Stargate: The Ark Of Truth Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
SG-1 searches for an ancient weapon which could help them defeat the Ori, and discover it may be in the Ori's own home galaxy. As the Ori prepare to send ships through to the Milky Way to attack Earth, SG-1 travels to the Ori galaxy aboard the Odyssey. The International Oversight committee has their own plans and SG-1 finds themselves in a distant galaxy fighting two powerful enemies.
| Ben Browder | Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell |
| Amanda Tapping | Lt. Col. Samantha Carter |
| Christopher Judge | Teal'c |
| Michael Shanks | Dr. Daniel Jackson |
| Beau Bridges | Major General Hank Landry |
| Claudia Black | Vala Mal Doran |
| Currie Graham | James Marrick |
| Morena Baccarin | Adria |
| Tim Guinee | Tomin |
| Julian Sands | The Doci |
| Sarah Strange | Morgan Le Fay, Ganos Lal |
| Michael Beach | Colonel Abe Ellis |
| Gary Jones | Chief Master Sgt. Walter Harriman |
| Martin Christopher | Major Marks |
| Robert C. Cooper |
7.10 out of 10 (3340 votes)
Visitor Reviews
The Fitting And Epic End Of The Ori Storyline
posted on 22 Aug 2009Leaving the Ori storyline unresolved at the end of Sg-1's final season, the makers of the show give us this film. The Ark Of Truth lives up the hype of fans hoping for an epic end to the storyline that drove the show's final two seasons. Indeed, The Ark Of Truth proves to be both an epic and fitting end to the Ori storyline.In fact one might go so far as to assume that the show never ended. From the performances of SG-1's members, it's just like picking up where Unending left off. In particular Michael Shanks and Ben Browder both get to shine in their roles of Daniel Jackson and Cameron Mitchell. That's not to say the rest of cast doesn't, but Shanks and Browder really do stand out in this. The supporting cast does too from Beau Bridges to Sarah Strange, from Sarah Strange to the villainous Julian Sands and the absolutely evil Morena Baccarin. The real stand out of the supporting cast however is Currie Graham as Merrick, the double crossing IOA supervisor.The rest of the production is also first rate for the film, in both writing and production values, is epic. There is a scope to the film that wasn't possible for the show on television. The story feels epic, taking us from Earth to the Ori galaxy and back again. The story has so much going on though that we don't get to see some of the things fans would like to have seen but we see enough to keep everyone happy. The effects and photography aren't just as good as they were on the show, they're better. They go from mountains in the opening credits, the ruins of Dakarra and the Altaran city, to the Ark itself: something that was hard (if not impossible) for the series to do with even a two-part two of the series. There's also one or two moments that evoke memories of the original movie from years ago and fans should get a smile out of it. There's one other thing to mention: the music. The music by Joel Goldsmith is just as epic as the film, evoking not just the original Stargate theme by David Arnold but the Germanic chants of the Ori themes and heroic themes for the team. But the real treat of the music is that while it may be familiar, you've never heard it played this. Fans of the series won't be disappointed. Everything that made us love the series is still here and thriving.Not to say the film is perfect, which it isn't. Some parts of the film don't make a lot of sense such as the IOA's actions. They don't make much sense especially when they resurrect an old enemy from the series in the process. I won't spoil it because it makes for a great plot twist, but in retrospect it just feels like padding. There's also the odd flashbacks to the Altarans involving the Ark which, while they add some texture, really might not have been needed. But these are minor flaws, and its hard to find anything without any.In short, The Ark Of Truth is a good film. It does exactly what it was supposed to do: be both an epic and fitting end to the Ori storyline. It succeeds for the most part, though it does have some flaws to it. While non-fans might want to watch the Prelude on the DVD to catch-up on all the plot lines going on in the film, fans should enjoy it. If this and Continuum, the yet to be released second film, are to be the final end of Stargate SG-1, they will be the fitting end of the series.
Dreadful and embarrassing
posted on 31 Jul 2009belongs in the category 'better never done'.dreadful writing, horrible directing and wooden acting. it feels like the actors were wheeled out on stage, given their lines, filmed, and then wheeled off.i get the feeling most of the fantastic non-acting talent that made the series so wonderful had gone missing from the production. no wonder why.doesn't come close to any of the great "classic" two-part episodes done in the salad days of the series.what a disappointment.well, i guess the only redeeming feature i can think of is that they bring the replicators back. shades of better days!oh, and the use of arnold's original theme -- nicely scored, if nothing else.
