The "Stargate" feature film starring Kurt Russell and James Spader is not new to me. I have seen that film at least half a dozen times and will probably watch it once or twice more in my lifetime. It is just one of those films that pops up every once in a while with a reason to watch it. However, the spin off "Stargate SG-1" is relatively new to me. I have watched the Richard Dean Anderson vehicle maybe three times in my entire lifetime and while I knew it existed, the show was one of those things I just never seemed to have the time to enjoy. I´m very one dimensional when it comes to television. If it isn´t a Flyers or Eagles game or a new showing of "Lost," I´m not turning on the cable box. Sometimes I wonder why I even pay for cable.
The new direct-to-DVD film "Stargate: Continuum" is the latest entry in the "Stargate" franchise that has spawned two television shows, an animated show, a previous direct-to-DVD effort and has an upcoming television series in the works. "Stargate" has a solid and fervent fanbase and director Martin Wood and writer/co-creator Brad Wright intend to use "Continuum" as a re-introduction of the cast from the now defunct "SG-1" television series and have their story possibly continue in a series of direct-to-DVD films. Of course, this would all be dependent upon the success of "Continuum" to move copies from the store shelves or rental outlets. Released onto DVD and Blu-ray day-and-date, it´s my job to help decide if it is worth helping Wood and Wright´s cause.
Not being familiar with the "SG-1" universe, I may not be the best person to review "Stargate: Continuum," but I´ve always held some fascination with one day watching some of the episodes from the series because of my enjoyment with the original theatrical film. The concept of ancient travelers using the Egyptian pyramids as star ports and being able to travel through wormholes through ´Stargates´ that are hidden throughout the universe made for an interesting film and I enjoyed the futuristic Egyptian space warriors led the by the transgender Jaye Davidson. Richard Dean Anderson was a hero as MacGyver and one draw of "Continuum" is that Anderson returns to his second most-famous role as Jack O´Neill, whom is now a General in the Air Force.
I would have to watch the movie a second time to fully remember all of the names to go into any great depth with my synopsis of the plot. That would just open a huge can of worms with the strong cult following the series has if I were to confuse characters or perhaps lead somebody astray with false information. Instead, I think it would be wise to just give a very quick overview of the film and then my opinions of how enjoyable "Continuum" was for a non-fan and an outsider of "Stargate SG-1." Right off the bat we know that "Stargate: Continuum" is a treat for fans of the series that ran for nine seasons, but I´m sure Brad Wright would love to gain a few new audience members with this direct-to-video release and I´ll try to speak to the masses and give my opinion of whether or not I think that´ll happen.
The film begins with the SG-1 crew attending a ceremony for the extraction of a System Lord parasite from Ba´al (Cliff Simon). Apparently, the System Lords are evil worms that take a host and then attempt to rule the universe. The theatrical film´s villain Ra was one such example of a host being controlled by an evil System Lord. Anyhow, during the ceremony Teal´c (Christopher Judge), an alien member of the SG-1 team, disappears into thin air. Team member Vala Mal Doren (Claudia Black) also disappears. Remaining team members Col. Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), Col. Cameron Mitchell (Ben Browder) and Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) return back to Earth through the Stargate and discover that something isn´t quite right with the time continuum.
Upon arriving at Earth they discover that everything is not what it was and they now have different jobs and are not recognized by those that were formerly their friends. Major General Jack O´Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) is one such person and cannot remember Daniel Jackson, although Jackson states they were once great friends (A quick history lesson is that O´Neill was the character portrayed by Kurt Russell and Jackson was portrayed by James Spader). After a number of meetings, they find themselves in communication with Major General Hank Landry (Beau Bridges) and are told they are not to do anything to affect the time continuum and are placed into a witness protection program.
Time passes and the team´s warning that the Goa´uld will invade and potentially destroy the planet begins to take shape. Alien spacecraft are witnessed by the inhabitants of Earth and the SG-1 team is reassembled in an attempt to stop the evil System Lords plan of world domination. Teal´c is revealed to be the First Prime of Ba´al, who is still under the control of the System Lord, and Mal Doren is now the Queen wife of Ba´al and answers to the name of Quetesh. Once the Goa´uld begin the invasion of Earth, the SG-1 team acts quickly and finds the location of a Stargate that will help them discover how Ba´al managed to escape his fate of extraction and correct the rifts created in the time-space continuum.
The hour and a half of time I spent with "Stargate: Continuum" was not too badly spent. It would have helped tremendously had I been a fan of the television series "Stargate SG-1" before sitting down and watching the film, but after about twenty minutes I was comfortable enough with the characters and story to follow along relatively easily. Of course, it didn´t help much that I did not realize Michael Shanks had taken over the James Spader role. I was confident that Spader was left behind on the planet after the first feature length film. I did not immediately recognize the man that made MacGyver a household name either. Richard Dean Anderson has certainly aged since his days as MacGyver.
"Stargate: Continuum" is an experience best reserved for fans of the "Stargate SG-1" series and those that have seen the first made-for-video film. With returning characters and relationships that may not be understood during the ´alternate timeline´ story of "Continuum," much of the enjoyment that could be had from the film was lost because I was not fully familiar with what was going around. For instance, I did not know until the commentary that a major character had a three second cameo in the entire film. With Anderson returning after missing most of the last two seasons of the show, "Continuum" is at least a comfortable welcome home for the character first made popular by Kurt Russell. "Continuum" was made for the fans and it plays that way.
