Stargate (1994)

An interstellar teleportation device, found in Egypt, leads to a planet with humans resembling ancient Egyptians who worship the god Ra.

Director:

Roland Emmerich

Writers:

Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich

Stars:

Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson

6 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kurt Russell	...	Colonel Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neil
James Spader	...	Dr. Daniel Jackson
Jaye Davidson	...	Ra
Viveca Lindfors	...	Catherine Langford
Alexis Cruz	...	Skaara
Mili Avital	...	Sha'uri
Leon Rippy	...	General W.O. West
John Diehl	...	Lieutenant Kawalsky
Carlos Lauchu	...	Anubis
Djimon Hounsou	...	Horus (as Djimon)
Erick Avari	...	Kasuf
French Stewart	...	Lieutenant Ferretti
Gianin Loffler	...	Nabeh
Christopher John Fields	...	Freeman
Derek Webster	...	Brown

Storyline

In 1928, in Egypt, a strange device is found by an expedition. In the present days, the outcast linguist Dr. Daniel Jackson is invited by a mysterious woman to decipher an ancient hieroglyph in a military facility. Soon he finds that the device was developed by an advanced civilization and opens a portal to teletransport to another planet. Dr. Jackson is invited to join a military team under the command of Colonel Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neil that will explore the new world. They find a land that recalls Egypt and humans in a primitive culture that worship and are slaves to Ra, the God of the Sun. But soon they discover the secret of the mysterious "stargate".

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Plot Keywords:

portal | hieroglyph | archeology | stargate | military | 

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Taglines:

It will take you a million light years from home. But will it bring you back?

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA France

Language:

English Norwegian Swedish Egyptian (Ancient) Arabic

Release Date:

28 October 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stargate

Filming Locations:

Ballroom, Park Plaza Hotel - 607 S. Park View Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,651,018, 30 October 1994

Gross USA:

$71,567,262

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$196,567,262

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, Centropolis Film Productions, Carolco Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min 128 min (special edition) 130 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby SR SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The early pre-release screenings of the movie were disastrous. The percentage of the audience who liked the movie fell into the mid-30s, and Executive Producer Mario Kassar realized the main problem was that the plot made zero sense. His solution: have the Ra character's dialogue subtitled, and made into information that presented a clear storyline. When these changes were made, the subsequent test screenings produced an overwhelming majority of positive reviews, and this carried the movie into becoming one of the surprise hits of fall 1994.

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Goofs

In the first attack on the village, after the leader is knocked down by an explosion, a ship swoops down from the sky and the model's cables and guide wires can be seen.

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Quotes

Arabic Interpreter: [first lines]
Arabic Interpreter: [at the dig site in Giza, 1928] Professor!
[chatters in Arabic]
Arabic Interpreter: Professor! We found something beautiful!
Prof. Langford: Ja?
Arabic Interpreter: Oh, yes! Big, big, big surprise!

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Alternate Versions

Special edition released on Laserdisc and US video substitutes alternate footage for some scenes and includes 9 minutes of additional material.

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Connections

Spin-off Stargate SG-1 (1997)

User Reviews

Solid, Original Adventure Flick

Stargate's plot, acting, and score all contribute beautifully to the mysterious ambiance that is the essence of this enthralling and suspenseful film. While your disbelief definitely needs to be suspended to cover some inconsistencies, the atmosphere and action of the movie make it worth your while. Not only does Stargate combine science fiction with history, but it weaves them together in a way that remains exciting the entire film, despite major changes of environment. Upon hearing some major elements of the film, one might think that aliens, ancient Egypt, and atomic bombs could only come together in some kind of bizarre montage. However, this film is strongly plot-driven, and while this does make it typical in some respects, the plot itself is remarkable. Hardly artsy, the score is in many places Hollywood-ish, presenting emotion in a straightforward manner, yet it too is enjoyable. None of the acting is spectacular, but this is made up for by the characters' wholesome qualities and ability to change (however slightly) over the course of the movie. To summarize, while nothing in the film is a complete divergence from the standard, it follows the Hollywood style in a manner that is original enough to make a solid and enjoyable adventure. This is the actualization of the potential within the Hollywood film "template": a good story told well in all respects. [9/10]