The latest in a long line of cop outs from the Sci Fi network.
posted on 05 Jul 2009This movie felt like a pay off, a cheap, horrific way to end Stargate. Adria's character was obviously torn to shreds for one- from the calm, mature if not evil/brainwashed Orici, into an egomaniac whose relation ship with Vala gets a handful of lines- no stuff with Daniel... not a thing and we just jump into the vision thing with Morgan.They could have fixed this easy- take out the part with the replicators, Sam was, with all the happy character stuff that they started in season ten, well one step forward twelve million back.Mitchell, never been a fan, but he got kicked around for nothing but ouch poor abused character, and don't get me started on the whole I.O.A storyline.... which should never have left Earth.Teal'c was the only character that showed any good stuff this time round, his empathy with Tomin genuinely wrenching. Unlike the scene with Morgan Le Fay vs Adria. Rip off season eight's Anubis vs Oma Desala.This was a scrap they gave us for canceling Stargate SG1, they owed us a season to conclude... even Farscape got the PeaceKeeper wars a over three hour long conclusion.I refuse to watch Stargate Atlantis, buy its DVDs because Sci Fi made a huge mistake and while SG1 shouldn't be penalized, Sci Fi shouldn't just get to continue like nothing happened.Advice- rent, don't buy it... and stop watching new science fiction type shows, it only hurts more when they cancel it.
What a disappointment!
posted on 05 Jul 2009This was definitely not a good ending for the Ori story. It seemed like they were out of ideas and invented a Deus Ex Machina solution - the Ark of Truth. Which they manage to find because Daniel Jackson has visions about its location! Give me a break! Moreover, they destroyed the the female characters, both Vala and Carter. It's hard to say what was the use of the Vala character in this movie - she literally does nothing! And Carter was turned from the powerful and smart character in the TV series into nothing but a hard-working supporting character (who bakes cookies and kisses the male hero at the end - bleah).Finally, the most annoying part of the movie is a prolonged fist fight between Mitchell and a super-mighty replicator-powered bullet-resistant android who would have killed anyone with a single blow. The movie keeps returning to this ridiculous fight scene after scene after scene. Total non-sense.Definitely not worth buying nor watching, especially if you're a fan of the TV series.
Ark of Truth - No spoilers
posted on 01 Jul 2009The "Ark of Truth" is a satisfying film with gorgeous scenery, lush music, outstanding special effects and a minimal but adequate plot. As far as our favorite characters go, Vala is not too irritating and seems to fit in better with the team, Cam is funny and athletic, Daniel is archaeologist Daniel again, Teal'c has some very nice scenes and the real Carter (as opposed to Stepford Carter) is back. I still miss O'Neill, but not as much.I very much enjoyed the performances of returning guest stars, Tim Guinee (Tomin), Julian Sands (Doci), and Sarah Strange (ascended being). Marena Baccarin's bit was very cool, excuse me, hot, if it did go on too long. In my opinion Tim Guinee turned in the best work, both complicated and attractive. I always liked him, but now I see star power.Our regulars turned in good performances as I expected, but only Teal'c and Vala had anything interesting to say. Still, it was nice to see everyone on the top of their game, including many of the secondary, but much loved Stargate Command crew.For me, the real stars of the movie are the scenery and special effects (snowy mountain vistas, space scenes, weird plains, the much loved Stanley Park). Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. I want to buy Joel Goldsmith's score to this movie which more closely resembles David Arnold's "Stargate" film score in complicated scoring, especially in the opening theme, yet has haunting original themes that perfectly underscore certain scenes. One nitpick I have is that, much as I love Joel Goldsmith, David Arnold deserves more status in the credits since so much of the score references his original work.I do have some plot nitpicks, too, but mentioning them would give away too much. It's ironic, but I think Robert C. Cooper has a better future as a director than a writer. His visual sense, especially with scale, scenery, camera angles and color, is much more appealing to me than his plots and dialog.Does it satisfy as a film and an end to the Ori saga? As a film, yes. As an end to the Ori saga, I felt it was a little too dependent on givens and not the cleverness of the SG1 crew, but I wasn't too bothered. Would I watch it again? Definitely yes, and I want to watch it on my friend's 44 inch wide screen T.V. to get the full effect of the scenery and special effects.Thank you, MGM for approving the eight million dollar budget so this film could be done.
