'The Ark of Truth' General Discussion

[Chrisisall]

Okay- from the other thread, here it is again...
I'm not a watcher of SG1, so I started at a little of a loss while viewing it, but I quickly got up to speed (Thanks to SGA & the 9 minute prologue provided on AoT).
So, did I like it?
Yes and no (mostly yes).
I have no special fondness for Mr. Browder, although he is a capable actor (Ben fans please don't send Replicators my way!). Ms. Black, OTOH, is a joy. She's a born scene-stealer!
I found myself enjoying it more than some of the more lackluster SGA eps (not that there are many for me), and the FX were spot on. The Ori were cool, but the Replicator action was excellent!!!
So, Claudia was GREAT & it was nice seeing Morena (Big Firefly geek here), and to compare, I think it was way better than BSG's Razor, and about as good as Farscape's final movie.
All in all, quite worth it.
Hardcore SG1 fan's mileage may vary.

I will buy the next movie, but season 4 of SGA is what I'm really drooling over.

Shep's my manisall

[Mitchell82]

Loved it, though vaguely on a detached level.

It's strange. I have accepted that Stargate SG1 has been cancelled, and thus have more-or-less put the series behind me. I'm much more focused on Stargate Atlantis now, which I've always enjoyed more than SG1 anyway. Still, there were many great moments in this movie (it's weird calling it that) that made it highly entertaining. Unlike Atlantis, I don't feel up to writing a huuuuge post with mucho well-thought-out paragraphs since I'm no longer that attached to the show. Instead, I'll just list the things I enjoyed, and point out the very few things I didn't:

Wow you surprise me my friend. I have too accepted that it was canceled however I haven't grown detached from the show. SG-1 was and still is my favorite show and the movie more than brought back my love for the show that I will always cherish especially with my shiny box set.

Good Stuff

Ok, I'll just say it right here: if I ever won the lottery, a good portion of that will be going to Joel Goldsmith to do whatever it is that he wants with it (preferably using it to get an orchestra to score all of Atlantis season 5). The man is AMAZING in this movie. The score is just...it's hard to describe really, because it's just THAT awesome.

He is defiantly good at his job and my second favorite composer (John Williams will always be my favorite)

The opening sequence was mesmerizing, the Teal'c-on-a-mountains scene was extremely epic, and the end montage of the Priors being re-de-brainwashed was truly cinematic. There were many other music highlights, such as the Supergate sequence, the short-but-powerful Doci scores, and the updated replicator theme, which sounded like the score from

Spoiler:

Atlantis's "Outcast"

Which is only fitting. Really, the man is a genius.

That brings us to the Replicators. Unlike many people, I've always been, still is, and probably will be, a fan of the replicators. Loved their introduction, loved their episodes in the series, both SG1 and SGA, and I loved their involvement here. Sometimes, I just want a good ole' shooting war, and that's what I got in spades. The scenes near the end of the replicators rushing the walls was just wonderful to see, and the "RepMerrikeleton" made me go "wow". I loved the effect, personally.

Agreed especially about the Replicators. That was very well done.

Smoothly, that brings us to Merrick. Currie Graham is a gem in this movie. Right away, you can tell that he's one of those professional double-talkers who wears the same "nice-guy" mask to everyone. Fortunately, Cam saw right through him. He's right, you just knew he was an a-hole from the beginning. The great thing about Graham is that he sustains this level of contempt all the way to his horrific "death"-by-zombification. This brings me to the combination of this and the last paragraph, namely the IOA plan. I thought it was brilliant, actually, just in terms of not caring for any life and getting the job done. The Ori galaxy is ridiculously far away, and so, if we are able to destroy the Supergate, we'll probably never hear from them again. Meanwhile, the Ori forces get lynched. It's not ethical, it depends on a great many things...but it works, and it'll work fast. Still, it's not something our heroes would've let stand. Really though, this fact that Merrick was a tool really made me feel sorry for him. He was following orders; his intentions were...good, I guess, and he got killed in the most terrible of ways. His screams were just...yikes.

That, and I would've liked to see him in Atlantis. Oh well.

