DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Stargate - The Ark of Truth

By June L. Mar 11, 2008, 16:20 GMT

Written and directed by Robert C. Cooper, this direct-to-video release concludes the STARGATE SG-1\'s ORI story. This release takes the place of the series\' anticipated but cancelled 11th series, and is set chronologically before STARGATE ATLANTIS\' fourth series. In this release, SG-1 tries to reclaim the Ark of Truth, which has the power to control people, and therefore, can lead to total destruction. ...more

Stargate fans rejoice!  There is a new movie out today on DVD, continuing the story of SG-1 and is so entertaining, it makes us wonder yet again how we let this series just slip away.  A hearty welcome to Stargate: The Ark of Truth, and congratulations to all involved with the production!

When Stargate SG-1 ended abruptly last spring, with Season 10’s finale, those of us who followed the story from season one were disappointed to say the least.  Now not only do we have resolution to the intriguing story of the ORI, we also have the promise of another movie with more adventures of the SG-1 Team. 

I hope The Ark of Truth is indicative of things to come, as it is a fine continuation of the series. The characters remain as we know them, the humor is as much a part of the story as the very serious threats to civilization that they are trying to combat.  The latest roster of SG-1, Ben Browder as Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell, Amanda Tapping as Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter, Christopher Judge as Teal’c, Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson and Claudia Black as Vala Mal Doran are in top form! 

Devoted fans may feel a prickle of tears at seeing the team together again and will enjoy the chemistry among these people, evident the minute they are on screen.  I’ve always felt that the actors in this series enjoy what they do, like the characters they play and allow themselves a wide range of emotions, respect each other, give more than just standard performances and have managed to by-pass the “ego trip” portion of being celebrities.  

In The Ark of Truth, the team is searching for an artifact that will empower them to overturn the Ori’s grasp on various civilizations.  Learning that the artifact may exist in the Ori universe, an expedition is planned, and the authorities declare that the official representative of IOA must be aboard. 

Marrick (Currie Graham) the IOA “spy” is a slimy character, oily and low key, surreptitiously sharpening the dagger to plunge into his co-worker’s backs.  Tim Guinee is back as Tomin, and gives a heartfelt performance as a righteous but slightly bewildered man.  There is a wonderful discussion between Tomin and Teal’c about retribution for wrongdoing.  While on the quest the team is reunited with some old enemies, the leader of the priors Doci (Julian Sands) and the now ascended and certainly more powerful than ever Adria (Morena Baccarin). 

The good guys are there too, Morgan Le Fey (Sara Strange) makes an appearance and what would an SG-1 presentation be without Major General Hank Landry (Beau Bridges) and his right hand man Chief Sergeant Walter Harriman (Gary Jones.)  It is good storytelling filmed in great locations, with nice special effects.

The Ark of Truth is presented on single disc with running time for the feature at 102 minutes.  There are some really nice special features included.  First there is a “Prelude” to The Ark of Truth which tells the story “so far” if the viewer hasn’t seen the last couple of years of the series. 

This is helpful even if you have seen every episode, as it puts the story in order, ready for the next chapter.   The feature has a commentary with Robert Cooper, Peter Woeste and Christopher Judge.  There is also a featurette on the making of The Ark, but best of all is an appearance by the cast at 2007’s Comic Con, in a panel discussion taking questions from the floor. 

Again in this setting it is easy to see that the cast members and production people are all good friends and are having a great time working on these projects.

Stargate - The Ark of Truth is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for an April 28th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.