There’s no doubt that the success of the original 1994 movie Stargate took some critics by surprise. It was panned for its clichés, uninspired acting and lack of spectacle--personally, I think the critics missed the point. Yes, it’s clichéd; yes, the acting is unremarkable; but Stargate is all about a spectacle which captures the imagination with an intriguing “what if?”

That’s what makes it great.

From the moment it begins with the alien ship descending over Ancient Egypt, and the drama of the bright lights, the film sets out to deliver grand images. The sight of the Stargate being hoisted into position is still one of my favorite scenes of all time in any movie because it evokes a sense of discovery and wonder that continues all the way through. Same when the team steps out of the pyramid on the other side and gets their first look at its vast size. It’s WOW.

The musical score by David Arnold plays a large part in creating the epic feel, but so do the special effects, which create some of the more the jaw-dropping moments. The wormhole blossoming out has a violence and force about it; the light shimmering across the event horizon wonderfully eerie. The wormhole travel itself--with the twisty, roller-coaster effect--is great, providing a visual sense of the stomach-churning journey. And I love Ra’s space-ship blowing up, high in orbit above Abydos, even if the death of Ra is a little cheesy and too obviously inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark with the whole melting-face thing.

Another obviously derivative moment is the homage to Zulu as the Abydonians revolt and appear on the crest of a sand dune ready to attack, complete with waving arms and a war cry. And I’m certain there are any number of horror films that could take the honor for the section in the pyramid where the base camp gets overrun by Ra’s warriors with their really cool headgear. I’m also certain there are equally any number of action movies that could take the honor for the ticking bomb, complete with large digital timer used to remind the audience that time is running out for our erstwhile heroes.

To be fair, the movie also did try to turn some clichés on their head: the military hard man is not portrayed so much as a hero but an anti-hero -- a man tasked with a suicide mission; It’s the geek who is the hero of the piece and the one that gets the girl, which certainly provides an interesting twist. The Abydonians (such a cliché of a less advanced civilization down to the whole giving of the daughter of the chief in marriage to the stranger note) are actually the ones to set in motion their own rebellion by saving the Earth men from execution.

But there’s comfort in the familiarity of the more recognizable elements which makes for easy viewing. And that’s supported by the film’s incorporation of several different genres into its mix. We get everything: action/adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, drama, romance, and even a buddy movie for good measure. Yes, it is very much a “brain switch off ’cause you’re not needed” movie, but sometimes I need exactly that: the type of movie where you can just settle back and watch without delving for any deeper meaning.

The acting does tend to lend itself to this. I wouldn’t call it uninspiring, exactly… just not particularly outstanding. James Spader puts in the best performance, but his Daniel Jackson is riddled with mannerisms and affectations that might drive me to insanity if this were a more serious piece. Kurt Russell actually gets the meatier role in playing a man driven to the edge of suicide by the death of his son; unfortunately, Russell only manages a stoically blank look reminiscent of constipation where scenes call for him to show dramatic angst, such as the cult favorite cave scene where Daniel confronts O’Neil about his suicidal attitude. Still, Russell does look pretty and buff, presenting an action hero physique that cuts an impressively GI Joe profile against the back-drop of the Abydonian sands.

Regardless of the acting, the characters are intriguing and ultimately, they are the good guys. The bad guy played by Jaye Davidson (The Crying Game) just takes the movie back to cliché-ville. He is the camp, moustache-twirling villain (sans actual moustache), and with a disturbing hint of pedophilia. But that’s OK, because the good guys win in the end and blow him up.

Indeed, if all you want out of a movie is to see things blown up or shot at, you certainly won’t be disappointed. But, actually, if you want to find a deeper meaning, there are plenty of interesting concepts put forward: military versus science, freedom from oppression, depression and suicide, the role of women, and a take on Egyptian mythology that resonated at the time with an increase in popularity of more controversial theories about the Sphinx and Ancient Egypt. But frankly, the beauty of the movie is that it puts these concepts out there and then doesn’t really do anything with them, giving the audience the option to take or leave them.

It’s really these concepts that capture the imagination and create a world that the audience buys into in a big way. The movie made me, and a lot of other people, want more adventures through the Stargate, regardless of the clichés and the so-so acting. It’s this original craving the movie evoked that is undoubtedly part of the reason for the initial success of the franchise that exists today, and which continues to endure in many and varied forms.

I’ll forgive this movie a LOT, if only for that.

  -- Rachel Day