Stargate poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson, Viveca Lindfors, Alexis Cruz ... see more see more... , Mili Avital , Leon Rippy , John Diehl , Erick Avari , Robert Allan Ackerman , Rae Allen , Kenneth Danziger , Christopher John Fields , Erik Holland , Gladys Holland , Djimon Hounsou , Richard Kind , Gianin Loffler , Jack Moore , David Pressman , John Storey , Christopher West , Scott Smith , Frank Welker , Roger Til , April Webster , French Stewart , Cecil Hoffmann , George Gray

This lucrative, elephantine-budgeted sci-fi opus paved the way for director Roland Emmerich's mega-hit Independence Day (1996). The story commences in Giza, Egypt, circa 1928, where an archaeological ... read more read more...expedition unearths an ancient ring with cryptic hieroglyphs. The film then moves to the present day, where Egyptologist Daniel Jackson (James Spader) is busily trying to convince a group of skeptics that the pyramids were not built by man, but by an extraterrestrial force. After the lecture, a military man approaches him and offers him a job translating the said ring; its inscriptions actually constitute a map to a massive stargate (or interstellar portal). The army sends over resident crackpot colonel Jack O'Neill (Kurt Russell) to travel through the stargate and see what's on the other side; Jackson accompanies him, and the two men turn up in a desert planet on the other side of the universe, with three moons in its sky. The world in question is ruled by Ra (Jaye Davidson), a hermaphroditic Egyptian sun god, who oppresses hordes of slave workers. Jackson and O'Neill then join forces to help the said workers revolt against their oppressor. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Flixster Users

75% liked it

171,050 ratings

Critics

48% liked it

40 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 5 min.

Directed by: Roland Emmerich

Release Date: October 28, 1994

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: June 17, 1997

Get It:

Stats: 7,469 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Stargate Catherine Langford Stargate The Stargate Stargate Stargate Stargate Stargate Stargate Stargate Stargate Stargate Stargate Stargate Discovery of the Stargate Discovery of the Stargate Discovery of the Stargate Dr Daniel Jackson
Upload a Photo | View All Stargate Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (7,469)

  • skeletonking101
    January 8, 2011
    skeletonking101
    Its really random plot is a little awkward for a sci fi movie and some of the parts but it is fairly decent for a sci fi movie
  • ScoopOnline
    December 17, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    The Original one was watchable and I like James Spader.
  • ythelastman89
    November 18, 2009
    ythelastman89
    No, it's not the best movie ever, but it's a near perfect popcorn movie. One of the few times that Roland Emmerich didn't try to become too self important. Kurt Russell and James Spader were great together and really made the movie enjoyable. The plot was also really well done an... read mored brought something new to the sci-fi genre. The conspiracy theory aspect in this worked (unlike Emmerich's other films) because it wasn't trying to be taken seriously, it's just pure sci-fi adventure. The effects were great for the look they were going for (very similar to Dune).
  • SirPant
    September 21, 2009
    SirPant
    I've caught the series a couple of times on TV and it doesn't look that bad, so I guess this film wasn?t such a waste of time after all, because when it came out it really did feel like a wasted idea.
  • phubbs1
    May 5, 2009
    phubbs1
    When this came out it was huge, and its not bad. There are alot of rips from other films..Star Wars springs to mind, but this is quite original and looks good. The Egyptian ideas are nice and they work well but the plot was abit all over the place. Cast is ok, not bad, wish they ... read morecould have made the aliens abit more less human looking. Its average fun, nothing special, the effects are good but there's nothing to write home about. Unfortunatley it started another 'Star Trek' type TV series which goes on and on and on, boring.
  • Redlats
    April 28, 2009
    Redlats
    It is weird seeing the movie after you have seen the series. We've seen the premise a hundred times already. Also I find it difficult to understand how Ra can build things like spaceships and StarGates when he can't repel a measly rabble of locals.

    But the movie is for enterta... read moreinment, right? No point on dwelling on logic.
  • skactopus
    October 16, 2008
    skactopus
    Director, Roland Emmerich is no stranger when it comes to science fiction. His resume shows impressive films (Independence Day) and not so impressive films (Godzilla). Stargate is an impressive film.

    When I say impressive, I don't mean it in the way of fl

    ... read moreashy CG and futuristic cities. In fact, this film takes place in the modern day, albeit it is on another planet with a historical setting. What really makes this film stick out so much is the story, which is a great science fiction tale with a lot of potential. There is nothing like the fact of being able to transport instantly to another world.

    Stargate isn't about the action, but the run time is just over 2 hours and it goes by pretty quickly. You become engrossed in the story that even the slow parts actually mean something.

    The CG is great, especially for an early 90s film. It doesn't overdue it either. David Arnold does a wonderful job with the score, leaving a memorable theme, and the sound effects are also a strong part of this movie. The sound of the teleportation devices are really enjoyable and it is a shame they don't use them more.

    There is a good cast of characters. James Spader fits the role of Daniel Jackson, while Kurt Russell, sporting the flat top, delivers as Colonel Jack O' Neil. It is also interesting to see French Stewart in a serious military role. As for the villain, Jaye Davidson is a good Ra.