I cannot believe they thought SG-1 fans would actually accept this
posted on 25 Jun 2009Do not buy this piece of crap. I was a loyal fan of all 10 seasons of Stargate SG-1 and stuck through the lower quality Atlantis. This movie was simply unacceptable. There was one scene about twenty minutes into the movie which involves some character development between Teal'c and Tomin which was actually decent but no better than anything from the show. Overall the cinematography, directing, writing, special effects, and plot were lower quality than most made for TV movies. Ben Browder and Michael Shanks also comment on the fact that the movie fails to fill in the gaps in the plot developed over the last ten years and how it really only focuses on seasons 9 and 10. Unfortunately, the only aspects of the story line and character development they did focus on where so overdone that it seemed more like a parody than the conclusion to the series. If nothing else, at least I should give them credit for having the foresight to realize that this had no place in the movie theater. On the other hand, my expectations are so low after watching this that Continuum cannot possibly do worse; well, I shouldn't commit to that. But if nothing else even if Continuum is as much of a disaster as Ark of Truth at least it will show consistency and that is worthy of good mention I suppose.
Overall a quick but quite good 'ending' to SG1
posted on 11 Jun 2009Yes I have seen the movie!Overall i felt that the movie was a good ending to the series although it seemed as though they could have made the movie into just 2 episodes that would have closed out the series instead of calling it a movie and make people by the DVD. But anyway, the movie starts out with the team searching for Merlin's ark that contains the power to destroy the Ori forever. The team's hopes are also confirmed that the Ori ascended beings were destroyed in the previous attack into Ori space through the supergate. The Movie takes a few twists and turns but is much like any other good SG1 episode. Two big spoilers: 1: Richard Dean Anderson is not in the movie and 2: Our old robotic crawling friends from the older seasons are back...
Good production value, but poor plot
posted on 20 May 2009I've seen every episode of SG-1, and it was nice to finally get closure on the Ori storyline. The production value is very high, and i'm looking forward to the next movie.Unfortunately, it seemed like one long episode - and I didn't care for the plot. First off, it seemed too easy to have some magical ark that instantly converts all the worshippers into non-believers. Second, I didn't like bringing back the replicators - the Replicator-ship-takeover was done a dozen times in the series, and was a bad move imo. Third, what's w/ the replicator zombie? That was really cheesy, and actually made me laugh at one point. Finally, I think a Jack O'Neill appearance would've made it much better.In conclusion, this is a must-see for any SG-1 fan. But it may be disappointing to some.
Still Hungry...
posted on 12 May 2009...for more STUFF.POSSIBLE SPOILERS:Where was Jack O'Neil??? Obviously RDA was unavailable, but still.I was utterly bored with the replicators showing up yet again. They were fun at first (in the series), but they quickly got tiresome, and to see them pop back yet AGAIN was just annoying.Couldn't stand Currie Graham OR his character.But mostly, I thought the big throwdown/showdown between Adria and Morgan Le Fay was scandalously skimped and a huge honking anticlimactic disappointment. Two balls of colored CGI light fizz around the ceiling for a while and then just...vanish? Sorry, that's not epic enough for the situation. Even Gandalf and the Balrog got more time than this.I started to watch the commentary version, because I like to watch those on all movies I enjoy, but quickly turned it off. Because they NEVER COMMENT ON WHAT'S ACTUALLY GOING ON On screen. I really wanted to find out about that scary mountain, where it was and everything (since it seemed real, because we saw it out the helicopter window when Cooper was flying the chopper around), and instead they're blabbing about something inconsequential.People do this in ALL comment tracks: I still haven't forgiven Pirates of the Caribbean and The Return of the King for committing the crime.But I did really enjoy this. Looking forward to "Continuum."
Glad this was made!
posted on 20 Apr 2009When I was watching the last episode of Season 10, I thought - Is that the end?! Then I heard about this little gem and for the most part it works. Pity we didn't see O'Neill though I believe he may have a part in the forthcoming Continuum movie.The only thing I have a bug bear with is the plot device, er, device called The Ark Of Truth.This kind of reminded me of a plot line from Star Trek where the crew conveniently find some machine or technology to deal with the whole problem just by turning it on. As much as I like Trek, mind you.And why do the Ancients harp on (haha so to speak) about non-interference? I mean they are the first ones to help when their backs are against the wall (in a non-coporeal sense of course).Still plenty of action and more expansive location work esp over the mountains. Well worth a watch. I'm one of the lucky ones to be able to afford digital TV which broadcast this last Easter Monday.
