With the recent discussion about Stargate: The Series, I felt the need to re-watch Stargate, the film that started it all. Simply put, this movie kicks ass. When I saw this in the theater all those years ago, I was blown away. Surprisingly, Stargate has aged very well over the years for something that really doesn't have a whole lot of Special FX in it. Back then yeah, this was groundbreaking stuff we were getting, but by comparisons to movies of today, it actually feels like a little 'art house flick'. I think it's a good thing that this movie wasn't 100% CGI back then because it would have become forgettable within a few viewings in my mind. I think really getting to focus on the characters and the differences between two cultures as they try to communicate with each other adds to my enjoyment of the film. I'm always a sucker for 'fish-out-of-water' genres like this.

Great story and cool characters. Also, it's got Kurt Russell in it. How can you go wrong with that? It's strange that I'm not a fan of James Spader at all. Out of everything I've seen him in, he always plays very unlikable characters. So, him basically playing the Hero along side of Kurt, it's the only movie of his that I like. I highly recommend this as a Buy.

You nailed it. Characters and story make this movie stand out. It was fresh, in my mind, a new take on sci-fi.

And a time machine.... Good luck

I think the best Sci-Fi films that use Special FX, use it to tell the story rather than rely solely on it to cover up the lack of plot and / or characters. Stargate, along with both Terminator and T2 are prime examples of how to do Sci-Fi the right way. At the opposite end of the spectrum are movies like the Transformers films. Add Michael Bay into the mix and you are going to have a pretty forgettable film. Personally, I have never seen the Transformer films, but I know that just the premise along with said director is enough to know it's going to be all about CGI and that the characters will have no development and are only there to bear witness to the spectacle.

I've often wondered what Stargate would have been in the hands of Michael Bay and how drastically it would have been. Hell, I've often wondered what the movie would have been in the hands of Roland Emmerich in this day and age of CGI-heavy flicks. I just prefer to have movies that give is rich characters and plot over the biggest and loudest explosions of the week. Is it all that shocking to say that The Rock is Michael Bay's best film? Hmmm...I wonder why. Maybe because he has to rely more or the characters to drive the story instead of over-the-top spectacle.