Review of Stargate: Director`s Cut

Introduction

Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin have been responsible for some very high profile movies - Independence Day, Godzilla and The Patriot for example. Their movie Stargate was made in 1994 and was surprisingly successful, spawning a TV movie and TV series that is still running.

Stargate tells the story of an ancient artefact discovered in Egypt that turns out to be a gateway between planets left behind by a technologically superior race 10,000 years ago. Dr Daniel Jackson (James Spader) deciphers the symbols on the gate, opening a passageway to another planet, but who knows what lies on the other side? Whilst Jackson travels through to explore, Colonel Jonathan `Jack` O`Neill (Kurt Russell) has a different motive altogether. However things don`t go to plan when they encounter the original creator of the Stargate.

This disc is the second UK release of Stargate on DVD, the first release came out in 1998 and has been slated for having poor video quality. This version presents a new video transfer and adds DTS sound.

Video

The video is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and good quality throughout the film. There is no sign of dirt or grain, and the image is both detailed and stable at all times. I haven`t seen the original release of this film, which has been slated for poor visuals, but having read reviews of it, it appears that this new release offers a considerable improvement.

The film was visually impressive when it was released in 1994, and for the most part it still looks good seven years later. The sequence where the team travel between the gates looks a little dated now, but otherwise the effects look very good. The pyramid spacecraft, slave`s mine and slave`s town are all very well presented on-screen and the only slightly dubious thing on display is the animal apparently based on a camel.

Audio

Sound comes in a variety of flavours on this disc, and I watched the film with the DTS 5.1 soundtrack. Whilst not having the range and power of more modern DTS films, the soundtrack is pretty good and is an improvement on the Dolby Digital 5.1 track on the disc, which sounds slightly flatter.

Good use is made of the available channels for effects and David Arnold`s score. Of particular note is the journey through space and the various battle scenes. The dialogue channel is set a little low and requires adjustment for a balanced soundfield and comfortable listening.

Features

Extras consist of a trailer, a promo reel (an extended trailer without voiceover), a still gallery and a commentary track from Emmerich.

Aside from the commentary track, the extras are distinctly unappealing.

The menus are nicely animated and feature the Stargate and a number of transitions. They also display none of the problems reported from the original Region 2 release.

Conclusion

I enjoyed Stargate when it was originally released and have seen it on a number of occasions since then on widescreen VHS. This DVD presents the film very well, with good video and sound quality, although the range of extras on offer is a bit disappointing.

The film itself is still fairly enjoyable, although there is a noticeable lull in the middle through which dulled my interest slightly. The story is well told with good sets, locations and effects helping to provide a quality feel to the movie, and for the most part the parts are played well, although each time I watch the film, I can`t help but feel that the part of Ra is weak, too slow and unconvincing.

Overall, fans of the film now have the visual quality that they deserve following the dismal original Region 2 release.