Movie Review: Stargate (1994)

Stargate (1994) co-written and directed by Roland Emmerich

Egyptologist Daniel Jackson (James Spader) is on social and financial life-support. He has theories about the Great Pyramid of Egypt that don't sit well with the academic community. Specifically, he argues that it is more ancient than believed and the locals must have had access to other help or technology. With no real support, he accepts a mysterious translation job from a woman associated with the U. S. Air Force. In a prologue, we see that woman as a young girl at an archaeological dig in Egypt as it uncovers a massive burial stone and a huge metallic ring. Now, both items are hidden in a military bunker where civilian and military experts are trying to decipher the writings on both. Jackson makes a breakthrough when he realizes some of the symbols are constellations, not hieroglyphs. Meanwhile, taciturn Colonel Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell) is brought in to head the project for the military. With Jackson's knowledge they are able to activate the ring, which is a portal to a planet in another galaxy. O'Neil leads the expedition to the other side, where they discover a pyramid and a culture under the thumb of Ra (Jaye Davidson), who is less the Egyptian god of the sun and more of an alien exploiting the human race.

The story has an intriguing set-up, with the mystery about the portal and the mixed motivations of the various characters. Director Emmerich (most famous for Independence Day) is a crowd-pleasing director who puts everything on the screen. The plot is straightforward and the story leads to another triumph for humanity, even as the baddies do their best to mess up things. The action is fun and the special effects (almost entirely practical) hold up after thirty years. Spader and Russell give their usual good performances, providing more humanity to characters who could have been cookie-cutter stereotypes. The enhanced Egyptian mythology works well for the story and provides an alien aesthetic that is not too odd to be believed.

Recommended--this is classic 1980s/1990s sci-fi big budget entertainment.