Synopsis:
An ancient Egyptian artifact turns out to be the gateway to another planet. Kurt “Badass” Russell and James Spader head the team sent to investigate what is on the other side.

Review:
I liked Stargate. I liked it when it came out, and I like it now. There are those that say the S/FX look dated, and that the story is nothing but fluff, but I like to disagree. Stargate is a good blend of fantasy and science fiction; it’s sort of like Indiana Jones goes to another planet to kick some alien ass. Stargate is the kind of film that I like to refer to as “eye-candy”. Watching this movie won’t change your life, but it will wrap you up in its story for 2 hours. I admit some of the close-up S/FX’s look a bit dated, but you have to bear in mind this movie was made during the early days of computer graphic S/FX (even T2 looks like shit by today’s standards). The exterior CG shots are seem-less though, which added to feeling that this is another planet and not a Hollywood sound stage.

Special Features :
This DVD includes the original theatrical release of Stargate and the Special Edition version containing 9 minutes of restored footage. I didn’t actually take the time to watch the original version again, but why would I if I intentionally bought the Special Edition? Which made me wonder why the original version was included on this disc anyway? As far as I know the majority of films given the “Special Edition” treatment are made so that the director can present the definitive version of their film (anyone who’s seen the Criterion Brazil set knows what I’m preaching). I felt that the majority of the restored Special Edition scenes didn’t really add anything to the film (except running time). I think they should have been put in a deleted scene section instead.

The commentary track with director Roland Emmerich and Producer Dean Devlin was fairly informative. The two of them really seemed to care about their roles in the production of this film and they actually sounded as they enjoyed sharing their experience on this DVD. My only gripe would be that Mr. Emmerich’s German accent was a little strong at times. Otherwise I thought that the special features on this DVD were a little lean for a “Special Edition”. Oh well, maybe next time.

Video and Audio:
Stargates video transfer was excellent considering how many times the scenes change from very dark to very bright throughtout the film. The desert scenes in particular were very clean and prestine. You could see that a lot of work was put into making sure that we could see every grain of sand. And the audio? Dolby 5.1, forgetta-bout-it!

“Give my regards to King Tut, asshole!” - Kurt Russell

-Nicky Eyes