It mixes the adventurous exploration of films like “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and blends that with science fiction technology and sensibilities. The product is a film that is closer to a traditional sci-fi film than pretty much any movie since “Star
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When I first encountered "Stargate" on video back in 1994, I was deeply disappointed with the product that had been presented. Marketed as a sci-fi action/adventure film on the levels of the original "Star Wars" or an Indiana Jones tale in space, the movie was a beast of a different nature entirely, disappointing this reviewer in his youth. The trailers for the film picked up an inordinate amount of action sequences and trumpeted the film as a trek into the past to understand the future. This, the movie is not. So as a youth of 14 who was enamored with the idea of a pseudo-Egyptian deities and time travel and epic battles, I was excited. But the final product was much different from the marketing would have had me believe, and that left me quite bitter toward this film.
Ah, how a decade can change the mind of a reviewer.
Looking upon the newly released Ultimate Edition of "Stargate," I have radically changed my mind. What I first saw as a plodding, detour-laden trip to the ultimate showdown with Ra has become clear as a true performance of the concept of a science fiction film. The movie does rush the exploration aspect of the concept for narrative construction purposes at times, such as Daniel Jackson (James Spader), the Ph.D. brought in to help translate the symbols of the Stargate moves too quickly, but I do understand the need to move the story along into the subject for which the viewers have paid their money. Some of the sequences that bothered me as a youth who wished for action and adventure now stand out as some of the most magnificent and avant garde when placed in comparison with modern films. Early scenes in the film where the language rift exists between the military travelers and the native slave population being punctuated by a lack of subtitles, leaving the viewer just as clueless as to the motives and understandings of the villagers as the military crew.
"Stargate" is a film of exploration. The theatrical version of the film is crafted in such a way as to pull the audience along on the journey and allow them to experience the discoveries of Kurt Russel´s Col. O´Neil and Dr. Jackson on a parallel path, ignoring the omniscient viewpoint that is common in today´s films. Although that narrative perspective does allow for humor or suspense in limited situations because the audience knows something that the characters do not, it is refreshing to be kept out of the loop and have to wonder what is going on outside the sphere they are presented with. Some may believe that limiting perspective is frustrating, however I find it far more engaging as a viewer. It´s just the line that´s drawn between an enthymeme and a syllogism… at what point to we disengage the audience because we´ve laid the entire plot out before them.
The line between narrative perspectives is the distinct difference between the story structures on the Ultimate Edition of "Stargate." The theatrical version of the film preserves the sense of wonderment and exploration that the audience feels as they view the film, not having the plot laid out before them. However the "Director´s Cut" of the film commits the cardinal sin of exposing too much, too early. This new version of the film opens with a scene that is seen later in the film, that of Ra coming down from the heavens in his ship to take a human form to house his dying mind. However this scene, combined with a brief shot of the petrified remains of Ra´s guards spoils the audience by giving them too much information. It removes the sense of discovery from the film by telling the audience that this is a story about alien spaceships and technology at a time when they should be enamored with the discovery of a piece of ancient machinery whose purpose is unknown. Although the Director´s Cut of the film does contain a few brief scenes that are beautiful and rather brilliant that were excised for time constraints, such as a sequence where Jackson (after awaking from Ra´s healing chamber) takes his time and explores Ra´s chamber rather than rushing into conflict with the perceived deity. However these sequences are minimized by the aforementioned premature expositionary additions.
Getting down to the nuts and bolts of the film, Director Roland Emmerich shows his youth as an action director in the sequences featuring copious amounts of physical conflict. Fisticuffs are laughable as it is immediately apparent that no blow has come close to landing on another´s person, and it breaks you briefly from the film as a whole and makes you aware of the barrier between you and the characters in the film. The same is seen with the attacks on the slave village by the attack ships and in the revolt of the people. However, as I´ve stated before, the film is not necessarily dependant upon those scenes and never fully realizing the full, epic scope that is possible with a film of this magnitude, succeeds in transmitting the needed information in a clear and quite enthralling manner.
Performances by the actors range from acceptable to good, with no actor jumping off the screen with a dynamic and memorable performance, though in an ensemble cast such as this, that is actually a blessing since all roles are quite important to the overall narrative. Kurt Russell brings Col. Jack O´Neil to life, a marked character who came through conflict unscathed, only to have his son die in an accident when playing with one of the Colonel´s guns. Russell plays his typical strong-yet-silent roles, and does it well. The subtle emotional conflict he feels when dealing with the slave children is obvious and only once is played blatantly when a boy reaches for his gun. James Spader brings little to the table, playing Dr. Daniel Jackson´s eccentric Egyptologist in such a way as to underplay his intelligence. The role under Spader is that of a reluctant genius, one who knows his stuff but doesn´t seem to get excited by the prospect of working on finding the answers to all his questions. On the opposite spectrum, I was incredibly impressed by the likes of Erick Avari and Mili Avital and Alexis Cruz for their work as a culture which has never existed, flawlessly speaking a language which doesn´t exist, never missing a beat and exposing themselves as simple actors playing a role.
The other element I need to comment on for this film is the score, produced by David Arnold. It has a sweeping, epic quality that both fills the viewer with wonder and simultaneously letting the listener experience the expansiveness of the desert. A wonderful piece of music, one that I´ve heard replicated numerous times in film trailers. A beautiful score.
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[release]11670[/release]