It may be hard to believe, but the sci-fi classic Stargate was released 15 years ago on October 28^th, 1994.  Grossing $196 million on a budget of $50 million, and spawning multiple immensely popular (and long running)  TV series’, Stargate’s popularity has only grown in the time since its release.  Now considered by many to be required viewing for any science fiction fan, Stargate still feels fresh.

With major Egyptian influences, the bulk of the film takes place in a desert-like environment, complete with shape-shifting pyramids, alien leaders, and guards armed with laser staves who wear helmets resembling Egyptian gods.  The special effects have aged surprisingly well, still managing to bring a prickly feeling to the back of your neck during some of the more intense sequences.  The transformation sequences as helmets fold away into nothing are still awesome looking, and the alien fighters that fly around during the climax still look decent. Even the “transporter” scenes still have an air of authenticity about them, although they are less impressive than they once were.  Traveling through the stargate, however, is an experience just as mind-bending as it was the first time you saw it.

The sound is fantastic, with rounds bouncing all over the place and laser shots coming from all directions.  Dialogue is clear, and the surround mix has held up well.  There are a couple of scenes where it sounds like the on-set mics got blown out a bit (which, naturally, would have been just as bad back when it was released), but other than that everything still sounds great.  The sound effects that accompany the soldier’s rifles are especially awesome and clear.

Colors are muted, but well defined.  I think a modern day once-over on the video would yield noticeable results in helping to clean up some of the muddy interior shots; however the DVD transfers that currently exist out there look decent enough.  Naturally, if you have an edition of the film from the mid-late 90’s on DVD, heavy artifacts are noticeable in some scenes with low-level light sources.  This problem much less noticeable in more recent releases, however.

Stargate has aged quite gracefully in the 15 years since its release.  Due to the overall design of the film and the way CGI was implemented, this is one of those films that will never seem cheesy despite its advanced effects at the time of its release.  If you have never seen Stargate, find yourself a copy ASAP, turn up the volume on your surround system, and enjoy some of the best entertainment science fiction has to offer.