Speaking of brilliant guest stars, Tim Guinee delivered once more with this movie. I loved him in Crusade, I loved him more in Line in the Sand, and he was just awesome in this movie. For once, we got to see some humor out of him; he was more than just the devout follower or simple village guy. Of course, we also got that intense scene between Teal'c and him, which was incredibly telling, from both Teal'c and Tomin's side. At the beginning, I thought it was a way to use Teal'c to develop Tomin's character, but at the end, it was clear that both were tortured souls, to an extent. Excellently done. The torture scene was difficult to watch (mostly because it made my ears hurt), but also with Tomin's loud screams of pain going on. This guy is just INTENSE, and that adds a lot to his character. The ending, having him back as a simple man now leading a...galaxy? was a great return to the man we saw in Crusade. A good, honest man with a bright future ahead of him.

Huh...looks like I'm betraying my own introduction. Ah well, continuing on...

Now that I think about it, there are a great many awesome stuff in this movie. I would just like to give it up for Rob Cooper for the direction. I loved how the camera kept moving; it gave a much more dynamic and epic feel to the movie, which was also helped greatly by the rush of colors created by filming with...well, film. Right from the beginning, you can see the difference between it and digital. Even though sometimes it just can't help but feel like an episode, on the whole, I think it did feel like a grand adventure movie. Well done sir!

I've always trusted Rob and he surely exceeded my expectations.

Finally, before I get to SG1 itself, I just like to mention a few little things that I loved about the movie. First, the resolution to the climax of the movie, namely how we got the Doci "converted". I LOVED how it was soooo simple: just shoot the table, and let gravity do the work! Also, the fight between Zombie!Merrick and Cam was intense. The latter got whumped pretty hard. And of course, I gotta give it up for Sarah Strange for her performance as Morgan Le Fey. We didn't get to see much of her, but every time she was on screen, you can feel the wisdom, the power, and the "Ascension-y" feeling that she exudes. Lastly, Julian Sands is once again awesomely creepy and menacing as the Doci, and his realization and crying at the end was definitely unexpected and heart-breaking; a man who's been released from bondage that he chose to be in. It's just that, he was such a powerful character and evil villain that seeing him so weak and sad and diminished was hard to witness and grasp...but Sands pulled it off, and made it even sadder. Wished we could've seen more of that.

And so we get to SG1. Even though the movie was obviously about them, we really didn't get much development. Though I suppose it's hard to do that in 100 minutes of a plot-heavy movie, and when they've had 10 (or 2) years of development already. I'll just talk about each in turn:

Cam: The man has his one-liners, and Ben Browder delivers them perfectly. A great combination of acting and writing. The fight was, as I said, intense, and really, it just makes it perfectly clear what Cam's role is: he's the action guy. He's entertained me pretty well during the series, and I'd say he was definately on his game with the movie. Loved it.

Sam: Ok, so she wasn't in it that much, but when she was onscreen, she was Sam all the way. Soldier Sam, Science Sam, Chef Sam? Well, they were all there, and Amanda Tapping did not disappoint. In fact, I'd say her technobabble was even more entertaining here than in the series, somehow. The end scene was cute and touching, though it no doubt enraged Sam/jack-shippers a-plenty. But come on, poor-beaten-up Cam deserved more than just funky Macaroons.

Teal'c: Man oh man...he was the MAN this episode! Loved his determination at getting to his friends. Even though he had a hole in his back, he still managed to stagger across mountains to get to them. Once there, he worked his magic, and basically, along with Danny and Vala, saved 2 galaxies. I've already mentioned his talk with Tomin earlier, so I won't go into depth about it again, only to say that it was awesome, again.

Vala: I think she got the most lines, and most of them were hilarious and truly irritating (to those who she's speaking to. I personally loved them). Beside that though, I loved her scenes with Tomin and Adria. The former were just sweet, and you can see the real Vala coming out behind the emotional wall she usually puts up. Besides Daniel, I'd think Tomin was the only other to see this side of Vala, a person who truly cared about someone more than about their wallet. As for Adria, the disturbing part is really the detached way they communicated with each other; Adria stalked and circled her like a predator and Vala stayed calm and didn't waver a bit. The connection they had as mother and daughter was truly severed at the end of Dominion when Vala tried to killer her, as Adria said. Facinating stuff.

