User:LancedSoul/sandbox/Stargate

Stargate is a 1994 science fiction adventure film released through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and Carolco Pictures. Written by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, the film is the first release in the Stargate franchise. Directed by Emmerich, the film stars Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson, Alexis Cruz, Mili Avital, and Viveca Lindfors.

Plot
In modern-day Egypt, professor Daniel Jackson (James Spader) teams up with retired Army Col. Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell) to unlock the code of an interstellar gateway to an ancient Egypt-like world. They arrive on a planet ruled by the despotic Ra (Jaye Davidson), who holds the key to the Earth travelers' safe return. Now, in order to escape from their intergalactic purgatory, Jackson and O'Neil must convince the planet's people that Ra must be overthrown.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The idea of Stargate, an ancient ring-shaped device that creates a wormhole enabling travel to a similar device elsewhere in the universe is original and it is executive well.
 * 2) Soild acting, especially in this case of Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson, Alexis Cruz, Mili Avital, and Viveca Lindfors.

Reception
Stargate received mixed reviews from critics with both praise and criticism for its atmosphere, story, characters, and graphic content. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 52%, based on 46 reviews, and an average rating of 5.29/10. The site's consensus states: "Stargate has splashy visuals and James Spader to recommend it, but corny characterization and a clunky script makes this a portal to ho-hum.". On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 42 out of 100, based on reviews from 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Oh the other hand, audience reception was more favourable reviews and is considered best Roland Emmerich movies alongside Independence Day.