Review: 'Stargate SG-1' - The Ark Of Truth

Although this is a straight-to-DVD movie, "The Ark Of Truth" watches as a big-screen idea produced for the small screen: the non-CGI gun action is carefully concealed off-screen, the overall story runs straight off the back of the ending of the tenth season, making it impossible for new viewers to understand what is going on. It doesn’t quite carry the same momentum you’d expect to see in a big-screen outing.

Impressively though, the movie makes up for any small-screen limitations via its sheer ambition and desire to succeed. The special effects look just that little bit slicker than the norm for the series, it opens on a scale that far surpasses the show with far reaching visuals of stunning landscapes that wouldn’t be out of place in “Lord of the Rings,” and the exciting actions sequences are extended in a thrilling and mind blowing way.

When we first meet the team, they are busy excavating an artifact from the ruins of Dakara that could hold the key to saving the galaxy from the hordes of Ori followers. Once discovered, Daniel (Michael Shanks), Carter (Amanda Tapping), Teal’c (Christopher Judge), Mitchell (Ben Browder) and Vala (Claudia Black) soon find themselves heading through the supergate and into the Ori galaxy with a very clear cut mission: find the Ark of Truth and eliminate the Ori threat.

And best of all, the movie has all the characterisms and in-jokes that made the series so fun to watch in the first place.

This is “Serenity” for Stargate fans.

What Worked

While the driving force behind the story is quite clearly Daniel and Vala (mostly due to their connection to the Ori), the film includes several sub-plots that revolve around the rest of SG-1: Teal’c’s trek across the mountains was just an “Eye of the Tiger” short of a Rocky montage, Carter gets back to business with her technical mumbo-jumbo to explain why they are loosing an uphill battle, and Mitchell goes head to head with a Replicator puppet. No one is left behind and everyone has a chance to shine.

Teal’c’s discussion with Tomin onboard the Odyssey was incredibly intimate and was a fantastic epilogue to everything the character has experienced. His feelings on the wrongs he has committed and his own inner quest to right them was very touching ... especially considering the boldness and machoness the character normally sports. There is also some great gags from Vala and Daniel as she completely ignores the rules of archaeology in the hopes of finding buried treasure.

Talk about this story