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STARGATE – David Arnold
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
One of the most enduring conspiracy theories in the world is the notion of ‘ancient astronauts,’ which suggests that extraterrestrial beings were responsible for building some of Earth’s ancient structures, including the pyramids of Giza. This idea plays a central role in the plot of Stargate, providing an interesting twist on Egyptian mythology and history. The film is a sci-fi action-adventure directed by German filmmaker Roland Emmerich, whose previous works included the 1990 sci-fi Moon 44, and the 1992 action thriller Universal Soldier; it stars James Spader as Daniel Jackson, a linguist and Egyptologist, who is recruited by the U.S. military to help decipher a series of symbols on an ancient artifact which was discovered in Egypt many years previously. Jackson determines that the artifact is a portal – a ‘star gate’ – that can transport people across vast distances of space to another planet; following this discovery the military sends Jackson and a team of soldiers led by the taciturn Colonel Jack O’Neil (Kurt Russell) through the star gate to assess any potential threats. Once on the other side they find themselves on a desert-like planet, where they encounter a civilization that appears to be influenced by ancient Egyptian culture, and learn that the planet is ruled by an alien posing as the Egyptian sun god Ra (Jaye Davidson), who uses advanced technology to enslave the inhabitants. Read more…