An insult to fans
posted on 29 Mar 2009I was immensely disappointed with "The Ark of Truth." The plot was weak, the acting so-so, the story was not engaging and I found myself laughing hysterically at dramatic and/or serious moments. For example, there is a slow motion shot where Cam is leaping away from an explosion that is so over the top that I laughed so hard the movie had to be paused until I recovered. The shot looked more like a poorly-done Baroque painting than an action shot based on a good Sci-Fi show.One complaint is that Vala seemed to be nothing more than comic-relief. In the past, she has provided support and her skills & resources were useful to the SGC. In "Ark," she was just, sort of...there. Her character was given little substance.The most grievous offense was what they did to Samantha Carter. For the past 10 years, she has been a strong character who has saved SG-1's and Earth's collective ass many times. In "Ark," her hair was long, even though they had made it clear in previous episodes that Air Force policy required her hair to be short. The writers clearly were trying to feminize her. She did not take initiative and repeatedly emphasized her support role. Sam had no brilliant, save-the-day ideas and in the end, she baked cookies and kissed Cam on the cheek. It was sickening how much they dis-empowered what was previously a truly amazing character. Samantha wasn't just the token woman, she was a smart, strong and essential character. The writers of "Ark" assassinated this character.
Deus Ex Machina concludes the Ori plot arc without finesse
posted on 15 Mar 2009'Stargate: The Ark of Truth' closes the story left open after the series 'Stargate SG-1' was cancelled. What we must bear in mind however is that the story it closes only began in SG-1's ninth season, and only lasted 40 episodes. The main storyline of 'Stargate SG-1' was already closed at the end of Season 8, after 174 episodes; and I personally would have preferred if the show had ended there. The last two seasons of SG-1 suffered a severe dip in quality that runs straight through into 'The Ark of Truth'.The film makes absolutely no compromise for new viewers, so I will provide a brief backdrop (although even this will be insufficient to understand the film fully). The Ori are beings living on a higher plane of reality posing as Gods, and the more people who worship them as such, the more powerful they become. A set of similar beings, known as the Alterans (or Ancients) are the only defence against the Ori taking over the Milky Way. However, neither beings are able to directly interfere with physical reality, and hence the Ori use their religion, "Origin", to have their bidding done by humans. A huge army of followers has created a "Supergate", a teleportation device, that they will use to send a fleet of starships and troops to Earth - where they will convert its inhabitants to "Origin" by force. SG-1 is the primary five-strong team taking orders from the U.S. Government to counter these inter-galactic threats.There was a lot that could have been done with a Stargate film - something that hasn't been seen since 1994 - and the fans of the TV show were certainly expecting a lot. This is perhaps why the film begins so badly – it's like they couldn't think of anything good enough to match the anticipation, so for safety they picked something completely nondescript. That is, a full 2 minutes of mountains; and literally nothing to go with the mountains other than music. I do not exaggerate - there aren't even titles or credits. It's like it's trying to be the epic introduction to 'The Two Towers' (Peter Jackson, 2002) - which begins by gliding through the snowy peaks of a fantasy land - but lacking the brevity, grace, grandeur and beauty. The only thing epic about 'Ark's beginning is the anticlimax.The ultimate downfall of the film is encapsulated in these first 2 minutes: the production team behind 'Stargate SG-1' had spent ten years making 42-minute episodes - they just didn't know how to handle the scale of something feature-length. The whole film feels like an early Season 10 episode with 60 minutes of padding, as exemplified by these opening fly-bys. Why mountains? As the plot reveals, the mountains have nothing to do with anything. I can easily imagine a brainstorming session the creative team went through, where someone suddenly shouted, "Mountains! Mountains are epic! Just look at the start of The Two Towers!". Any entertainment production needs to grab you from the outset, and 'Ark' crucially fails to do this.What is perhaps most annoying about the introduction, besides its sheer tedium, is that Joel Goldsmith did indeed provide the film with a grandiose score, and it completely fails to make use of it. In the overture, a subtle, multi-instrumental build-up leads to the familiar but deeper and richer Stargate theme tune which, as anyone who has heard it will know, has a very clear "moment of climax". Indeed, in every Stargate production made to date, except one or two early episodes, this climactic musical note signalled the moment for the display of the title. 