    It is true that Stargate may not be for everyone, but we do owe it to this movie for paving way for a great television series in Stargate: SG-1.
  • CloudStrife84
    July 6, 2008
    CloudStrife84
    Cool and original concept-wise, but the script as a whole leaves much to desire. What still makes it into an above average sci-fi film though is its appealing sense of wonder and excitement (an attribute which also later came to permeate through the tie-in series, Stargate SG-1, ... read morewhich I've personally grown to become quite a big fan of).
  • DrZeek
    March 25, 2008
    DrZeek
    Lt. General W.O. West: So you think you've solved in fourteen days what they couldn't solve in two years?

    Aliens have mastered interstellar travel, but still need slave labor to build their pyramids. It's an Egyptian/Sci-Fi/Adventure, that is mostly dumb fun. I used to give thi... read mores movie a bad wrap, but watching it again made me realize that it is a fun movie for the most part, and that's what counts.

    The story is fairly neat. It involves a device that can transport people millions of light years away, found in Egypt.

    James Spader is an Egyptologyst sent to figure this thing out. Soon he does, and so he joins a team headed up by none other than Kurt Russel (always in cool mode) to check things out.

    Upon getting their, they arrive in a desert environment, also containing pyramids, learning of an alien race responsible for pyramids.

    The movie then becomes a question of how to stop the bad guys, the aliens, and how to make it back through the stargate to home.

    It uses a whole bunch of cliches, and drags before getting to the final epic battles, but its an entertaining film due to three things: Spader and Russel are good in their roles, things about ancient Egypt are cool, and the scoring is epic.

    This was the big launch for Roland Emmerich who went on to do Independence Day among other big blockbusters, and while they have proven to show how to get a lot of bang for their buck, they also usually prove to be entertaining rides, save for the recent 10,000 BC.

    Colonel Jonathan "Jack" O'Neil: Give my regards to King Tut, asshole.
  • puffchunk
    December 2, 2007
    puffchunk
    Classic adventure stroy with lots of sand.

View All Stargate Reviews

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The movie Ed Wood, about the worst director of all time, was made to prepare us for Stargate. Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

[A] loopy, mostly entertaining sci-fi adventure. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

A cinematic fireworks show without the grand finale. Full Review

Kevin Carr
June 27, 2011
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures

What Emmerich achieves is a sense of grand scale that makes the film fun to watch as a space adventure. Full Review

Scott G. Mignola
January 2, 2011
Scott G. Mignola, Common Sense Media

Promising setup killed by action-film cliches. Full Review

Brian Orndorf
June 2, 2010
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com

"Has matured wonderfully, sustaining as a curious genre exercise in blockbuster yearn marked by surprising buoyancy, madly entertaining performances, and a fertile cinematic imagination behind the cam... Full Review

Bill Gibron
October 27, 2009
Bill Gibron, PopMatters

Still, this is a decent little diversion, the kind of pure popcorn fodder that would find a far more ballsy form when Will Smith took on city-sized flying saucers in Independence Day. Full Review

Scott Weinberg
March 18, 2003
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

The main problem with Stargate is not with set-up, but with execution. After a while you feel like you're just watching weird people staggering around a desert. Full Review

Shannon J. Harvey
February 12, 2003
Shannon J. Harvey, Sunday Times (Australia)

A load of outer space codswallop!

Alex Sandell
February 12, 2003
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum

Roland Emmerich's reign of terror begins ...

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Angels & Demons
    Angels & Demons (95%)
  • Stargate: Continuum
    Stargate: Continuum (96%)
  • Stargate: The Ark of Truth
    Stargate: The Ark of Truth (92%)
  • Godzilla
    Godzilla (43%)

More Movies like Stargate

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • Dr. Daniel Jackson: [Kasuf gestures towards his village] He's inviting us to go with him.
    • Lieutenant Kawalsky: How can you be so sure?
    • Dr. Daniel Jackson: Because he's...
    • Dr. Daniel Jackson: [repeats gesture] inviting us to go with him.
    • Colonel Jonathan "Jack" O'Neil: Give my regards to King Tut asshole!
  • Kasuf (Erick Avari) is one of the two only characters, the other being Skaara (Alexis Cruz), who are played by the same actor in the movie and the series.
  • It will take you a million light years from home. But will it bring you back?
Submit a Fact | View All

Stargate : Watch Free on TV

Stargate Trivia

  • What movie had a spin off tv show that's run for 10 seasons? Hint--James Spader was in the movie and Richard Dean Anderson is on the tv show.  Answer »
  • who played Colonel Jack O'Neil in the film version of Stargate?  Answer »
  • Name the actor who played Colonel Jack O'Neill in the movie "Stargate."  Answer »
  • I played in the thing,overboard and stargate who am I  Answer »
More Stargate Trivia

Movie Quizzes

Create a Quiz |

All Quizzes

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Stargate Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Stargate to favorites

Recent News

Submit a Story |

View Stargate News

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

FanGirl Skin by FanGirl
589 Profiles
Add to Profile

More Skins