The story begins with the discovery of six ancient Egyptian tablets and a mysterious metallic ring; although covered in complex hieroglyphics, it is not an ancient Egyptian language. It is not from earth. Kurt Russell plays a career military officer with a secret agenda. James Spader (Wolf) as a renegade Egyptologist is brought to a classified military base to decipher the six ancient tablets.
About The Production:To serve as the desert landscapes on both planets, the filmmakers chose the barren setting surrounding the city of Yuma, Arizona.
The Stargate production team used state-of-the-art technology. To combat "sand prints," they tried a giant jet fan and even helicopters to blow the sand back to its original condition. In the end, however, man power was decided the best way to cover their tracks. Many men and women with brooms (dune sweepers) were on constant call.
As the city of Nagada on the planet of Abydos began to take shape in the Arizona desert, the filmmakers, cast and crew began to realize the size and complexity of the project. The Nagada set was eight stories tall, and the entrance to the pyramid alone became one of the largest exterior sets ever built.
The major obstacle for the cast and crew was how to move the tons of enormous equipment across the soft sandy surface. The crew used a special material called Geoweb, which was used in the massive military operation, Desert Storm. Made from a honeycombed rubber-like material, when rolled out on the sand and wetted down, it forms an instant road.
Final Comments:Before this film The Ten Commandments was the most expensive movie ever made. Stargate was a revolution in the film industry. Still to this day Stargate is known to the world as one of the best films ever created. Stargate is a visual masterpiece. Ten out of ten!
