Stargate is one of the best science fiction movies of the modern generation. With an extremely compelling storyline, and effects that are still on par with today's highest rated movies, this fine cinematic treat is a must see!

The rare Roland Emmerich film that isn't brainless, effects-over-story mayhem. Well, not completely, anyway. It does carry a lot of the director's favorite themes, from the tortured genius who only needs the chance to prove himself to the war-hungry soldier on a suicide mission, the overbearing government suits and the eccentric, ignored true believers. Those over-simplifications are glaring, of course, but at least there's an effort put in to expand certain characters beyond their stereotype (Kurt Russell's lingering resentment of guns, for example) and the plot itself is rich and interesting enough to paper over most of the holes. I've always had an affinity for science fiction and Egyptian history, so any merger of the two was bound to hit a sweet spot for me, and in this case the marriage works shockingly well. There's a certain other-worldliness about the pyramids, and that particular culture's system of beliefs, which lends itself well to such genre-driven filmmaking. The practical special effects come off wonderfully - gigantic hovering spacecraft and robotic Anubis-helmed enforcers - but it was still a bit early to rely on CG for this type of work and the few instances where they tried don't hold up very well. Despite a phoned-in leading performance by James Spader, Stargate remains a quirky, unexpectedly engaging ride. Still fresh, unique and interesting as it approaches its twenty-fifth anniversary.

All I have to say is Mili Avital is gorgeous... :)

First of all: I love how this movie manages to make a scenario where a linguist somehow is the heroic explorer, much like Indiana Jones put archeology in the spotlight. In fact, a comparison with Indiana Jones is apt, because it's obvious that this movie is heavily inspired by that franchise - although it goes in a completely different direction.I have barely seen the TV-show, so I went into this knowing only somewhat what the stargate is. I love the premise of it, and how it manages to explore both mythology and sci-fi concepts. I can really understand that they decided to make a TV-show out of this.A last note on positives, before I go into the flaws: There's some really neat visuals in this as well, especially concerning the pyramids, and some of the villain henchmen's costumes.The flaws, though, are many and quite bad. For one, all characters are basically idiots that somehow seem intent on making the worst possible decisions. This is a really cheap trick for inducing conflict, it is also really annoying, and condescending to the audience. Most of it could be avoided by better writing. Just as serious is how this movie seems to parallel some big problems with colonialism without really noticing. There is literally a scene where one explorer is sick, sneezes, and then his handkerchief is taken by "indigenous"-like people that has obviously never been exposed to his germs (though the movie does not comment upon this at all). There's also scenes where the explorers give the indigenous weapons and cigarettes. Was it to build up a more direct colonial plot for a possibly sequel? For some reason, it does not feel like it. It seems more like dumb writing.There's also some scenes that have become a bit more uncomfortable due to modern conflicts. There are scenes set in areas resembling the middle east, where kids are handed automatic weapons to fight against what is basically drones.Despite all of these flaws, the concept (and the visuals) makes it worth a watch, perhaps to ponder what could have been?