'Ark' ignores this and continues flying past its unimpressive selection of mountains.Immediately following the introduction we have a short discussion between some Alterans, set millions of years ago when they were human in form. They decide that they cannot use the eponymous 'Ark' as a weapon against the Ori as it is too unethical. Immediately we skip to the present, and SG-1 is searching for the Ark to use as a weapon against the Ori. Have I missed something, or has Stargate quite simply thrown away the very thing that made it stand out from the crowd of sci-fi productions; i.e. philosophically and ethically troubled protagonists? This notion is dealt with very lightly; the main character throws some lines at the screen a few times about how the use of the Ark is the better of two evils, or that they are in desperate times, but this pales in comparison to the Season 5 episode where he literally gave his life to save a civilisation. Why the change? The answer is simple: the writers couldn't think of a better solution to the Ori threat, and so they needed their characters to be okay with it.Because ultimately, what could the solution have been? The show had spent 2 years reiterating that the Ori were a force impossible to reckon with, that their technology was superior to Earth's by light-years, and that if Earth ever came into any kind of combat with them they'd be frazzled before they could don their uniforms: this overbearing power was a necessity both to create tension and also to make the Ori an even more potent foe than the mega-enemies that had just been defeated at the end of Season 8. So when Season 10 concluded, and the Ori were on the brink of invading Earth, what could the solution have been? War would have been out of the question, 40 episodes had demonstrated that negotiation or reason was impossible – we were doomed. Enter the Ark. It is a Deus Ex Machina solution of dizzying proportions, and a McGuffin that sends SG-1 on a padded hunt for 90 minutes, interrupted with improbable enemies. I would have appreciated more creativity than what is effectively looking for a device that has a button reading 'Click Here to Beat the Ori'.
An alright ending, but wish I had rented it
posted on 13 Feb 2009Ark of Truth was a decent conclusion to season 10, but it was quite scatter-shot in the writing. I am a long time fan of SG1, but i felt cheated by this "movie".Why oh why bring back the relicaaatoooorsss, as Thor would say. When that scene played out when they were reveled, I sad to myself, OH NO...Please no more.The epic battle of Ancient/Ori just another light show like the " death of Anubus" Cookies and a kiss???? really??? Thought Carter and ONeall had hooked up by now. Jack should kick Cam's butt for that, but he was smart enough to stay away from this "mission"All in all, I really wish I had just rented this extended episode. I complain about movie ticket prices, yet i paid twice that amount for a DVD I will probably never watch again.
A Solid Ending for Season 10
posted on 05 Feb 2009The Ark of Truth was the kind of satisfying finale to season 10 that I was hoping for. Great stuff - a lot of fun.The Ark of Truth was well written and directed, and felt like a direct continuation of season 10. The actors continued to do what they do with these characters (which is a good thing), and the action was very good (although they've done better before). As for the special effects, I thought they were excellent (not $100 million budget excellent, but for a straight to DVD movie based on a cancelled TV series they were fantastic).The only gripe I had about it was that they threw in everything but the kitchen sink (all of the prerequisite SG1 subplots were there). Paring it down and eliminating one of those subplots might have made the movie a little better (Sam and Teal'c don't get quite enough to do in the movie as a result), but as it is I still think it's a damned entertaining movie - as long as you've watched the last 10 years of SG1. If not, you're going to be lost.Clearly, though, this was not made to win over new fans. This was made for the fans who have been following the show for the last decade. This was made for the fans who weren't happy about the Sci-Fi channel cancelling the show in a cost cutting move, and as one of those fans I am very glad they made this movie. I enjoyed the hell out of it.Finally, the resolution of the story is what they've been setting up for the last two years of the series. No major surprises, but it was carried off very well.For those familiar with the SG1 series (particularly seasons 9 & 10) The Ark of Truth is highly recommended. For anyone who has NOT seen seasons 9 & 10 of Stargate: SG1 I would advise holding off until you have seen those seasons to put everything in proper context.
