Stargate: The Ark of Truth DVD Review
After ten seasons on the small screen, the SG-1 crew have made the leap to. . . well. . the small screen, but in a very big way. “Stargate: The Ark of Truth” is the first in a series of straight-to-DVD movies and it hits store shelves this Tuesday.
With a bigger budget behind them (rumored to be around 7 million) and more time to dedicate to one storyline, the Stargate movies are poised to be grander than ever. But turning any TV series into a film comes with one inherent problem — how do you keep fans engaged without alienating potential viewers who have never seen the TV show.
Me? I fall somewhere in between and I probably represent the majority of the audience for this movie. I’ve seen Stargate SG-1 now and again. I’m familiar with the basic characters and premise but I haven’t seen a single episode in the past five years. I do watch Stargate Atlantis on a regular basis, so I’ve got a leg up there. Keep this in mind as I review the movie.
The overall premise revolves around an Ancient artifact which is reported to contain a relic which will cause anyone who views it to know the truth about the Ori. That is, they’ll realize that the Ori are false gods and thus they will cease to fight in their name. This is particularly relevant at the moment because Stargate Command has received word that the Ori followers are about to launch a mass attack on the Earth. Eventually, the SG-1 team is split into two factions; Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks), Vala (Claudia Black), and Teal’c (Christopher Judge) go after the ark with the aide of Vala’s husband, Tomin (Tim Guinee) a follower of the Ori. Sam (Amanda Tapping) and Cam (Ben Browder) take to the skies aboard the newly outfitted battlecruiser Odyssey with James Merek (Currie Graham) of the IOA along to make things difficult for them.
Confused? Don’t worry, the DVD comes with a “prequel” that you can turn on or off, which is designed to give you all the backstory you need in order to understand what you’re about to see in the movie. If you didn’t watch the last two seasons of Stargate SG-1, I suggest you run the prequel twice before embarking on the feature. Your brain will thank you an hour into the flick.
Though there is a lot of mythology here to be processed, The Ark of the Truth also comes with its share of great action, from space battles, to hand-to-hand combat, to a full on alien attack. As I watched, I couldn’t help but feel that I was being showered with homages to some of the best Scifi/Fantasy films ever m
ade. You’ll see shades of “lord of the Rings”, “Aliens,” “Star Wars,” and even a “Terminator” nod that is terribly blatant but awfully cool.
Even without a feature film budget, the folks at Stargate have always done an amazing job with their special effects and here they’ve managed to step it up a notch. The effects are so natural you forget that they’re effects! Frankly, it’s a shame this had to go straight to DVD without a theatrical release because the helicopter shots of Teal’c treking through the snow-covered mountains would be breathtaking on the big screen. (Though I did have the urge to start singing, ‘the hills are alive, with the sound of music. . . ‘)
Stunt coordinator, James Bam-Bam Bamford was along to create a few of his signature fight-scenes and you won’t fully appreciate the fire stunt in the film until you watch the making-of featurette. Wow. And again I say, wow.
To really ratchet things up a notch, composer Joel Goldsmith (son of famed composer Jerry Goldsmith) was given a full orchestra and choir for the movie’s soundtrack. (For the TV show it’s all synthesized music.) There is nothing like a soundtrack played by a real orchestra and Goldsmith has outdone himself with these epic tracks. He manages to capture both the futuristic sounds of a space battle and the fairy tale charm of Merlin the Magician. And I was particularly struck by an almost comic piece of music played during a firefight between the SG-1 crew and the Ori followers — it set the tone quite nicely. And the use of the use of chanting choirs, eerily brilliant.
The movie clocks in at just over an hour and half but its loaded with enough plot and action for a half dozen TV episodes. The special features include audio commentary with writer, director and producer Robert C. Cooper, actor Christopher Judge and director of photography, Peter Woeste, “Stargate SG-1: The Road Taken: Prelude to The Ark of Truth,” The Ark of Truth: Stargate at Comic-Con” (Hey, I was there!) and the behind the scenes featurette “Uncovering The Ark of Truth.” It also comes with an annoying front load of trailers and advertisements that couldn’t be skipped on my preview copy of the DVD. I was also surprised by the lack of razzamataz in the navigation screens but I can’t say for sure that these are the screens being used in the finished DVD so I’ll give them the benefit of doubt on that one.
