Stargate: Continuum

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Stargate: Continuum
Directed by Martin Wood
Produced by Robert C. Cooper
Brad Wright
Written by Brad Wright
Starring See cast
Music by Joel Goldsmith
Distributed by MGM Home Entertainment
Release date(s) July 29, 2008 (US)
August 6, 2008 (AU)[1]
August 18, 2008 (UK) November 21, 2008 (CR)
Running time 94 min.
Language English
Budget $7,000,000
Gross revenue $8,055,900 (US)[2]
Preceded by Stargate: The Ark of Truth

Stargate: Continuum is a Canadian-American military science fiction direct-to-DVD movie through MGM Home Entertainment (MHE), written by Brad Wright and directed by Martin Wood. The film is a time-travel adventure and is the second sequel to Stargate SG-1, after Stargate: The Ark of Truth. The film features the season 10 cast of Stargate SG-1 and Richard Dean Anderson (Season 1–8). The movie was filmed in early 2007 at Vancouver's Bridge Studios and in the Arctic. The story arc follows SG-1 in their mission to re-instate the original timeline changed by Ba'al by infiltrating the ship, Achilles.

The film has garnered positive reviews in initial critical reception compared to the previous film, Stargate: The Ark of Truth, earning both praise and criticism for its atmosphere, story, characters, and graphic content. The production budget was $7 million and the film grossed over eight million USD, less than the previous film that grossed over thirteen million USD. The movie was released on both DVD and Blu-ray Disc in the US on July 29, 2008 and elsewhere in August 2008, followed by a TV premiere on Sci-Fi channel April 3rd, 2009.

Contents

[edit] Plot

SG-1 and Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) attend a Tok'ra extraction ceremony for Ba'al (Cliff Simon), the last of the Goa'uld System Lords. He gloats that he is merely the last clone, and that the real Ba'al has a fail-safe plan. The real Ba'al travels back in time to 1939 Earth and massacres the crew of the Achilles, the ship carrying the Stargate to the United States; the captain (Mitchell's grandfather) survives long enough to keep the ship from being destroyed. In the present, people and objects disappear, starting with Vala Mal Doran (Claudia Black) and Teal'c (Christopher Judge). Jack is killed by Ba'al before Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks), and Cameron Mitchell (Ben Browder) manage to reach the Stargate. They emerge inside the derelict Achilles, which has drifted to the Arctic — Ba'al's actions have created a timeline in which the Stargate Program never happened. After escaping from the sinking Achilles, they are rescued by a team led by Colonel Jack O'Neill. Although General Hank Landry (Beau Bridges) believes their story, permission is denied to change the timeline. The three are separated and given new lives to lead.

A year passes, and SG-1 is called back into action when Goa'uld scoutships appear. Ba'al has defeated the System Lords and now stands ready to conquer Earth, with Qetesh (still residing in Vala's body) as his Queen and Teal'c as his First Prime. SG-1 is brought to President Henry Hayes (William Devane) and General George Hammond (Don S. Davis), who inform them that, based on SG-1's accounts, they have recovered the Antarctic Stargate and are excavating the Ancient outpost. SG-1 is sent to retrieve a Zero Point Module (ZPM) to power the outpost. Above Earth, Ba'al's armada arrives. To the displeasure of his lieutenants (all former System Lords), Ba'al announces that he will treat the Tau'ri leniently. Suspicious about Ba'al's knowledge of Earth, Qetesh betrays him and forces him to tell her everything. She has her ships destroy McMurdo Station and the Ancient outpost, and she kills Ba'al after Teal'c discovers her treachery. As Teal'c escapes to an Al'kesh, Qetesh orders the fleet to bombard Earth while she goes to secure Ba'al's time machine.

Amidst the massive Goa'uld attack, SG-1 is rerouted to Russia, as the Russians had retrieved the Achilles' Stargate from the ocean floor. En route, they are saved from a flight of death gliders by Russian MiGs. Teal'c arrives at the facility as well, seeking to use the Stargate to reach the time machine before Qetesh. The two sides form a truce and arrive together at Ba'al's time machine: a vast underground supercomputer that monitors solar flares that can affect the wormhole formed by the Stargate. SG-1 must wait for the right flare with which to go to the past, but an attack by Qetesh's troops forces them to dial Earth in the year 1929 - ten years before their target date. Sam and Daniel are killed in the firefight, and only Mitchell reaches the Stargate before Teal'c, mortally wounded, destroys the time machine along with himself and Qetesh. After a decade of waiting, an older Mitchell stows away on the Achilles and kills Ba'al and his troops when they come through the Stargate. In the present of the now-restored timeline, SG-1, completely unaware of the previous events, watch the extraction proceed without incident. On Earth, Daniel wonders what Ba'al meant by his fail-safe, but they decide not to dwell on it. The final shot shows a close-up of a picture in Mitchell's locker, in which his older alternate self is shown standing alongside his grandfather.

