Stargate Prewatch: Stargate the Movie!

[Sp!der]

I am sadly do not participate on this re-watch, watched it just recently and I more into Deep Space Nine and Fringe right now... but I wish every one muchio fun in the re-watch, may be Ill watch an episode here and there as well. This one is my favorite movie by Roland Emmerich, the others are all well... maybe Independence Day as well

[Jae'a]

I just watched the film for the first time last night.
Is this the O'Neil with one 'L' and no sense of humour Jack mentions in the series?

[Kilgharrah]

I just watched the film for the first time last night.
Is this the O'Neil with one 'L' and no sense of humour Jack mentions in the series?

Never made sense before, huh?

[Mindspin]

Posting for the first time on this forum! I've known about it for years, been watching SG1 since 1998, and was obsessed with the Stargate film as a kid.

I don't really know how to explain why I think the movie is so great, and yes I know there's holes and flaws and all that, but I still love it. Firstly, as much as I love SG1 and everything spawned from it, it changes too many things from the film to say it's the same story. I've read most of the novels that continue the real story and I think they could have made a killer trilogy of films, but ID4 got in the way of that and Emmerich is kinda dumb. The novels are fun, if not great literature. I love that Barbara Shore was changed from an old woman to a young hot babe.

The movie has so much more of a mysterious element to it whereas the tv show gets cheesy. The story where Ra's race really did build the Stargates and they do go to other planets, but we don't really know how far away it all is (another galaxy on the other side of the universe or not) and the remnant of the civilization living out of the Book of the Dead is far more interesting. Plus, Hathor is a badass and supposed to be way hotter than in SG1. But she and all the other demi-gods are human because Ra really was the last of his race.

Anyway, the film still leaves me with chills every time I watch it. I think it's one of the most underrated films of the 90's and was totally overshadowed by Independence Day (many similarities there) and I wish there were sequels just to see how they would be done.

I didn't read this whole thread, but earlier it was said that James Spader wasn't a good Daniel Jackson. I totally disagree. His character is far better, especially when you really get to know him in the novels. He's very different than Michael Shank's character. Also it was said the Sha'uri played by Mili Avital is far superior to the one from SG1, and this I do agree with. SG1 pretty much ruined and devalued her character. Sha'uri was beautiful, smart, bold, and so many other things the one from SG1 wasn't. In the novels, Daniel is madly in love with her (unlike in SG1) and they end up having major relationship problems after she goes to Earth. It's just a better more believable story.

Anyway, I'm talking more about the novels than the film, but I consider them the same thing really. Like I said I can't think of all the details that I love about Stargate, but it will forever be one of my all time favorite movies. It got me more interested in SciFi than Star Wars ever did. I was a total SG1 nerd for ten seasons, but I liked the show for different reasons.

[hermantheowl]

I just remember a movie guide book later than 1994 (2002) giving it 2 stars out if five and calling it "silly and often boring". Another guide book gave it 2 1/2 out of four said it "loses its way dramatically". Those are the only reviews I saw.

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

Just had my movie rewatch now. It's a great film. There are things I always forget about: the awesome fight between O'Neil and Anubis ("Give my regards to King Tut") and the great decapitation that ends it, Skaara's simple-minded friend Nabeh, the mineral that we later come to know as naquada, how much sexier the actress for Shau'ri was that the SG-1 version, Kurt Russel's ridiculous haircut.

I often think it's a shame that some more of the movie actors did not return for the series, notably French Stewart as Feretti (although Feretti was barely used in SG-1 anyway).

A big point that doesn't get addressed is how Daniel dials the gate from the planet - obviously the DHD does not exist in the movie universe and it's not really made clear. The same point can also be made about just using trial and error to find the 7th symbol, but in this case they really had too much going on.

[hlndncr]

I find it interesting that most of the comments about how Shau'ri was better from the movie than Sha're in the TV focus on her looks. Yes, I think Mili Avital is prettier than Vaitiare Bandera but that is such a minor difference. What I really prefer is that Shau'ri was smart and bold and tough. She was a leader of her people. Sha're was a simpering twit who was afraid of her own shadow and was really was only valued for her body.

[SG1Member]

In my opinion, the Stargate movie worked well as a standalone piece. But in the context of the series, there are so many inconsistencies that I just generally disregard it when watching the series. Over time, the show seemed to move further and further in tone from the movie anyway.

[Jae'a]

Never made sense before, huh?

No, that's right!
It's not the only time something on the film reminded me of a series episode. Daniel's constant sneezing reminded me of One False Step, when he offers chocolate to that camel-like creature and to Shaa're's father like with Chaka on The First Ones, and of course, Catherine and her father at the dig being mentioned on 1969.

[juggernaut975]

Had a chance to listen to Darren and David's review of the film on the podcast, never knew that Spader thought that the script was 'awful'.

