Stargate (1994)
72%RT Audience Score: 73%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Stargate is a film that, despite its lifeless script and clunky execution, manages to be a loopy and entertaining sci-fi adventure that proudly trembles on the brink of classic camp. The film’s imaginative use of the latest special effects technology gives audiences new thrills, and Kurt Russell’s dispatching of an Anubis-looking baddie with a witty bon mot elevates the film an entire letter grade. While the film may be an interminable exercise in special effects and not-so-special fisticuffs at times, it still achieves a sense of grand scale that makes it fun to watch as a space adventure. Overall, Stargate is a blast from the past that manages to be a prime entertainment whose two hours of footage passes very quickly.
Stargate is a classic sci-fi adventure that’s so ridiculous, it’s actually enjoyable. Kurt Russell’s one-liners are the cherry on top of this special effects sundae. It’s like watching an old-fashioned desert epic, but with aliens and spaceships. Give my regards to King Tut, indeed.
Production Company(ies)
Shangri-La Entertainment, Tuff Gong Pictures, Cowboy Films,
Distributor
Warner Home Vídeo, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., Artisan Entertainment
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-14
Year of Release
1994
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:16:9 HD (original broadcast ratio, seasons 6-10)4:3 (original broadcast ratio, seasons 1-5)
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Runtime:2h 0m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 28, 1994 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 26, 1999
Genre(s)
Adventure/Action
Keyword(s)
starring Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson, Viveca Lindfors, Alexis Cruz, Mili Avital, directed by Roland Emmerich, written by Roland Emmerich, Dean Devlin, Adventure, Action, PG-13, Warner Home Vídeo, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., Artisan Entertainment, box office gross $70.9M, reviewed by David Hunter, Zaki Hasan, Jay Carr, Owen Gleiberman, Robert Faires, Hal Hinson, Leigh Paatsch, David Nusair, Sergio Benítez, Quentin Curtis, Kevin Carr, Scott G Mignola, produced by Joel B Michaels, Oliver Eberle, Dean Devlin
Worldwide gross: $71,567,262
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $71,567,262
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
James Spader – Dr. Daniel Jackson
Jaye Davidson – Ra
Viveca Lindfors – Catherine Langford, Ph.D.
Alexis Cruz – Skaara
Mili Avital – Sha’uri
Director(s)
Roland Emmerich
Writer(s)
Roland Emmerich, Dean Devlin
Producer(s)
Joel B. Michaels, Oliver Eberle, Dean Devlin
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (47) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (25) | Rotten (22)
Stargate is a blast from the past in many ways, but it imaginatively employs the latest special effects technology to give audiences new thrills.
October 29, 2019
David Hunter
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
The kind of flick where Kurt Russell dispatches an Anubis-looking baddie after first telling him, in the kind of bon mot that elevates the thing an entire letter grade, “Give my regards to King Tut, a**hole.”
October 13, 2019
Zaki Hasan
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
It works not because ridiculousness is concealed, but because ridiculousness on this scale becomes something else. Don’t let anyone tell you that Stargate, lifeless script and all, isn’t clunky fun, proudly trembling on the brink of classic camp.
May 2, 2018
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: C
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3.5/5
Robert Faires
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
[A] loopy, mostly entertaining sci-fi adventure.
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
An ungainly, but interesting blend of sci-fiction and an old-fashioned, sandblown desert epic.
October 29, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
…an entertaining sci-fi thriller…
May 31, 2020 | Rating: 2.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
‘Stargate’ is a prime entertainment whose two hours of footage passes very quickly. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 28, 2019
Sergio Benítez
Espinof
Stargate starts promisingly… But it then turns into an interminable exercise in special effects and not-so-special fisticuffs.
November 29, 2017
Quentin Curtis
Independent on Sunday
What Emmerich achieves is a sense of grand scale that makes the film fun to watch as a space adventure.
June 27, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures
Promising setup killed by action-film cliches.
January 2, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Scott G. Mignola
Common Sense Media…
Plot
General Hammond summons Colonel Jack O’Neill out of retirement to embark on a secret rescue mission. O’Neill confesses that he disobeyed orders to destroy the Stargate on Planet Abydos, and that scientist Daniel Jackson may still be alive. Arriving on Abydos with his team, O’Neill meets up once again with the scientist, who has discovered a giant elaborate cartouche in hieroglyphics. All signs point to the fact that this is a map of many Stargates that exist throughout the galaxy – a development that makes the dream of the SG-1 team to travel throughout the universe in time a reality.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The critic consensus for Stargate says that it has “splashy visuals and James Spader to recommend it, but corny characterization and a clunky script makes this a portal to ho-hum.”
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