Stargate:ark Of Truth [DVD]

Having watched "The Ark of Truth" and read many of the other reviews here on Amazon, I can't help but wonder what the people who didn't like it were expecting; A cameo appearance by Elvis Presley? The secret of transmuting Lead into Gold?

Some people have complained that it wasn't a 'Film,' but merely two episodes of SG-1 that were shown back to back. But even though they could have easily replaced two of the `filler' episodes in series ten, they were still two of the best episodes ever made.

We might quibble about being charged an extra ten or fifteen pounds to see the end of the Ori story line, but I can't see how this could ever be a basis for disliking the film itself. And whilst at least one person has complained that you need to have watched most of SG-1 to really know what's happening, how could anyone `skip to the end' like this and not feel as if they didn't know what the heck was going on?

Whether it's actually the last two episodes of SG-1 or not, this film was made for the hardcore fans who were deeply engrossed in the story, not the uninterested people who just happened to flick past it one night on the `Sci-Fi' channel.

At this point in a review of course, I would normally go into explicit detail about the ethical issues that SG-1 deal with, the incredible writing, the wonderful acting and the spectacular (but never gratuitous) special effects. But as far as this film is concerned though, I honestly don't feel there's any need.

If you loved the depth and soul of 'Stargate SG-1,' were moved by the intelligent and emotional storylines and watched it for something other than `The cool explosions and the bright pretty colours.' If you understand what I mean when I use words like Replicators and Asgard, Ancients and Ori, Doci, Priors, Jaffa and Shol'va. If you honestly understood SG-1 and felt gutted when the tenth series simply tailed off at the end, then I can almost guarantee that you will love this film.

Having just seen this- i have to say this is an awesome way to finish the ori story line. Its like the good old days are back with the witty and sarcastic humor - The ending i thought was a bit rushed and im sure they could have dragged it on for longer. Although the story is great I'm not a fan of the way they finish of the ori.

After ten years of the show, fans of Stargate SG-1 were left with the ultimately disappointing episode `Unending' to finish the 10th season on. If people didn't know that this movie was being made to tie up the plot lines from the Ori story arc then there would've been outrage.
So, with a lot of story threads to draw together we are given `The Ark Of Truth' to conclude the adventure.
The story basically centres around the location of an Alteran artefact that may be the key to stopping the armies of the Ori. Daniel, possessed by the spirit of Merlin, managed to send a weapon back to the Ori home galaxy designed to destroy ascended beings in season ten, but the armies of the Ori are still there, carrying out the crusade in the name of their gods.
With Adria ascending in `Dominion' we also have the problem of an Ori who has managed to reach the same level of existence as the Ancients.
So, with the army now on it's way to Earth, SG-1 - led by Cam Mitchell, has to take the Odyssey through the hyper-gate back to the Ori galaxy and find the Ark as it is the only weapon capable of stopping the Priors in their tracks.
The plot itself is typically formulaic SG-1 stuff with no real surprises for fans of the show. There are some delightful nods to technology that we see in later seasons of the show, the prototype DHD and the original idea for the stargates are done rather tongue-in-cheek but good nonetheless.
The banter between the members of SG-1 is up to it's usual standard, a great speech for Teal'c when he talks about killing in the name of false gods and the scene with Cam and Sam at the end did make me smile.
There is the typical cardboard cut-out `man from the IOA', played by Tim Guinee, who hampers the efforts of SG-1 and the return of an old adversary is an attempt at a `b' story to liven up the action sequences. Unfortunately, the return of this adversary does not have either the power or the menace that it had in previous episodes and one must assume that all people working for the IOA are either completely incompetent or just plain stupid.
Julian Sands returns as the Dosi, leader of the Priors, but his role is criminally underused and the chance for some genuine suspense and fear are given away in favour of Adria. This is a shame as Sands does so well when playing the villain.
The main story, the search for the Ark, is good but too much like `The Quest' from season ten and the whole thing feels much like a two part episode cut into a movie rather than a movie in its own right. This should've been made for the end of the series rather than `Unending' and then you could have left it there. It might have been better to have done a mini-series like Sci-Fi did for the end of Farscape, which would've given the writers more time to flesh out the ideas and not make the ending feel so rushed.
All in all, fans of SG-1 will be pleased to see the conclusion of the Ori story line but it will leave you wanting more in the future. With `Continuum' coming out later in the year you won't have to wait long. Chevron 7 locked!