Last week I posted the many previews and clips available online to get you excited about the new SG-1 movie The Ark of Truth.
This is what the opening menu looks like- I recommend watching the prelude if you haven’t recently watched seasons 9 & 10
My Thoughts
Today I want to share my thoughts on the film- this won’t be an extensive review or summary – I don’t want to give too much away so you can enjoy if for yourself.
I came to SG-1 a little late- I had watched episodes periodically throughout the series , watched SGA from its premiere and always loved the original Stargate movie. I got the entire first 9 seasons on DVD two years ago for Christmas and started watching them in the fall of 2007. I made my way to season 10 in March and was nearly done when the new SG-1 movie The Ark of Truth came out. For me it was a seamless transition from the end of the series as I had no real gap or time without SG-1 in my viewing history. I think many sci-fi fans do this- I became an obsessive Smallville fan after watching the first five seasons in about 2 weeks – total immersion tends to make solid fans.
This said- I have enjoyed Stargate far more than I ever liked Star Trek. I think for me the whole communist/socialist thing against making money in the universe of the Federation never quite sat right with my capitalistic heart. Stargate has always been about helping others find freedom, lead them on a path of self-governance and pull them away from the clutches of races of false gods who enslave them. The first enemies the SG-1 team took on were the mighty Go’Auld. These self-serving parasites with an unquenchable thirst for power were handily taken down eventually but then other enemies arose. The replicators- insidious self-replicating machines took powerful ancient technology to eradicate but they were machines and thus did have weaknesses. When Daniel and Vala inadvertently opened the door to the Ori Galaxy they encountered what has to be one of the most frightening villainous races to grace the annals of science fiction. Using religion and demanding complete devotion from their followers these beings not of light and goodness but fire and brimstone reign over their galaxy with fear in order to sap the energy from their followers to expand their own power. Think really scary demons….. The way the producers portrayed them on SG-1 they were so evil especially because they showed outwardly initially a face of kindness and good thoughts and an offer of salvation- lying about their true nature and hiding it from their followers.
In season 10 there is a quest to find and build a special weapon that can supposedly kill them- but of course the battle is not over. At the beginning of The Ark of Truth the Ori armies and their ships helmed by their officers and the priors who wield staffs of power are out to take over our galaxy. Meanwhile Vala’s Ori spawned daughter Adria had ascended meaning she is now an Ori and a force to worry about as well.
Our heroes take on a quest- but it is not an easy one. There are political roadblocks by the pesky IOA ( International Oversight Administration) and nobody is certain that this new artifact the team seeks will really work or that it exists. The trip takes us into the heart of the Ori galaxy and the action, scenery and story are big, bold, loud and full of danger including lots of fights and explosions. Stargate never lacks for dramatic explosions! Some of the best footage is with Christopher Judge as he gets the big hero location shoot in the Canadian mountains. Watch the last episode of season 10 to find out why Teal’c has grey hair.
See I told you I wouldn’t give the story away! I really enjoyed the movie and it felt like a big two part SG-1 cliffhanger all in one package with bigger effects and a bigger stage than even a cliffhanger.
I give the movie a solid 9 out 10- a small guest shot with Jack O’Neill would have pushed it to a 9.5 but alas Jack is absent in this one though Beau Bridges as General Landry is present.
BONUS FEATURES:
You must must must watch the footage with Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Ben Browder, the producers and Gary Jones at Comic Con. Our trio is so funny! They give some hints and some peeks at the next SG-1 film coming in July,2008 which is SG-1 Continuum. They talk about who went to the arctic to film it and who did not.
The behind the scenes making of stuff is great too- my clips ( see previous blog post) show the stunt guys using this new goop that allows them to set people on fire. That is included but there are more videos with the stars and crew talking about the movie as well.
You can choose to watch it with the Prologue or not- if you haven’t seen all of the episodes recently- watch it. They manage to give a neat summary of the Ori storyline from seasons 9 and 10 bringing you right to the present time when the movie is set. The movie is between the end of SG-1 and the beginning of SGA season 4 if you want to make sure you keep your timelines straight for viewing purposes.
I capped a few images from the brief spoiler footage shown before the movie begins that shows shooting Continuum in the arctic with Ben Browder and Amanda Tapping. Apparently temps were as low as -50 degrees F while they were shooting- BRRRR!
I, too, was a latecomer to the series, constantly shifting TV schedules, endless repeats, episode seen out of sequence – not to mention all the screen clutter – having killed me off it early on. Then came DVD sets and I love it. Right through season ten. But then came the two movies.
Oh, they were ‘OK’, but also a fine example of why having a fan on board to ensure continuity would be a good thing.
Consider ARK. OK, the Ori and Adria are all doing the Ascended equivalent of pushing up daisies. Fine.
But what about the Priors? And their ships? They are horribly tough, and some of them were shown to be sadists who probably could care less that the Ori aren’t around. They’d probably still want to have fun. How are they going to all be dealt with? The anti-Prior thing can be defeated, we know that. So they are still a force to be reckoned with. But no mention of how this will be taken care of in the film. Out of sight, out of mind?!
And then there’s CONTINUUM. Without the Stargate program, how is Ba’al in charge? Ra should still be out there and he was the unquestioned top dog, er Goa’uld. Again, basic continuity flub here. The moment Ba’al started to build up his forces, Ra should have crushed him like a bug before he became a real threat to him.
[...] My review of Ark of Truth: HERE [...]