Reviews & Ratings for
Stargate: The Ark of Truth (V) More at IMDbPro »

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65 out of 76 people found the following review useful:
Very Good, definitely worth buying., 1 March 2008

Author: mrxavia from United Kingdom

The wrapped up nicely from the questions left at the end of the TV series, but still left plenty of openings for the next Stargate movie.

While the production was top notch as I would expect, it did feel very much like an extended episode rather than a blockbuster movie, which is essentially what this was, a way to wrap up questions and not leave fans hanging for answers...

The problem I had was it felt very much like it was the basic storyline for a season arc, but squashed to fit in a 90 minute slot.

I recommend any Stargate fan to buy this, but unless you are a fan, this will have little appeal, since it ties into what happened in the last SG1 season.

41 out of 45 people found the following review useful:
A Solid Ending for Season 10, 17 March 2008

Author: Erik Rupp from Southern California

The Ark of Truth was the kind of satisfying finale to season 10 that I was hoping for. Great stuff - a lot of fun.

The Ark of Truth was well written and directed, and felt like a direct continuation of season 10. The actors continued to do what they do with these characters (which is a good thing), and the action was very good (although they've done better before). As for the special effects, I thought they were excellent (not $100 million budget excellent, but for a straight to DVD movie based on a cancelled TV series they were fantastic).

The only gripe I had about it was that they threw in everything but the kitchen sink (all of the prerequisite SG1 subplots were there). Paring it down and eliminating one of those subplots might have made the movie a little better (Sam and Teal'c don't get quite enough to do in the movie as a result), but as it is I still think it's a damned entertaining movie - as long as you've watched the last 10 years of SG1. If not, you're going to be lost.

Clearly, though, this was not made to win over new fans. This was made for the fans who have been following the show for the last decade. This was made for the fans who weren't happy about the Sci-Fi channel cancelling the show in a cost cutting move, and as one of those fans I am very glad they made this movie. I enjoyed the hell out of it.

Finally, the resolution of the story is what they've been setting up for the last two years of the series. No major surprises, but it was carried off very well.

For those familiar with the SG1 series (particularly seasons 9 & 10) The Ark of Truth is highly recommended. For anyone who has NOT seen seasons 9 & 10 of Stargate: SG1 I would advise holding off until you have seen those seasons to put everything in proper context.

30 out of 37 people found the following review useful:
The Fitting And Epic End Of The Ori Storyline, 12 March 2008

Author: Matthew Kresal from United States

Leaving the Ori storyline unresolved at the end of Sg-1's final season, the makers of the show give us this film. The Ark Of Truth lives up the hype of fans hoping for an epic end to the storyline that drove the show's final two seasons. Indeed, The Ark Of Truth proves to be both an epic and fitting end to the Ori storyline.

In fact one might go so far as to assume that the show never ended. From the performances of SG-1's members, it's just like picking up where Unending left off. In particular Michael Shanks and Ben Browder both get to shine in their roles of Daniel Jackson and Cameron Mitchell. That's not to say the rest of cast doesn't, but Shanks and Browder really do stand out in this. The supporting cast does too from Beau Bridges to Sarah Strange, from Sarah Strange to the villainous Julian Sands and the absolutely evil Morena Baccarin. The real stand out of the supporting cast however is Currie Graham as Merrick, the double crossing IOA supervisor.

The rest of the production is also first rate for the film, in both writing and production values, is epic. There is a scope to the film that wasn't possible for the show on television. The story feels epic, taking us from Earth to the Ori galaxy and back again. The story has so much going on though that we don't get to see some of the things fans would like to have seen but we see enough to keep everyone happy. The effects and photography aren't just as good as they were on the show, they're better. They go from mountains in the opening credits, the ruins of Dakarra and the Altaran city, to the Ark itself: something that was hard (if not impossible) for the series to do with even a two-part two of the series. There's also one or two moments that evoke memories of the original movie from years ago and fans should get a smile out of it. There's one other thing to mention: the music. The music by Joel Goldsmith is just as epic as the film, evoking not just the original Stargate theme by David Arnold but the Germanic chants of the Ori themes and heroic themes for the team. But the real treat of the music is that while it may be familiar, you've never heard it played this. Fans of the series won't be disappointed. Everything that made us love the series is still here and thriving.