The "Stargate" feature film starring Kurt Russell and James Spader is not new to me. I have seen that film at least half a dozen times and will probably watch it once or twice more in my lifetime. It is just one of those films that pops up every once in a while with a reason to watch it. However, the spin off "Stargate SG-1" is relatively new to me. I have watched the Richard Dean Anderson vehicle maybe three times in my entire lifetime and while I knew it existed, the show was one of those things I just never seemed to have the time to enjoy. I´m very one dimensional when it comes to television. If it isn´t a Flyers or Eagles game or a new showing of "Lost," I´m not turning on the cable box. Sometimes I wonder why I even pay for cable.
The new direct-to-DVD film "Stargate: Continuum" is the latest entry in the "Stargate" franchise that has spawned two television shows, an animated show, a previous direct-to-DVD effort and has an upcoming television series in the works. "Stargate" has a solid and fervent fanbase and director Martin Wood and writer/co-creator Brad Wright intend to use "Continuum" as a re-introduction of the cast from the now defunct "SG-1" television series and have their story possibly continue in a series of direct-to-DVD films. Of course, this would all be dependent upon the success of "Continuum" to move copies from the store shelves or rental outlets. Released onto DVD and Blu-ray day-and-date, it´s my job to help decide if it is worth helping Wood and Wright´s cause.
Not being familiar with the "SG-1" universe, I may not be the best person to review "Stargate: Continuum," but I´ve always held some fascination with one day watching some of the episodes from the series because of my enjoyment with the original theatrical film. The concept of ancient travelers using the Egyptian pyramids as star ports and being able to travel through wormholes through ´Stargates´ that are hidden throughout the universe made for an interesting film and I enjoyed the futuristic Egyptian space warriors led the by the transgender Jaye Davidson. Richard Dean Anderson was a hero as MacGyver and one draw of "Continuum" is that Anderson returns to his second most-famous role as Jack O´Neill, whom is now a General in the Air Force.
I would have to watch the movie a second time to fully remember all of the names to go into any great depth with my synopsis of the plot. That would just open a huge can of worms with the strong cult following the series has if I were to confuse characters or perhaps lead somebody astray with false information. Instead, I think it would be wise to just give a very quick overview of the film and then my opinions of how enjoyable "Continuum" was for a non-fan and an outsider of "Stargate SG-1." Right off the bat we know that "Stargate: Continuum" is a treat for fans of the series that ran for nine seasons, but I´m sure Brad Wright would love to gain a few new audience members with this direct-to-video release and I´ll try to speak to the masses and give my opinion of whether or not I think that´ll happen.
The film begins with the SG-1 crew attending a ceremony for the extraction of a System Lord parasite from Ba´al (Cliff Simon). Apparently, the System Lords are evil worms that take a host and then attempt to rule the universe. The theatrical film´s villain Ra was one such example of a host being controlled by an evil System Lord. Anyhow, during the ceremony Teal´c (Christopher Judge), an alien member of the SG-1 team, disappears into thin air. Team member Vala Mal Doren (Claudia Black) also disappears. Remaining team members Col. Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), Col. Cameron Mitchell (Ben Browder) and Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) return back to Earth through the Stargate and discover that something isn´t quite right with the time continuum.
Upon arriving at Earth they discover that everything is not what it was and they now have different jobs and are not recognized by those that were formerly their friends. Major General Jack O´Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) is one such person and cannot remember Daniel Jackson, although Jackson states they were once great friends (A quick history lesson is that O´Neill was the character portrayed by Kurt Russell and Jackson was portrayed by James Spader). After a number of meetings, they find themselves in communication with Major General Hank Landry (Beau Bridges) and are told they are not to do anything to affect the time continuum and are placed into a witness protection program.
Time passes and the team´s warning that the Goa´uld will invade and potentially destroy the planet begins to take shape. Alien spacecraft are witnessed by the inhabitants of Earth and the SG-1 team is reassembled in an attempt to stop the evil System Lords plan of world domination. Teal´c is revealed to be the First Prime of Ba´al, who is still under the control of the System Lord, and Mal Doren is now the Queen wife of Ba´al and answers to the name of Quetesh. Once the Goa´uld begin the invasion of Earth, the SG-1 team acts quickly and finds the location of a Stargate that will help them discover how Ba´al managed to escape his fate of extraction and correct the rifts created in the time-space continuum.
The hour and a half of time I spent with "Stargate: Continuum" was not too badly spent. It would have helped tremendously had I been a fan of the television series "Stargate SG-1" before sitting down and watching the film, but after about twenty minutes I was comfortable enough with the characters and story to follow along relatively easily. Of course, it didn´t help much that I did not realize Michael Shanks had taken over the James Spader role. I was confident that Spader was left behind on the planet after the first feature length film. I did not immediately recognize the man that made MacGyver a household name either. Richard Dean Anderson has certainly aged since his days as MacGyver.
"Stargate: Continuum" is an experience best reserved for fans of the "Stargate SG-1" series and those that have seen the first made-for-video film. With returning characters and relationships that may not be understood during the ´alternate timeline´ story of "Continuum," much of the enjoyment that could be had from the film was lost because I was not fully familiar with what was going around. For instance, I did not know until the commentary that a major character had a three second cameo in the entire film. With Anderson returning after missing most of the last two seasons of the show, "Continuum" is at least a comfortable welcome home for the character first made popular by Kurt Russell. "Continuum" was made for the fans and it plays that way.
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