Overall, I really enjoyed “Stargate: The Ark of Truth.” Even though I haven’t seen the show in years, I was quickly pulled into the characters and plots and though I was a bit confused at times, it didn’t effect my enjoyment of the film in the end. If anything, I’d say it made me want to go back and watch the last few seasons of Stargate SG-1. I had no idea what I was missing.
If you’re a fan, “Stargate: The Ark of Truth.” is a must buy. If you’ve never seen the show but are a scifi fan in general, rent it and give it a shot. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how big a small show can look when it becomes a full-length feature on DVD.
“Stargate: The Ark of Truth” will be available anywhere DVDs are sold on Tuesday, March 11. You can also enter to win one of three copies of the DVD right here on SFUniverse. All you have to do is leave a comment on our contest post.
Tags: Amanda Tapping, Ben Browder, Joel Goldsmith, Michael Shanks, Stargate, Stargate-SG-1, Stargate: The Ark of TruthRelated Stories
POSTED IN: DVD, Reviews, SCI FI Channel, Stargate
7 opinions for Stargate: The Ark of Truth DVD Review
Ugly Pig
Mar 10, 2008 at 8:02 am
One little note: Tomin is actually not a Prior, nor are the majority of the Ori followers. The Priors are the creepy priest guys with the staffs, who have been given supernatural powers by the Ori.
Cynthia
Mar 10, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Thanks for the note, I shall correct that line right away. As I mentioned, I had no knowledge of this particular story line going into the movie and thus I was a bit confused by some of the nuisances, but I don’t think that should stop anyone new to the franchise from watching the movie. It’s a fun ride.
damon bock
Mar 10, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Thanks for the spoilers DUFUS. You konw this isn’t out for another day right? And you know that you shouldn’t give away spoilers without warning ppl right?
What kind of a fan are you? Apparently not much of one at all.
Cynthia
Mar 10, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Wow, Damon, first off there aren’t any spoilers in the review that you wouldn’t learn from watching any of the trailers or other advertising on the DVD.
Second of all- it’s a review - did you think I wouldn’t talk about the plot. That should have been warning enough.
Alexandra
Mar 10, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Hallowed Be The Ori! Yes! Thank you Cyn. I’ll see this one for sure. I don’t know if the Ori will come back, but they made the show really scary. ;D
John Odeh
Apr 10, 2008 at 4:23 pm
John’s Review of Stargate: The Ark of Truth
Stargate: The Ark of Truth, while being undoubtedly stunning from a visual point of view, had a very disappointing plot. And this criticism of mine is leveled not only against this concluding movie in the Ori arc of the Stargate adventure, but is also directed against the very false premise that the Ori (who are supposedly evolutionarily advanced, several million years old, ascended and super intelligent beings), could be exterminated by the feeble efforts of lower life forms; such as Vala Maldoran and the rest of SG1. Faithful fans of the Stargate universe like me, who also happen to have a keen interest in the study of human history, mythology, mysticism, and the various religious philosophies of this planet, know very well that the concept of immortality, presupposes the attribute of “indestructibility”.
Thus even though Satan and his Demons (at least in the thinking of most monotheistic religions) are rightly considered evil, degenerate, and fallen, since they are immortal (and therefore indestructible), God (or whatever you call the supreme universal power) defeats or neutralizes, and punishes them, by condemning them to an eternity in a place of banishment and/or punishment, such as; Hellfire, “The Lake Of Sulfur And Brimstone”, Hades, etc. The supreme creative power in the universe however, does not kill them (since they are immortal), and are therefore ‘un-killable.’