Not to say the film is perfect, which it isn't. Some parts of the film don't make a lot of sense such as the IOA's actions. They don't make much sense especially when they resurrect an old enemy from the series in the process. I won't spoil it because it makes for a great plot twist, but in retrospect it just feels like padding. There's also the odd flashbacks to the Altarans involving the Ark which, while they add some texture, really might not have been needed. But these are minor flaws, and its hard to find anything without any.

In short, The Ark Of Truth is a good film. It does exactly what it was supposed to do: be both an epic and fitting end to the Ori storyline. It succeeds for the most part, though it does have some flaws to it. While non-fans might want to watch the Prelude on the DVD to catch-up on all the plot lines going on in the film, fans should enjoy it. If this and Continuum, the yet to be released second film, are to be the final end of Stargate SG-1, they will be the fitting end of the series.

25 out of 30 people found the following review useful:
A great tie-off to the series, 6 March 2008

Author: salsa89 from Australia

I just watched Ark of Truth last night and I found it a great film (a term I use lightly - it really is more of an extended episode). The script was enjoyable, the actors were as always at their peak and it concluded all the story arcs that needed concluding.

Admittedly, the only factor in the film that annoyed me was the 'ark of truth' itself. It felt to me a little contrived that all of a sudden there was this 'ark of truth' that would solve all their problems. When they were fighting the goauld and they had to work out everything themselves, however with the ori all they're trying to do is find things that the ancients left behind.

Still, a great film and I'd recommended it to any fan! It really isn't for non-fans tho. This film wasn't made to get new people into the stargate 'verse, but to finish off the story for those people who are already fans. There is too much assumes knowledge for non-fans to enjoy it.

8/10

13 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
A fantastic finish!, 11 March 2008

Author: anifanmc from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

As the unofficial end of the Stargate SG-1 series, Ark of Truth provides a fairly conclusive wrap-up for a lot of fans and also manages to please the crowd who fell out with the show a long time ago. The movie's main purpose is to wrap up the Ori arc, started at the beginning of the ninth season and culminating in a spectacular finale here.

The plot of the movie is relatively straightforward. Daniel Jackson believes that Merlin's "visions" may be sending him information about an artifact known as the Ark of Truth, a device which can essentially "brainwash" anyone into "knowing the truth". However, due to the Alteran belief in free will, they refused to use it to restrict the Ori, despite knowing that their crusade will destroy planets and ravage galaxies. After Tomin, Vala's husband, defects from the Ori armies and takes sanctuary at Stargate command, the SG-1 team makes a decision to take a trip to the Ori Galaxy and find the Ark of Truth in order to brainwash the Priors into stopping their crusade.

They find the resting place of the Ark, on the planet where the city of Celestis, the home of the Ori are located. However, an IOA agent accompanying them has a different motive - to construct an army of replicators to destroy the Ori in their conquest of the galaxy. They run out of control and begin to take over their ship. Meanwhile, Daniel, Vala, Teal'c and Tomin learn that the Ori were killed by the Sangraal, but Adria, Vala's "daughter", managed to ascend and travel to the Ori Galaxy. She is now the single Orici, the remaining leader of the entire Ori contingent and the recipient of all of the power gained through the worship of innocents. Acting on a tight time schedule, the SG-1 team has to work fast to stop the replicators and power up the Ark of Truth in order to stop the Ori once and for all.

The few weaknesses include the relatively over-stoic acting on the part of Christopher Judge, who seems to exaggerate his expressions nowadays, and Ben Browder's overly clownish nature. The scene where he leaps away from the explosion that kills Merrick made me giggle and he seemed to be trying to present a humorous stage presence rather than a professional one. Nevertheless, Morean Baccarin as Adria doesn't fail to disappoint.

A fun movie, and damn better than I expected for the end of the series. Definitely worth buying.

18 out of 24 people found the following review useful:
Awesome movie, but definitely NOT the end of the series, 13 March 2008

Author: Daniel Vaughn from United States

I just watched the movie and I have to say that it was great. The actors were at their top, the settings/sets were far improved, and the story didn't leave much to be desired. Plus, something that I especially enjoyed was the incredible score that Joel Goldstein put together; he does an awesome job taking the original movie soundtrack (used in part throughout the series) and totally revamping it with the full orchestra. It is simply amazing.

