Stargate SG-1: The Ark of Truth

I love Stargate. It is not perfect, I will admit. It is prone to errors in judgement, and often suffers from bad episodes. Nonetheless, ever since the revamp, with the new Ori storyline, and the new characters, things have been very good.

For those who don’t know, Stargate SG-1 was good, not so great, great, crap, and then brilliant, more-or-less in that order, over 10 seasons and 214 episodes. It's time on TV over, even with a successful spin-off Atlantis, the makers of Stargate had still not finished their story, and they decided that their best plan was to create a dvd-movie to finish this off, and so this new incarnation revolves around that crusade in the name of evil gods that we were in the middle of when the TV show ended. This was shown, as a two-hour special on Sky One, this Easter just past. It is know as:

Stargate SG-1: The Ark of Truth.

Of course, in true SG-1 style, this is all about our heroes chasing a McGuffin with which to save the world, here by convincing all the followers of the false gods the Ori, that they are indeed false gods, and their crusade against all unbelievers is immoral. This is the titular “Ark” that will show them “Truth”. As it is, this is a great plotline, which does of course develop with many twists and turns. It is also problematic, because it alienates new viewers by being very much the conclusion to a story that some of us will be very familiar with, more so than others. If you have not watched SG-1 before, while this is a good showcase of what Stargate is, but I would recommend starting elsewhere, for much of it will not make sense. If you have been watching SG-1, this is the story that you have been waiting for.

This is because this is awesome, a true finale to the Ori plotline. It keeps a large amount of the humour that typifies the show, with self referential nods and jokes at science fiction staples, whilst keeping many of the things that have run throughout the show intact. The effects work is top notch, but not overused, and the tension builds in junction with the dual plots, which are well interwoven, timed and acted, especially because the relationships between the characters are brilliant. They fact that I have been waiting for this for so long does not hinder the end product, it fulfils everything that you could want the finale to do. It ties up the loose ends without closing the book entirely, or destroying many of the themes that are part of SG-1 lore, as many series finales tend to do, with Buffy and Serenity springing immediately to mind as key culprits.

The fact that there are bad points does not detract from the overall awesomeness of the entertainment, and they all draw from one point. Stargate is much better at creating plotlines, and setting up events than it is at finishing them off. The best episodes of Stargate always end as a set up something that will come later, or are entirely unrelated to the grander plot. Episodes that are finales, in every sense of the word, are always underplaying their potential; it is imposable for them not to. That is why the series did not tie up the loose ends, because that it not what Stargate is best at. The set up, the drama, is best before the end, and as such this is not a movie I would rewatch again and again. Once I have seen it once I am happy.

Importantly, the inclusion of the IOA and their plan is a masterstroke of a decision, which those who have seen this will understand, for it is amazing, even if it breaks SG-cannon slightly, it still works, and it really does make the film, even if it does slightly marginalise the huge crusade that is destroying our galaxy.

But there are some problems. Firstly, the extra money seems to have been given straight to the cameramen, who have spent all their time panning around characters, wobbly-cam at the ready, zooming in on every face in a very overdone style. Secondly, because this film cannot realise all of its enormous potential, some of the set-pieces are sacrificed.

An example, which is a spoiler, but one that does not matter in the slightest, a massive evil fleet approaches Earth. Instead of a huge-battle-where-Earth-fights-aggressors-and-is-saved-at-the-last-moment, the film leaves this alone, and focuses elsewhere. This set-piece is not realised, and this is repeated as the same for many other scenes. There is no time for the slower moments when everything conversation must either start “remember the time when…” and serve as exposition, or “our only hope is to…” and ramp up the tension. This cannot live up to expectations because it has to do so much. And yet, it still does. It matched my expectations, it is a magnificent finale, exactly what the series, and the fans, deserve.

The fact that this is a movie, that it comes over a year after the series ended and has to tie up all the loose ends, is problematic. It means that, not only do we need closure on a long-standing issue, but we need to be reminded of what that issue was. Who characters are, what they have done, why they need to be stopped or helped, an audience needs to be reminded of this, and only then can the answer be given. This is a very time consuming process, which does at some points drag away the tension.

Most of all, there is one problem with Stargate which always comes to mind, and may be more of a criticism in general than a particular fault of this film. It is especially apparent after watching Battlestar Galactica. SG-1 always approach a big issue, a controversial one, that has no “correct” moral answer, but instead of challenging our perceptions, as in BSG, they back away hurriedly and avoid the issue like the bubonic plague. For example, here it is the nature of religion, which they avoid, and the nature of fanatical interpretation of sacred texts, which they also avoid. I also find it morally questionable that they have, in the previous season, wiped out an entire race of beings, in if they are evil false gods, with another McGuffin, in an act of genocide, and seem quite proud of their actions. Fine, they saved humanity by doing so, but I would like it if a few of the characters approached the issue head on, and tackled it as it should be. Naturally, if you didn’t spot any of this, it if because it is only alluded to. I understand the reasons the writers avoid these debates, of how they could corrupt the tone of the piece, but it annoying the way in which they always pull away from, what I feel, could be the most interesting of punches, and the hollow feeling it leaves some aspects of the show.

To conclude, this is a brilliant movie of Stargate. The tension is high, without compromising the characters and their interactions with each other. This is exactly what I had hoped for, even if it does suffer from the long-standing problems that Stargate has always suffered from, and that concluding a long story is always hard. This cannot be as fulfilling as when the writers are developing a story to be finished later, but this is still a brilliant finish to the Ori plot, it does everything you could want of it, and does it well. However, I do not know how much enjoyment anyone who is not a full Stargate fan will be able to gain from this. I love Stargate, and was paying attention to all that happened in the last two years. If you didn’t watch those, chances are you will be left feeling unconnected to the plotline here, as more time is spent of reminding the audience of what is past than of developing the characters, something unnecessary for a full television series, but that may have been appreciated by new-comers to the move.

