Brikar

"The Ark of Truth"
Starring: Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks, Chistopher Judge
Written and directed by: Robert C. Cooper

Well... where do we begin? Hm.

Leadership...

Well, it doesn't suck. I'd give this extended episode (because, sadly, it never feels much like a movie) a solid B or B+ grade. It's a reasonably condensed ending to the Ori arc, but Stargate has rarely ever grabbed me with its plotting. No, the strength of Stargate, for me, has always been the chemistry of the team which has often elevated episodes from being truly godawful into the realm of fairly entertaining.

Here, that chemistry is definitely maintained. It feels like SG-1 never went away. We open on Daniel, Teal'c and Vala digging through some ruins and finding an artifact Daniel hopes will be something of great importance. This opening scene proves what a valuable asset Vala's been; her scenes are always peppy and hilarious. Not long after, the team is attacked by the forces of the Ori, and we get moving on our plot.

Eventually, joined by Vala's husband Tomin, who has been leading the Ori slaughter of our galaxy, SG-1 embarks on a journey to the Ori galaxy in search of The Ark of Truth, an Ancient device that will apparently convince anyone who looks into it that the Ori are just as evil as the audience knows them to be. Also along for the ride is a new IOA agent who has dastardly plans for SG-1 once inside the Ori galaxy, and an old villain returns to plague our heroes at exactly the wrong moment.

So what works here? The cast chemistry, as already mentioned. The Stargate humor is still intact; there are a few good zingers from Mitchell. The musical score is fantastic; this is probably the best music we've heard from this franchise since David Arnold's score for the original movie (and the first time since then that we've heard a live orchestra, too). A number of the special effects I saw were incomplete; some were just animatics and one shot was just "VFX: Fire takes human form" on the screen, but the ones that were complete looked just as good as the show has ever been.

Which leads me to what doesn't work: This doesn't feel like a movie. Despite promises of a higher budget, it's really just a little bit longer than a two-part episode. Sure, Mitchell gets to say "shit" and one fight sequence in particular is bigger and more brutal than we've seen before... for Stargate. But it still looks exactly like the show, using the exact same sets and even some stock footage shots (though I can forgive it, since it's useless transition shots like the Odyssey in hyperspace). I've also been quite done with the Replicators since Season 8, so seeing them back again did little to increase my excitement.

As a movie, I'd say I was disappointed. As an extended episode of the show, or a season finale, I think this would have been pretty great. It doesn't seem to have quite the epic oomph of "Lost City" or even "Reckoning"... the ultimate climax is a little stale. But overall, it's a fun ride, and it's nice to see the SG-1 team again - especially seeing Carter actually in her element this time. I was excited that she was coming over to Atlantis, but ultimately I feel like she's been wasted there. Here, though, she's back in fine form, and that's good to see. I've missed Daniel and Vala's affectionate bickering, and even Teal'c's hilariously pointed stoicism.

Here's hoping "Continuum" proves to be a good ride, too.

__________________
"A million monkeys typing until the end of time will produce the complete works of William Shakespeare. Ten thousand monkeys typing for ten thousand years will write a Hemingway. Ten monkeys typing over Columbus Day weekend will give you a Dan Brown."

http://olympusmans.blogspot.com
http://benforrealz.blogspot.com

Bean

I liked it for what it was. It was fun and that was the main point. I was really annoyed about the fate of the Ori though. It seemed too.... simple. But you're right, it didn't seem like a movie, but that can also be because technically it wasn't. The only reason they did it was to tie up the series, so technically it's just two unreleased episodes.

__________________
"I haven't faced death. I've cheated death. I've tricked my way out of death and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity. I know nothing."

--James T. Kirk

Brikar

I feel like it could easily have been a movie, though - remove the Replicator subplot and make the climax of the film the defense of Earth from the Ori fleet could have been big and badass like "Lost City" was... but this feels much smaller than "Lost City" for so many reasons. It had a bunch of the right ideas, just didn't take them as far as they should have.

__________________
"A million monkeys typing until the end of time will produce the complete works of William Shakespeare. Ten thousand monkeys typing for ten thousand years will write a Hemingway. Ten monkeys typing over Columbus Day weekend will give you a Dan Brown."

http://olympusmans.blogspot.com
http://benforrealz.blogspot.com

Bean

Yeah, you're right, the replicator sub plot was out of nowhere and completley pointless in that regard. And the defense of Earth was nothing if not oversimplified.

__________________
"I haven't faced death. I've cheated death. I've tricked my way out of death and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity. I know nothing."

--James T. Kirk

Cymro

I actually live with a History student called Daniel Jackson.

__________________
"Let me tell you something about humans, nephew: They're a wonderful, friendly people - as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working.

"But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and those friendly, intelligent, wonderful people...will become as nasty and as violent as the most blood-thirsty klingon."

Bean

He's not the one that was fucking with the thermostat is he?

__________________
"I haven't faced death. I've cheated death. I've tricked my way out of death and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity. I know nothing."

--James T. Kirk

Cymro

No, he's gone now.

__________________
"Let me tell you something about humans, nephew: They're a wonderful, friendly people - as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working.

"But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and those friendly, intelligent, wonderful people...will become as nasty and as violent as the most blood-thirsty klingon."

Bean

Good, I fucking hated that guy....

__________________
"I haven't faced death. I've cheated death. I've tricked my way out of death and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity. I know nothing."

--James T. Kirk

Cymro

Me too.

His MAC address is still stored in the router though. The device is filed under "TWAT".

Dan's OK, but his jokes aren't funny.

__________________
"Let me tell you something about humans, nephew: They're a wonderful, friendly people - as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working.

"But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and those friendly, intelligent, wonderful people...will become as nasty and as violent as the most blood-thirsty klingon."

Bean

Lmao!

__________________
"I haven't faced death. I've cheated death. I've tricked my way out of death and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity. I know nothing."

--James T. Kirk