Daniel: The man of the hour; the one who opened the Stargate and saved the galaxy on a regular basis did it again with a realization of irony. Throughout the movie, he has been the beacon of hope; there was the return of the excited archeologist kid from in the past, especially during the scene where he oh-so-carefully cleans the Ark of Truth. But really, as many have pointed out, the defining moment is his confrontation with Morgan Le Fey. When I read a recent interview with Michael Shanks where he talked about that scene, I had expected a lengthy and passionate plea for help. What I got was much more, and much less. Daniel barely spoke, and for good reason. He has realized that controlled pleading gets him nowhere. It's now time for begging, because there is really no other way. The Ancients won't listen to reason, so the only way left is to release all that pent-up emotion and, even if it doesn't work, at least he said what he's been wanting to say all this time. It was an amazing scene, and Shanks did an amazing job. The way he just rubs his eyes, almost crying, and saying "No!" at Morgan's insistence that she can't do anything...powerful stuff.

And then his return with "I am here". The man may seem to have lost hope, but there will always, ALWAYS, be a bit of it within him. Always.

Fortunately the characters don't need much development at this point in the game. All they needed to do was shine and the did every last one of them.

Bad Stuff

I wanted more epic battlez. Also, as I said earlier, the torture scene hurt my ears. And...well, the Ark itself looked like a cooler with stuff stuck to it and painted black. It was especially apparent when Danny wheeled it into the room near the end. Heh. Oh well.

I wouldn't have minded more space battles maybe actually destroying an Ori ship but I was pleased with how they did it as even if we tried to fight them we would have lost. The sound in the torture scene didn't bother me too much but it did my wife she has very sensitive hearing.

---

So, overall, I enjoyed it greatly. The most important thing though, that I've noticed, is that, by the end of the film, it became apparent to me that I would've prefered this to an 11th season to round it all out. The action in the movie was continuous and the plot kept moving. What's more, the more extragant sequences could've only been done in a movie and not on the show, so that was certainly a plus that wouldn't have seen the light if the show went on with an 11th season and this movie's events was included within it. However, an 11th season would've obviously allowed for more fallout to be seen, namely how the Doci and the Priors adjusted to the truth. Still, Stargate: The Ark of Truth closes out the Ori arc with a bang and a healthy dose of character moments, and that's just the way I like it.

Score: 9.5/10



Now bring on Stargate: Continuum!

Even though I give the movie a 10/10 I'd have loved season 11 instead.

[Chrisisall]

My OPINION:
-The sets (except for Dakara, which was big and grand, but looked too set-ish)

That was the only thing that I thought could have been a lot better...very original Star Trek-y.

Foam-rock Chrisisall

[Mitchell82]

For me it was. Except maybe the final scene where all of SG1 get ready for a new mission.



Merlin was also Lantean but in the movie Vala calls him an Alteran. Also in S9 in "The Fourth Horseman" Orlin said
[SPOILERS]that the Ori and the Alterans had different views on life so the Alterans decided to leave. Over time both groups advanced and eventualy were able to ascend. The Ori learned that they can draw power from the lower plains so they created humans to worship them.[/SPOILERS

Well maybe as far as Vala is concerned they are one and the same but what Orlin said made sense since when they were in the Ori galaxy they would have been called the Alterans.

In the AoT however it seems that the Ori were ascended and had already created humans long before the Alterans left for the MW, which doesn't make sence to me.

Yes it does. By the time they Ascended is when the Alterans truly realized their power.

That was a personal observation. I didn't like how Mitchell was introduced into the show since S9, he was very "in-your-face" O'Neill replacement IMO, so every scene where he's pulling impossible stunts, is like a punch in the gut for me. I really don't buy the scene there he's fighting the what's his name IOA guy, and gets away with just cuts and bruises.

He was far more seriously injured than that and I see your point though I do disagree.

What I've always loved about SG1 is that the show had realism, well as much as sci-fi show can be real. That's why that scene bothers me so much.

I didn't see anything unrealistic about it.

There is a thread about what TPTB should do in every episode or movie to keep every single fan happy. If only that was possible.

Agreed.

[Shan Bruce Lee]

That was the only thing that I thought could have been a lot better...very original Star Trek-y.

Foam-rock Chrisisall

It did seem like a Star Trek set. RCC said something about the Dakara set being smaller than he wanted or something in the commentary. I don't remember exactly what he said.

