day archaeologists that what appear to be hieroglyphics are actually a form of language as yet indecipherable.

The owner of the piece is the now-elderly daughter (Viveca Lindford) of the man responsible for the find; she's inquiring the help of Daniel Jackson (James Spader), a geeky professor whose journey to prove that the pyramids may not have been built by the Egyptians of the 4th Dynasty causes him to take great interest in her cause.

The first segment of the film involves the cracking of codes in order that the still-operational device, referred to as a stargate, may become fully functional. Once this point is reached, a team of military personnel is established, led by Commander Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell), who has recently lost his child in a handgun accident. When it is discovered that the portal on the opposite side retains its own combination of symbols different from those of the Earthy door, Jackson insists that he be able to go along in order that they will be able to return safely. And thus, their journey begins.

If only the ensuing plot developments were as involving or manipulative as those in the earlier stages of the film. Writers Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich (who also directs) do such a fantastic job setting us up with all manner of elements that make science fiction worthwhile: a sense of devotion to duty and camaraderie amongst the characters, as well as a dazzling sense of the unknown that enhances the mystery of the proceedings ten-fold. What waits on the other side of the stargate is what keeps the opening moments so enticing; once they breach this boundary between worlds, however, it all goes to hell faster than you can say, "What a rush."

From this point onward, Devlin and Emmerich spin the tale into a series of maddeningly absurd episodes involving encounters with an ancient civilization that brings about the usual problems of culture clashes and trying to understand differing languages. This subplot takes all the necessary steps in furthering the character development on both sides, Egyptian and American, but what it's missing is a heart. There's not a single moment in "Stargate" where we have any real connections to these characters, other than to hoot and holler at how utterly routine and bland their backstories really are. Russell's character is the general bad-intentioned good guy who ends up changing his ideals, while Spader is the dork who saves the day and wins the girl. Sound familiar? You're not alone.

Another plot development introduces the inevitable antagonist, the sun god Ra (Jaye Davidson), who can attain the ability to construct a link between different worlds and dimensions of time, yet still needs a gathering of slaves to perform manual labor. I'm not going to bother diving into the ridiculous events of this storyline, but one thing bothers me still: if Ra is a god, albeit in human form though still remaining as an entity, then how does one explain the big finale involving his demise by nuclear explosion? All things considered, this part of the story still sucks.

In watching "Stargate," I wanted something more out of the experience. I wanted to be surprised. I wanted to see something extraordinary. I wanted to see the obviously grand intentions of this film realized in a proper manner, not through shabby, episodic storytelling, lame characters, and cheesy special effects that eventually come to dominate the entire picture. I guess I was asking for too much.

Copyright @ Hauntnut.com

All Reviews by David Litton [Home page]
If you are the author of this review, you may edit it by signing in.