t an archaeological dig in Giza, Egypt, in 1928, a magnificent discovery is unearthed – a massive metal ring with numerous unknown markings inscribed around the edges. Decades later, in the early ’90s, Catherine Langford (Viveca Lindfors) peeks into a presentation by Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader), who claims that many of the leading experts on ancient Egypt were wrong about one of the world’s greatest structures. His peers laugh at his theories and promptly walk out. “Who do you think built the pyramids?” “Martians, perhaps?”

Nevertheless, Catherine offers Daniel a job: to decipher hieroglyphs. At the same time, the military reactivates the status of grieving Colonel Jack O’Neil (Kurt Russell), who remains depressed and suicidal after the accidental death of his young son. Both men are brought to a military installation in Creek Mountain, Colorado to investigate a 10,000-year-old tablet with the phrase “stargate” inscribed on its outer ring. Sonic and radiocarbon tests prove its age, which is long before the Egyptian empire ever existed, presenting quite the puzzle. How could this artifact exist with symbols from outside of its era? In record time, Jackson solves the riddle of the object, triggering a portal to open (on the seemingly extraterrestrial ring from 1928) that appears to lead to the other side of the known universe. And when a probe reveals that there’s a breathable atmosphere in that uncharted galaxy, a team of armed soldiers – and Daniel – are sent across.

Although the setup is unnecessarily lengthy, the basic premise of human adventurers visiting an alien world is entirely engaging. In a strange, sci-fi realm, anything is possible, which makes the coming events pleasingly unpredictable. What isn’t as sensible is that, with the exceptionally high possibility of getting stuck in another world, the military men selected for the mission aren’t unattached. Immediately upon reaching the other side, they begin to fret over potentially never returning home; surely a volunteer system would have been appropriate. Plus, O’Neil, with his known psychological issues, seems like a terrible choice for a leader, especially since his behavior is consistently secretive, unfriendly, and severe; he’s too compromised emotionally, as well as being terribly unsympathetic.

With Roland Emmerich at the helm (also serving as a writer with regular partner Dean Devlin), there’s a sense of curiosity and adventure as opposed to horror, joined by intermittent comic relief. Threats are bound to arise, but wonderment is the primary response. Music by David Arnold is also a boon, lending to the excitement with a thunderous theme. And, indeed, it’s not monstrous conquerors they encounter – at least initially – but a humanlike civilization that raises plenty of additional questions with their unidentified language and customs.

Eventually, however, strife is certain, as the stargate’s destination isn’t a conflict-free population. Further sci-fi staples crop up, with the plot resembling that of a postapocalyptic society oppressed by technologically advanced overlords, intent on enslavement and domination. A fun creature or two turns up, along with some visual surprises (along the lines of “Star Trek”) ranging from costumes and armor to spaceships and laser weapons. But there are also unfortunate computer-animated shots, which are not only needless, but unoriginal and unconvincing as well.

Sadly, there’s also a certain slowness to the proceedings, stretching out the waiting time for answers. Part of this is due to a love story involving native Sha’uri (Mili Avital), which is a throwaway, obligatory addition. Plus, many of the concluding revelations are less than satisfying, with some concepts that blend history, mythology, and alien interference (and the impressionableness of primitive mankind) proving to be modestly interesting, while others are too anticipated and derivative to be influential. Not enough of the plot was designed well enough to stand out from the pack of other ’90s sci-fi flicks; creative complications are simply far too few. And even the alien tech looks uninspired and weak (though the climax is action-packed, even with mere machine guns – and still overly protracted). But none of that stopped this movie from kickstarting a massive media franchise, spanning additional films, multiple television series, video games, and more.

– Mike Massie