On a different not, though, there are many comments about how this movie sucks because it is a bad end to the series. NEWS FLASH! IT'S NOT THE END!! I'm not entirely sure how all these people don't know, but there is another SG-1 movie coming out early next year and *possibly* more in the future. Yes, it would be disappointing if this was it. But it is simply not.

9 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
A Satisfying Fix for SG-1 Fans, 15 March 2008

Author: hockeista-avanti from Cape Breton, Canada

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Watching Ark of Truth I was delighted with the visually obvious bigger budget Robert Cooper and the cast and crew had to work with, which made many of the shots big-screen worthy, but I was also relieved that the movie still held the old SG-1 TV-feel (if that makes the slightest amount of sense to anyone other than me, great!). Yes, it was reminiscent of a regular, however extended, episode of the series - but I don't see why that's a complaint made by so many doom sayers I've seen on various forums and websites. AoT is familiar, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

*****Here there be MAJOR spoilers *****

The movie's plot line runs smoothly, for the most part. Daniel, Vala, Teal'c and Tomin (Vala's husband, who in AoT abandons his duty as a commander in the Ori army and joins forces with SG-1 to overthrow the remaining Ori worshippers) are the focal point of the story as the team travels via the Odyssey to the Ori galaxy and Ortus Mallum ("The birthplace of all evil") - a ruined Alteran settlement where the ark of truth was created millennia ago by an Alteran man named Amelius. Their adventure leads them to Celestis, the city of the Ori, where Daniel, Vala and Tomin are tortured by the Doci and his Priors, and we are reintroduced to Adria. Vala's daughter, who ascended in season 10's Dominion, has taken the mantle of the Ori, who have been wiped out by SG-1 using Merlin's weapon (10x14, The Shroud). What follows is a desperate rush to activate the ark, which is a formidable piece of technology capable of "brainwashing" a person or group of people to believe whatever message the device is programmed to convey.

One big issue I had with AoT is that I felt the focus was at times unnecessarily skewed. Carter and Mitchell wouldn't have played a key role in the primary storyline, and don't - however, RCC, in an attempt to keep them involved, devised a subplot involving SG-1's old enemies, the Replicators. The Odyssey is overrun and forced to flee their position in orbit around the planet upon which the rest of their team are searching - obviously a device required to enhance the sense of danger for those of the team still planet-side. Aspects of the subplot were necessary, obviously, if for nothing else than to escalate the sense of danger, but the Replicator "solution" is contrived, and, though I usually dare not say such a thing since it is science fiction, unbelievable given what the antagonistic group behind the idea has learned about the enemies the Milky Way has faced in the past ten years or more and the danger that would surely have been reintroducing such a threat to any galaxy. Devoting such a huge amount of time to the Replicators and the efforts of those aboard the Odyssey jolted me a few times out of the action, the suspense, of what was happening on the planet in the plot that, forgive me for saying so, really mattered.

In typical SG-1 fashion, Ark of Truth is exciting, at times wonderfully amusing and human, and a credit to the Powers that Be who were, along with the fans, deprived of a much-deserved eleventh season. The performances were top-notch, as Stargate has consistently provided over the past decade - "regular" and "guest" characters all. It was a shame to see what could have been a fantastic 20 episodes reduced to two hours, but SG-1 delivers, and I wasn't expecting anything less.

Stargate: Ark of Truth is not a good jumping-off point for the new or casual viewer - intimate knowledge of seasons 9 and 10 are required, and though the lovely 10-minute recap viewers can choose to watch before the movie begins does a great job of setting up the foundation for new viewers, there's nothing like seeing the two preceding seasons in all their detail before diving in - and I highly recommend diving in.

9/10

10 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Stargate Fans will enjoy it!, 4 April 2008

Author: yogi_jm from China

Stargate: The Ark of Truth was a very good moving, surprisingly good in all honesty. I was not sure about the conversion from TV series (AMAZING AT THAT) to a movie. It seemed a bit ambitious although I was completely wrong, the end result does justice to the Stargate series.

The movie does not go at the same pace of a 40 minute episode of Stargate and at first it seems odd to see the different tempo. The Stargate "humor" is still present and despite Richard Dean Anderson's absence in the movie still presents a good laugh. The only reason I gave the movie a 9/10 is because of RDA's absence and still a 9/10 on IMDb is superb!