Bring on Continuum, the second film due in early summer, a more self-contained movie, a time-travelling adventure featuring Jack O’Neil!

If Ark of Truth is just the first example, it bodes very well for things to come.

Haircut

I know nothing about my hair. There has never been a lesson at school, or a TV infomercial, or anything. What are split ends? How much shampoo should I use? What colour is it? Really dark blond or light brown?

Today I got my haircut. This involved making guesses at most things the barber asked. To make matter worse, I wear glasses. Whenever he says, "does this look long enough?” I always say, "Yeh". This is because I cannot quite see. Luckily, It worked out OK.

I am really surprised that this has not yet backfired on me.

France 1 - 0 England

The bubble has burst. England, in one of the most pathetically boring matches ever played, have lost to France, and that was only due to a penalty. We have no good full-backs, a midfield that cannot play with each other, cannot pass and leave massive holes, and no strikers. Not a single true striker, they are all injured, crap, play wide or come deep. This leaves the England side impotent, and open to exploitation by any reasonable opposition. This is why we failed to qualify. Even if we had, can we really believe that this team would have gotten much farther than the group stage? Cappelo needs to work wonders, and he has only two years to do it.

Good news though! David Beckham, one of my favourite players, received his hundredth cap. He also reminded everyone of why he was bad, by stealing the position of the right-back, and being able to do little spectacular in a game with no free-kicks. But, nonetheless, good for him.

We need a miracle.

Football Predictions - End of 2007/08

There are eight games remaining for the Barclays Premier League, with one of the tightest and hopefully most fascinating finish to a title race for a while.

It appears to me that the biggest decider is going to be the head-to-heads between the big teams, with Chelsea playing Arsenal and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates, and Man Utd playing Liverpool at Old Trafford. However, these games are so big, that none of the teams can afford to lose these, and as such they will most likely be tense, but dull affairs, ending in a draw. The title depends on these games, for any loss of points will surely be made to count by the other teams.

On a similar line, many of the teams still have to play others pushing for European Qualification, and as such Everton and Villa could play a key role. It also seems important that the big teams pick up these easy points during a hectic schedule. I think it will be Manchester United’s year again. Chelsea don’t look confident enough, Liverpool to far behind, and Arsenal are in a rut.

The importance of the FA cup usually effects this, but since all of the big four are out, this is different this year. Portsmouth are the only top-flight team left, so i feel it has got to be them. Meanwhile, it is the Champions League where the big four will be focusing all their strength. Chelsea and United should make it into the Semi-finals, as should Barcelona. Joining them, I foresee, will be Liverpool, deadly in Europe and with little to play for domestically, who will throw everything against Arsenal. This is where it gets tricky. We are, almost, guaranteed an English Team in the final. Could we have an all English final? I don’t see it as an impossibility. However, I predict Man Utd, to see off Roma and then fail against Barcelona, who will go on to once again prove that even with three English semi-finalists, we don't have a European champion.

Oh, and just to keep up the tension, even though I feel he deserves it, David Beckham will be unfit to claim is One-Hundredth England International cap on March 26th against France, but will make a token appearance. And do awesomely! We will beat the French, Michael Owen will score, and Fabio Cappello will have regained the English spirit for the World Cup Qualifiers.

But we will see how this goes before I put my stake on for the European Championship this summer.

Prediction: Man Utd for the Premiership, Barcelona for the Champions League, and Portsmouth for the FA Cup.

Juno & No Country for Old Men

I have just sen two very good films. The reason why I have just seen two, is that I need to take a few weeks to decide if I want to see a film or not, and usually by that time it has almost stopped showing. Thus it was that I ended up seeing both Juno and No Country for Old Men within 24 hours.

Juno - This is a very heartfelt film. Really, it it extremely well acted, written and directed. Special kudos must go to Ellen Page, for really selling her character and her motivations. The tone and mood is just right, not too dark, and not too happy ever after-ish either. I would much recomend this film. Unfortunatly, it is not perfect. The script is dependant on an understanding of many of the references throughout, most often confusingly to me about music. Having a conversation that is based around the music that two characters like is fine, but when this is a recurring scene and it means absolutly nothing to me, I started to lose my connection. But i did not get bored, it kept me entertained, and I left the cinema feeling that wonderful mix of bliss and life-affirming fear.

No Country for Old Men - I can see why this won so many awards. The direction is superb, creating a feel for the atmosphere that is brilliantly supported by the cast. The only problem I had was that there did not seem to be a singular "lead", and I felt rather left in the dark at some stages. However, I am sure this was deliberate. This is a slow movie, best described as an action film, with a much more meaningful purpose, and therefore missing our on many of the actin-setpeices that would be part of a more popcorn style. Not that this is too artistic, I still understood it. It is definetly worth a look, it is just not as groundbreaking as some of the reviews led me to believe. If anything, it is more of an old fashioned style of film, but this is not a bad thing.

Choice: I prefer Juno. No Country is the better film, but Juno such a heartfelt comedy which still manages to include drama that I have to recomend it, even over such a high class of competition.

Hidden Mobile Phones

I was in an awkward situation today. There I am standing on a crowded bus, and this large, middle-aged bloke suddenly yelled into my face if I wanted to "ave a beer this even'n".

I responded that I had a prior engagement, politely turning him down, only for him to give me a threatening look. He followed this up with an, even louder, "Are you bein' funny?!"

It was at this stage that I realised he was yelling into one of those headsets that people use, connected to their modile phones, and then sureptitiously tucked into their collars. It appears that he was not adressing me. I was, of course relived, and slightly embarassed. This embarassment was made worse by the fact that I was stuck less than a foot away from him for the next half hour.