I think Tomin and the Ori soldiers made that scene though. Their armor is probably my favorite in the SG Universe right now. I know I'm not the only one that got a "Russell Crow in Gladiator" vibe from Tomin on Dakara am I?

[Crichiel]

I think Tomin and the Ori soldiers made that scene though. Their armor is probably my favorite in the SG Universe right now. I know I'm not the only one that got a "Russell Crow in Gladiator" vibe from Tomin on Dakara am I?

LOL! Actually, I never thought of Gladiator....until NOW! I still liked the scene because I thought Tomin was really good, it was just the set I didn't care for.

[maylet]

I love the movie, all the moments, and the end. I still don't find the words to say how good the movie is

[Mitchell82]

I love the movie, all the moments, and the end. I still don't find the words to say how good the movie is

I know the feeling.

[g.o.d]

Morgan x Adria x Ancients


I'm glad he finally explained this. But was it a really a big problem to have this scene in AoT? Morgan standing in front of the ascended council and defending herself. I would love to see this.

[Integrabyte]

Morgan x Adria x Ancients


I'm glad he finally explained this. But was it a really a big problem to have this scene in AoT? Morgan standing in front of the ascended council and defending herself. I would love to see this.

Exactly what I sad when I first saw the film in December. The ancients did help by not intefering. I was so right ....muwhahahahaha...I should be a fortune teller . Anywho, shame we did not have that scene....it would have doubled the sales . It is not everday when you see a council like that and a rogue Morgan telling them to shove it .

[Drax]

She's kinda cute...

[IrishPisano]

Morgan x Adria x Ancients


I'm glad he finally explained this. But was it a really a big problem to have this scene in AoT? Morgan standing in front of the ascended council and defending herself. I would love to see this.

if you read it carefully, he NEVER says that there was a council she went before... he said, "if you want to think... bla bla bla"

ergo, no such scene exists...

[g.o.d]

if you read it carefully, he NEVER says that there was a council she went before... he said, "if you want to think... bla bla bla"

ergo, no such scene exists...

I know. It was only my vision how it could have been. At least, she could have mentioned their permission whe she was with Daniel in prison. That's all. It wouldn't have been so hard to add few lines about it. Why the heck should we wait for some interveiw? This could have been told in the movie. People who never read such things(interviews, reviews, etc.) will never know how it really was. That's what I don't understand

[IrishPisano]

I know. It was only my vision how it could have been. At least, she could have mentioned their permission whe she was with Daniel in prison. That's all. It wouldn't have been so hard to add few lines about it. Why the heck should we wait for some interveiw? This could have been told in the movie. People who never read such things(interviews, reviews, etc.) will never know how it really was. That's what I don't understand

would it have added anything to the film that would advance the plot?
no

ergo, it is unnecessary and should not be included...


the fact that she was able to do what she did by healing teal'c, speaking to daniel, and confronting Adria is proof enough that she had the Ancients' permission...


any meeting between her and the Ascended Council would be a complete waste of time, and pure exposition...

it would make as much sense as showing the Odyssey flying through space to return to Earth after the battle...
neither event would advance the plot at all, thus neither event should be included...

[Integrabyte]

would it have added anything to the film that would advance the plot?
no

ergo, it is unnecessary and should not be included...

The Ark of Truth is a film about the ORI and...guess who? THE ANCIENTS!!! Seeing them arguing with MORGAN would have been priceless. I am waiting since SG1 S7 for them to show up and give us a fruit basket. Next time, add in your opinion to the post because in MY OPINION it would have made a difference.

the fact that she was able to do what she did by healing teal'c, speaking to daniel, and confronting Adria is proof enough that she had the Ancients' permission...

Once again, the typical excuse for TPTB when ignoring the obvious. Why not cut short the TERMINATOR-REPLICATOR scene and add a few shots with the ancients? Easy answer...this whole SG1 and SGA franchise got used to the fact that the fanbase will fill in the blanks and there is no need for the "extra" mile.

it would make as much sense as showing the Odyssey flying through space to return to Earth after the battle...
neither event would advance the plot at all, thus neither event should be included...

How many times have we seen the ODY orbiting the planet? Dozens...how many times have we seen a rogue ancient aka Morgan arguing for their survival? Never...so you cannot compare apples with potatoes.