On one hand I'm kind of mortified because, well, it's Stargate, dammit, a fantastic movie , on the other hand, I have to kind of respect his brutal honesty...how many times will you hear an actor openly admit 'Hey, I thought it was awful but it was a paycheck so I did it...'

[Mindspin]

Just had my movie rewatch now. It's a great film. There are things I always forget about: the awesome fight between O'Neil and Anubis ("Give my regards to King Tut") and the great decapitation that ends it, Skaara's simple-minded friend Nabeh, the mineral that we later come to know as naquada, how much sexier the actress for Shau'ri was that the SG-1 version, Kurt Russel's ridiculous haircut.

I often think it's a shame that some more of the movie actors did not return for the series, notably French Stewart as Feretti (although Feretti was barely used in SG-1 anyway).

A big point that doesn't get addressed is how Daniel dials the gate from the planet - obviously the DHD does not exist in the movie universe and it's not really made clear. The same point can also be made about just using trial and error to find the 7th symbol, but in this case they really had too much going on.

The flat-top was sick! Lol. And yes that fight was great, I really wish Apophis' snakeheads would have been more like Ra's badass guards instead of cannon fodder. And yes, Mili Avital was GORGEOUS as Shau'ri and did a great job portraying her character, too bad she didn't have many other good roles. And I can't believe she dated David Schwimmer, gross! And that "quartz" material never gets a name in the novels other than "gold quartz material" and has totally different properties giving power to weapons that were never seen or talked about in the movies other than the staff weapons. And it always did bug me about how they never showed how the connection back to Earth was made!

I find it interesting that most of the comments about how Shau'ri was better from the movie than Sha're in the TV focus on her looks. Yes, I think Mili Avital is prettier than Vaitiare Bandera but that is such a minor difference. What I really prefer is that Shau'ri was smart and bold and tough. She was a leader of her people. Sha're was a simpering twit who was afraid of her own shadow and was really was only valued for her body.

As I said in my post before this, yes totally agree with you about the SG1 Sha're being a worthless pathetic character and Shau'ri from the film as a strong, intelligent, bold chatacter, but I do see a BIG difference in the looks of the two acresses. Vaitiare is hispanic and not that pretty, Mili is actually Middle Eastern (Israeli) and MUCH prettier. If you havent read the novels you should if for nothing else than getting more of Shau'ri.

Had a chance to listen to Darren and David's review of the film on the podcast, never knew that Spader thought that the script was 'awful'.

On one hand I'm kind of mortified because, well, it's Stargate, dammit, a fantastic movie , on the other hand, I have to kind of respect his brutal honesty...how many times will you hear an actor openly admit 'Hey, I thought it was awful but it was a paycheck so I did it...'

Interesting, but not surprising from Spader he's brutally honest about most things. It was a bad script, bad screenplay, bad movie, but it was a great STORY.

[MNgatefan]

I was a baby when the movie first came out so I had never even heard of it until fairly reacently. I read about the movie online a little while after I started really getting into SG1. (I was origionally just an atlantis fan and I started watching SG1 to satisfy my SGA withdrawls after its cancellation.) Then last year I discovered a lonely copy of the movie in a half priced books. I found it both hilarious and really interesting. It was so weird to see everything that was different in the movie (like Abydoss being in another galaxy) and the 90's special effects were a barrel of laughs, but what I liked most about watching the movie for the first time was seeing them discover the stargate and actually seeing the legendary "first mission" that the show was always talking about especially in season 1.
Also who doesn't love daniel's chicken impression.

[Jae'a]

If anyone's interested, I have made a LiveJournal post about the film here
Finally, my LJ will be getting some use!

[Niss Trah]

Just watched Stargate again!! In general, I love the series a lot more than the movie, but there are just some great things in the movie that still crack me up. I love when Kasuf is telling them about the sandstorm and makes a sound with his tongue and moves his fingers up over his head to show them what it is. SO hysterical!! And when Daniel first figures out that the chevrons are constellations (or are they asterisms?) and he puts the star charts on the table and laughs nervously because he doesn't have enough. As much as I love Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson, James Spader did a great job in this movie!!
I saw this movie when I was little and thought Jack O'Neil was a jerk, but now that i have seen the series, it is fun to watch the movie and see where Jack O'Neill came from. I think his irreverent humor and downplaying his intelligence in the show is kind of to make sure he doesn't become depressed and suicidal again.

[Darth kat]

I just finished watching the movie. While the movie does establish certain things for the series, it is very different. I love SG-1, but it always bugged me how the military was portrayed...So goody two-shoes. Even with officers (even though they are supposed to set a proper example for the enlisted folk). I very much appreciate the movie for its epicness, realistic military behavior, and the ripped Jaffas!

Now as for comparing the actors, I don't think that it's fair to say which one plays their part better; I.E. RDA is better than Kurt Russell. RDA (and company) had more time to develop the character and make it his own. Where as KR had who knows how much time to figure out how to play his character.

Overall, this movie is awesome. If it hadn't done so well I don't think we would all be here today!