When the semi divine ascended beings were first introduced into the Stargate universe in the episode titled “Maternal Instinct,” many fans with both my interest and background in ancient mythology, immediately recognized the similarity of Oma Desala to other major mythological and immortal characters, and heartily welcomed this sophisticated addition to the pantheon of characters in the Stargate universe. We recognized their similarity to ancient (and if I may say so yet again, immortal) Greek goddesses like Athena, Hera, Aphrodite, etc, sublime Biblical angels/arch angels like Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and even the not so sublime (but still immortal) fallen angels like Lucifer and Asmodeus, the Japanese goddess Amateresu, and Buddhist/Hindu Bodhisattvas and enlightened Sages like Narayana, Sankaracharya, Patanjali, and other enlightened sages; who are said to have attained nirvana/Samadhi, and thus ascended to a higher (and immortal) plane of existence.
These people are said in mythology and mysticism to have conquered death, and mortal limitations, so it really stretches credulity to introduce them into the Stargate universe, film several episodes in which their great power, knowledge, and wisdom (yes, even inclusive of the mean and wicked Ori) are displayed, only to later conclude their magnificent story, by showing them to be so weak, clueless, and foolish that mere mortals like Valla and the rest of SG1, could wipe them out of existence with the use of a weapon, called the Saangral. What part of the words immortal, indestructible, supremely knowledgeable, and incredibly wise, do Robert Cooper and the other stargate screenwriters not understand? By ending the Ori storyline this way, you have just made complete nonsense out of the very concepts of ascension/ascended beings. If they are so feeble, mortal, and deceivable, then what makes their plane of existence so much higher than ours? How come you can say that they have ascended to a higher state of existence, if it is so easy to make them fall? Robert Cooper and the other writers of the Stargate TV series and DVDs cannot have it both ways.
Either these characters are highly evolved, super powerful, super intelligent immortals (who as such are deathless), or they are not! I don’t see how when the mere mortals of Stargate command, can show enough intelligence to protect their Stargate with an iris and armed guards, the so-called ascended and highly militaristic Ori, would leave their own Supergate both unshielded and unguarded, such that any human enemy can ship in lethal weapons and personnel in and out at will. Even the late Saddam Hussein of Iraq was not that militarily dumb! It is also absolutely impossible for me to believe that an ascended, angry, vengeful, and very intelligent Ori like Adria would allow both SG1 and “The Ark of Truth” to exist for one second in her domain, after she had already personally witnessed and experienced how dangerous and lethal SG1 could be in their actions against the Ori. Hello? Anyone remember their previous use of another deadly Alteran invented weapon called the Saangral, as well as the anti-prior device against the Ori and their followers. It is a well known fact that in real life, enemies adapt to one another’s battlefield tactics. Yet in these episodes, we see Adria, the Priors, the Ori, and the soldiers/monks of the Ori galaxy falling again and again to the same old SG1 tricks. Wow! If only all enemies we face in battle were so stupid, wouldn’t we win all wars?
The viewer has to stretch his/her credulity to the point of utter stupidity, in order to believe that million year old ascended beings, like the Ori (regardless of how evil they might be), would simply look away, and ignore the danger posed by allowing a weapon like the Saangral exist. Especially when Adria fully realized and even stated so to SG1 and Daniel Jackson several times that it is a weapon that was designed by Merlin to wipe out the Ori. Is it likely that either she or any of the rest of the ascended Ori would have allowed their dire enemies SG1, to both build and deploy this genocidal device against their ascended selves? Even George Bush (who isn’t exactly considered America’s brightest president), is smart enough to realize that even crude atomic weapons in the hands of backward third world dictators like Saddam Hussein, Ahmahdinejad, and Kim Jung Yu pose a threat to the mighty Hydrogen Bomb armed US, and feared this potential threat enough to wage pre-emptive war against Iraq in 2003.
Yet in this movie, the mighty, ascended, super intelligent, and supposedly galaxy conquering Ori, are portrayed as absolutely nincompoops; who fold their hands, and tamely watch from the sidelines, while mere corporeal mortals like SG1 in alliance with an old, ailing, de-ascended Alteran like Merlin, not only build, but deploy a weapon of galactic destruction, against their immensely superior and powerful selves? Give me a break! Are we to believe that the mighty Ori would not have been smart enough to take care of this very clear existential threat? No race with even the poorest military skills, not to talk of the ancient, technologically advanced, and highly evolved Ori, would hesitate for a second, before taking prompt and very aggressive action to eradicate such a threat. In any real world situation, SG1 would definitely have been blown out of the skies, long before they ever set a foot in the Ori galaxy.