However the Ark of Truth is strictly based off of the show's Season 9 and 10 and thus I recommend that you watch those two seasons first.

Despite a questionable set on the opening scene of the movie and some minor continuity errors, any Stargate fan should not be disappointed and in all honesty the change from TV Series to Movie was surprising but the end result does not disappoint. I can't wait till Continuum!

13 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
Very quick and worth the wait, 10 March 2008

Author: kilroy123-2 from United States

As a StarGate fan since 1997 and since the first season, I'd have to say I'm glad to have it back! The movie moved very fast and although it did seem a little forced at times it still had a few twists. We got to see a few surprise enemies and friends come back from the dead. I wish we could have seen more from the rest of the StarGate universe especially what happens after the face. Especially old friends, and although I don't care much for Ben Browder or Claudia Black it just wouldn't have been right with them not there. I would have loved to see Richard Dean Anderson back with the team at least for a few minutes but I'll just have to wait tell July...

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Not as good as I imagined!, 24 April 2010

Author: brandon_lee420 from 21 Stalker St, Pedo Way

The last ever episode for Stargate SG-1 was one that you could remember forever because it defined the team SG-1 as heroic, stubborn, smart, funny, and, no matter what, they had a solution for everything (a bit like Mcgyver). The last episode was intense, emotional, and sad (Teal'c is older than everyone by 50 years or something), so it seemed like the perfect episode except that they didn't tell you what happened to the Ori. Your hopes are dashed when you find out that the Ori's fate is unknown. You do a bit of searching around when you see Stargate: The Ark of Truth. You immediately buy it, hoping that this will answer everything. The film is a great addition to the Stargate franchise because it does contain action, laughs, a weird-kind-of story, and it is way more longer so you get to watch the fun more than forty-three minutes. The team is still looking at the clues at what happened to the Ori but when they find out that they are not dead, they go in search of an artifact called The Ark Of Truth, a device which tell the truth about anything if seen by the eyes. Their goal is exactly that but there are others who are after it. The film re-introduces the Replicators back but are they helping the good side or the bad side. The performances are not very different from what you saw in the series but I have to give two thumbs up to Christopher Judge for his great performance as Teal'c, Ben Browder for his jokes and slight remarks during bad times (never did get to fill Richard Dean Anderson's shoes though), Morena Baccarin for her villainous role but she did slack at the end, Claudia Black and Michael Shanks along with Amanda Tapping for there integrity and, often, funny jokes. Beau Bridges was great as well! I was a bit disappointed at the ending because it is so un-Stargate like and it didn't even have a twist but it did leave space for some more Stargate films. I loved the atmosphere in the film as well, especially the part where Teal'c is walking with a wound on his back because that part was really beautiful and the camera angle was perfect. The film should have had an cameo by Richard Dean Anderson because he would have been a relief to see in this film. The film is recommended for anyone who enjoys the series and is compulsory to watch since it tells you what happens to the Ori.

The film starts off with the SG-1 on the ruined planet Dakara, searching around for The Ark of Truth when the Ori appear out of nowhere. A squad of Ori soldiers led by Tomin, husband of Vala Mal Doran, ask SG-1 to surrender and they do. An prior comes between them and when things get heated, Tomin kills the prior and gains the teams trust. Later.... SG-1 embark into the Ori Galaxy on the ship Odyssey with an International Oversight Committee agent between them monitoring the mission. The agent makes a mistake which puts everyone's life in danger aboard the ship and also risks the failure of the mission. Will SG-1 overcome the mistake done by the agent and destroy the Ori, or will they perish and let the universe be converted?

The dialog is slightly better and funnier than season nine and tens. It is in a way more grimmer than ever. The action is obvious and no different from what you see in the series, so to put it straight it sucks. The fight at the end was so messy and weird, you didn't even know which one was which. The plot is straight forward and contains no twists (damn) but enjoy the film for what it is. The music and soundtrack can never get old, even if you have heard it 212 times and I loved hearing the metallic-sort-of music at the beginning. Epic! If you like this, I also recommend: Firefly (stars Morena Baccarin), Serenity, V, Battlestar Galactica, and Stargate Atlantis. 7.5/10

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