A great tie-off to the series
posted on 05 Feb 2009I just watched Ark of Truth last night and I found it a great film (a term I use lightly - it really is more of an extended episode). The script was enjoyable, the actors were as always at their peak and it concluded all the story arcs that needed concluding.Admittedly, the only factor in the film that annoyed me was the 'ark of truth' itself. It felt to me a little contrived that all of a sudden there was this 'ark of truth' that would solve all their problems. When they were fighting the goauld and they had to work out everything themselves, however with the ori all they're trying to do is find things that the ancients left behind.Still, a great film and I'd recommended it to any fan! It really isn't for non-fans tho. This film wasn't made to get new people into the stargate 'verse, but to finish off the story for those people who are already fans. There is too much assumes knowledge for non-fans to enjoy it.8/10
Vala Mal Doran How I Hate Thee
posted on 03 Feb 2009So clearly I liked the movie. I gave it an 8/10. Was it really an 8? Probably not, but being a fan of the series I felt that I could not give it any lower. Also, while it won't win any awards, I try to give things ratings for what they were trying to be. This was not trying to be an award winning movie and if you think it should be, from the onset you will probably be disappointed (and don't even think of trying to see it without watching at least seasons 7-10 of the show. You will be lost).That said, does anyone else hate Vala? Nothing against Claudia Black but Vala is the one reason I wanted to stop watching the show. She is the classic "let me be an overall impatient idiot who should be shot and save the team the trouble of her antics" character. Sure Jack O'Neill had his moments but they were offset buy humor and actual redeemable moments. Vala is just an idiot. Can they play out the stealing/treasure of her past in any more lame jokes? She is so out of place they may as well use yet another Farscape actor.Bottom Line: Fine movie, if you go in expecting a made-for-DVD movie, and Vala is annoying as ever (but less so if you make it past the first 20 min of the movie).
Stargate Fans will enjoy it!
posted on 25 Dec 2008Stargate: The Ark of Truth was a very good moving, surprisingly good in all honesty. I was not sure about the conversion from TV series (AMAZING AT THAT) to a movie. It seemed a bit ambitious although I was completely wrong, the end result does justice to the Stargate series.The movie does not go at the same pace of a 40 minute episode of Stargate and at first it seems odd to see the different tempo. The Stargate "humor" is still present and despite Richard Dean Anderson's absence in the movie still presents a good laugh. The only reason I gave the movie a 9/10 is because of RDA's absence and still a 9/10 on IMDb is superb! However the Ark of Truth is strictly based off of the show's Season 9 and 10 and thus I recommend that you watch those two seasons first.Despite a questionable set on the opening scene of the movie and some minor continuity errors, any Stargate fan should not be disappointed and in all honesty the change from TV Series to Movie was surprising but the end result does not disappoint. I can't wait till Continuum!
Two hours of my life wasted
posted on 23 Dec 2008I'm seasoned Stargate fan and looked forward to this title being released. In fact one could say it was once my favorite series. Lo and behold I picked up the DVD a few days ago and set aside my night to watch it. The film starts with promise then descends into a banality that is awesome to behold. The first battle between the remains of SG1 and the Ori troops found me cringing with concern in the corner of my couch as perhaps one of the most poorly matched orchestrations ever showed itself. The triviality of the scene was breathtaking. The Ori, a force to be feared are reduced to squabbling school kids. Later the new IOC new recruit is paraded to us and conducts a meaningless interview. Shortly after this the one genuine moment in the film arrives - Tealc gets to show his empathetic side. What follows is a cluster that digs itself deeper and deeper as it goes, culminating in replicator man, a ridiculous and done to death idea, not even worthy of a B grade horror movie. Some where along the away Tealc cops a staff blast then walks a journey over some mountains that would have made Edmund Hillary tired before being healed by an ascended Ancient (what the????). Vala swans around in the Ori home base whilst her brain dead ascended daughter dares her to open the ark and goes on walk about (maybe baking some cookies for afterward). Vala then releases Daniel etc without resistance (where are the priors - at morning tea?). After the Oddesey get multiple Ori ship blasts (which it couldn't survive in either of the previous series) the 20 cent ending is with us. I never thought I would write comments such as this about the Stargate series, but here I am, bewildered and disenchanted at the PC. This movies rates with Dracula 3000 which also has a one star rating. Stargate should have finished at end of Series 7, but some how was allowed to linger and now we have this cash cow. If you must watch this item, I implore you to at least wait until 2 dollar Tuesday - failing that you can probably have mine for the same price.