Next we are also expected to believe that an ascended (and now super powerful and intelligent being; since she supposedly possesses all the collective power previously possessed by her exterminated former evil ascended companions) Ori like Adria, could be so easily distracted by the very simple lies and distractions of Vala Maldoran (who openly winks at Daniel Jackson, before proceeding to distract Adria by saying she is “…very sorry…would you kill me now…” while Dr. Jackson quickly primes the Ark of Truth, and Teal’c uses a staff weapon to blast the leg of the table it is sitting on, so that the powerful Doci is caught in a full blast of its radiance, and the powerful Doci is converted to a new found disbelief in the Ori? Give me a break! In the episode “Maternal Instinct,” Oma Desala was supposed to be so powerful and wise that she single-handedly wiped out a battalion of Apophis’s best Jaffa and a squadron of his Death Gliders, while at the same time gamely and skillfully protecting all of the then SG1 team and Bratac, from the staff blasts of Apophis’s hostile Jaffa.
Yet in “The Ark of Truth,” we see a silly, arrogant, talkative, and foolish ascended Adria (even though she had just recently escaped being killed by the rest of SG1 and Vala, and who is now supposed to be the most powerful ascended being in the universe, because she had inherited all the collective power, wisdom, and intelligence of the exterminated Ori race), remain clueless as to the real nature of the threat she was facing in the presence of SG1, Vala, Tomin, plus The Ark of Truth, and stand by talking foolishly, while her enemies distract her, prime, and then deploy their ultimate weapon against her and her rule. Can anyone really believe Adria would have been so stupid? Do you really believe both an ascended Adria, and a powerful faithful Doci, would have been unable to handle five mere mortals, and one vastly weaker, ascended Morgan Le Fey, who only appeared on the scene after the ark had been activated? I think not!
Additionally, even if we were to suspend all critical thinking for a moment, and believe that SG1 would have actually succeeded in distracting a telepathic Adria (who should have been able to read all truly hostile their thoughts and plans), and that they would have eventually succeeded in deploying the ark against the Doci, thus neutralizing all the other priors in the galaxy through the so-called “Telepathic Link in Prior Staffs), and thus causing her to lose some of her power, how is it that she also lost all the power available to her from the worship of ordinary people in the Ori galaxy, who are not priors, and therefore would not been connected to Prior Staff Link, or affected by the conversion of the Doci? Ordinary human worshippers vastly outnumber the priors at least 1 to 100 in the Ori galaxy, so Adria should still have had access to plenty of power from their continuing worship, i.e. enough power to deal with SG1, Morgan Le Fey, and that pesky Ark of Truth. The facts as presented in this movie just don’t add up, and this plot is definitely not credible.
Also why did they writers start this movie in a very lame and clichéd way, by quoting directly from the fourth movie in the Star Wars Series, Remember the “…Ark of Truth” starts with the words; “…in a far away galaxy, millions of years ago.” This is a direct quote from the beginning of Star Wars: Episode IV. Are we to believe that the writers of “…Ark of Truth” could not come up with a unique opening statement of their own? This movie is riddled with too many storyline errors in my view. Therefore even though I have been a faithful fan of the stargate series all these years, I must say that the storyline in “The Ark of Truth” really, really, SUCKS! And the writers of the stargate series really need to do a lot better than this if they are to continue holding the interest of serious minded fans like me!
Charlene
Apr 10, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Great post Jojo. I have also always wondered how come the Ori were suppossed to be these big, bad, and menacing guys, yet they ended up being easily dispatched in one shot, by just five guys of stargate command. It is really strange that the Ori never seemed to realize their own vulnerability to attack, and never took any effective countermeasures.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: