Search - Stargate [Widescreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Questionable for Children, Profanity Movie Release: 1994 DVD Release: 06/18/1997 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 59 mins Studio: Live/Artisan Total Copies: 13 Genres: Science Fiction, Space Adventure, Sci-Fi Adventure See Also: Stargate [Widescreen] [Special Edition], Stargate [Widescreen] [Special Edition], Stargate [Widescreen] [Ultimate Edition] [Director's Cut], Stargate [UMD for PSP], Stargate [Blu-ray], Stargate [Widescreen] [Extended Cut], Stargate, Stargate [Fullscreen] [15th Anniversary Ultimate Edition] [Extended Cut], Stargate [Widescreen] [15th Anniversary Edition] [Extended Cut] [Blu-ray], Stargate [15th Anniversary] [Blu-ray]

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 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, All Movie Guide

Kurt Russell - Colonel Jonathan "Jack" O'Neil
James Spader - Dr. Daniel Jackson
Jaye Davidson - Ra
Viveca Lindfors - Catherine
Alexis Cruz - Skaara

Artisan has created a fine package with the Special Edition DVD of the science fiction epic Stargate. Two versions of the film are offered, both the theatrical-release print and one containing nine minutes of additional footage. Both versions are breathtaking in their widescreen presentation (the aspect ratio is 2.35:1) and come equipped with Dolby 5.1 Sound. As if that were not enough, there is yet another version that plays along with audio commentary from the film's director Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin. So, in essence, this film appears three different times on the DVD. Also included is a one-minute theatrical teaser and the three-minute theatrical trailer. There are informative bios and filmographies on the director, producers, and the film's colorful cast, including James Spader, Kurt Russell, and Jaye Davidson. There are also a wealth of production notes, one set on the DVD itself and another offered in an informative, well-put-together twelve-page booklet. Altogether this is an almost-fantastic ("almost" because there are no foreign-language subtitles) package destined to please Stargate's many fans. ~ Jose Promis, All Movie Guide