Good ending for a *great* TV series, but just looking at it as a movie, it's only average
posted on 11 Dec 2008First up, Stargate SG-1 in my opinion was one of the best TV series ever! The movie does a good job of tying up all the loose ends and the performances of the cast are as good as we have come to expect of a cast that has lived these characters' roles for up to 10 years.Having said that, the movie does exactly what was intended - closure - and nothing more. Since this is a movie and not a TV series, I rate it as such and if I look at it as a movie, it is an average science fiction movies. The special effects are good, but every average science fiction movie has good special effects these days.The story is actually not that innovative (*over and beyond* what we know from the TV series) and somehow there isn't a great deal of suspense developing anywhere through the movie. It never gets boring, but at the same time, it feels a bit like a re-union, kind of a "let's have a fun movie for old time's sake" movie.The ending scene is also a bit cheesy.Note: 6 is not a *bad* rating in my books (can check my other ratings) - it is slightly above average.
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A Satisfying Fix for SG-1 Fans
posted on 28 Aug 2009Watching Ark of Truth I was delighted with the visually obvious bigger budget Robert Cooper and the cast and crew had to work with, which made many of the shots big-screen worthy, but I was also relieved that the movie still held the old SG-1 TV-feel (if that makes the slightest amount of sense to anyone other than me, great!). Yes, it was reminiscent of a regular, however extended, episode of the series - but I don't see why that's a complaint made by so many doom sayers I've seen on various forums and websites. AoT is familiar, and I wouldn't have it any other way.*****Here there be MAJOR spoilers *****The movie's plot line runs smoothly, for the most part. Daniel, Vala, Teal'c and Tomin (Vala's husband, who in AoT abandons his duty as a commander in the Ori army and joins forces with SG-1 to overthrow the remaining Ori worshippers) are the focal point of the story as the team travels via the Odyssey to the Ori galaxy and Ortus Mallum ("The birthplace of all evil") - a ruined Alteran settlement where the ark of truth was created millennia ago by an Alteran man named Amelius. Their adventure leads them to Celestis, the city of the Ori, where Daniel, Vala and Tomin are tortured by the Doci and his Priors, and we are reintroduced to Adria. Vala's daughter, who ascended in season 10's Dominion, has taken the mantle of the Ori, who have been wiped out by SG-1 using Merlin's weapon (10x14, The Shroud). What follows is a desperate rush to activate the ark, which is a formidable piece of technology capable of "brainwashing" a person or group of people to believe whatever message the device is programmed to convey.One big issue I had with AoT is that I felt the focus was at times unnecessarily skewed. Carter and Mitchell wouldn't have played a key role in the primary storyline, and don't - however, RCC, in an attempt to keep them involved, devised a subplot involving SG-1's old enemies, the Replicators. The Odyssey is overrun and forced to flee their position in orbit around the planet upon which the rest of their team are searching - obviously a device required to enhance the sense of danger for those of the team still planet-side. Aspects of the subplot were necessary, obviously, if for nothing else than to escalate the sense of danger, but the Replicator "solution" is contrived, and, though I usually dare not say such a thing since it is science fiction, unbelievable given what the antagonistic group behind the idea has learned about the enemies the Milky Way has faced in the past ten years or more and the danger that would surely have been reintroducing such a threat to any galaxy. Devoting such a huge amount of time to the Replicators and the efforts of those aboard the Odyssey jolted me a few times out of the action, the suspense, of what was happening on the planet in the plot that, forgive me for saying so, really mattered.In typical SG-1 fashion, Ark of Truth is exciting, at times wonderfully amusing and human, and a credit to the Powers that Be who were, along with the fans, deprived of a much-deserved eleventh season. The performances were top-notch, as Stargate has consistently provided over the past decade - "regular" and "guest" characters all. It was a shame to see what could have been a fantastic 20 episodes reduced to two hours, but SG-1 delivers, and I wasn't expecting anything less.Stargate: Ark of Truth is not a good jumping-off point for the new or casual viewer - intimate knowledge of seasons 9 and 10 are required, and though the lovely 10-minute recap viewers can choose to watch before the movie begins does a great job of setting up the foundation for new viewers, there's nothing like seeing the two preceding seasons in all their detail before diving in - and I highly recommend diving in.9/10