[edit] Cast

Ben Browder and Amanda Tapping on location in the Arctic

[edit] Production

Stargate: Continuum was written by Brad Wright and directed by Martin Wood. Some scenes for this movie were already shot at the end of March 2007, but the original start date was set for May 22, 2007 at Vancouver's Bridge Studios. The production budget was $7 million.[3] Due to the postponement of this film until the 5th season of Stargate Atlantis was airing, there is a continuity error with Carter and Mitchell's rank. In the ending credits they are listed as lieutenant colonels. However when they fly the F-15s they are each wearing the rank of colonel. This is due to the fact that during filming producers realized that the film would probably be released after Carter character had been promoted on Atlantis. In the season 5 premiere of that show, Sam, already a colonel, leaves Atlantis to attend the extraction, thus setting this movie about a year after The Ark of Truth.[4][5]

[edit] Writing

USS Alexandria (SSN-757) carries SG-1 from the Arctic.

The original draft for the film started with a view of the Tok'ra city. But Brad Wright eventually decided that the film should start in Stargate Command (SGC) to show what SG-1 represented. When writing lines for the character Jack O'Neill, Wright tried to write lines that felt "natural" and not "forced," saying it was of major importance. The inclusion of many recurring characters from the series Stargate SG-1 was decided on to make old fans feel more "welcome" to the new film. The unnamed Captain of the Achilles dead body was originally supposed to be revealed when SG-1 traveled back to Earth; Wright commented on the case, calling it "gross". Richard Dean Anderson was not supposed to appear at the start of the film, where he got killed. According Wright, he was only set to appear in the alternate timeline in Antarctica because that's what Wright "asked him to do."[4]

Due to a scheduling conflict, actor Michael Shanks was unavailable to shoot the scenes in the Arctic. However, Jackson was on the boat with Cameron Mitchell and Samantha Carter in the preceding scenes. In order to make his disappearance plausible, Wright decided that Jackson would develop frostbite after stepping in water and be unable to continue with the others. When commenting on the dialogue scenes, Wright commented that scenes like that would be "cut off" because of the time constraints in the Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis episodes, and further commented that they could keep these scenes since the film is "longer" than the episodes.[4]

[edit] Filming

Amanda Tapping in costume on location in the Arctic

The movie includes scenes filmed at the U.S. Navy's Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station in the Arctic, 200 nautical miles (230 mi; 370 km) north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. These scenes feature Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda Tapping and Ben Browder. They were filmed from March 23 to 29, 2007. The film also features the USS Alexandria (SSN-757).[6] The Arctic filming included scenes shot on the ice,[7] scenes shot with the Alexandria as a backdrop,[8] scenes shot on board the Alexandria,[9] and shots of the Alexandria surfacing and submerging. Because of the minimal facilities, the Arctic scenes were filmed with only the three actors and a four-man crew. Director Martin Wood worked as an extra in one scene (as "Major Wood"), as did another member of the film crew. The captain of the Alexandria, Cmdr. Mike Bernacchi, and members of her crew played themselves. Barry L. Campbell, head of operations at the San Diego-based U.S. Navy Arctic Submarine Laboratory, who had arranged the opportunity to film in Arctic, also appeared as a seaman.[10] Writer Brad Wright also had a cameo appearance, as an F-15 pilot.[4]

The film is dedicated to the memory of Paul McCann and Anthony Huntrod, who lost their lives during an accident under the ice cap on the submarine HMS Tireless at the time of filming. The film took 19 days to shoot, plus five days of shooting in the Arctic (they were there for seven days).[11][4] The film, Continuum was placed in Guinness Book of Records in the category for furthest north film shoot.[12]

[edit] Release and reception

Main article: Series overview and home release

The movie premiered at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 25, 2008, attended by the cast. The movie was released on both DVD and Blu-ray Disc on July 29, 2008,[13][14][15][16] followed by possible TV broadcasts.[17] According to Robert C. Cooper, they will be released internationally on DVD by MGM at about the same time. Distribution and domestic release will occur through FOX. Cooper mentioned that nothing has been finalized though.[18] The movie was also released on August 6, 2008 in Australia[1] and was released in the United Kingdom on August 18, 2008 after being broadcast on the British TV channel, Sky One on August 12. The film would go on to gross over $8 million United States dollars in the United States.[2] A third Stargate SG-1 film is planned to follow Continuum, the film will center around the character of Jack O'Neill.[19]

Sky entertainment reviewer called the film, "thoroughly enjoyable romp."[20] Nix from Sci Fi Cool said in his review, "it ends exactly the same way that most, if not all, SG1 episodes usually end: It leaves you satisfied, and wanting more."[21] IGN review Christopher Monfette gave the film 7 out of 10 and said it was "good" but didn't work at the "level of great science fiction."[22] Don Houston from DVD Talk commented that the "budget was too low" for the writers to "support the ideas at hand."[23] Mark Wilson from About.com said that it "existed just for the casting," but continued saying it was "solid."[24] Darren Sumner and David Read from GateWorld called the film a "great movie."[25] The Sci Fi Movie Page review called the series, Stargate SG-1 "blandless," when reviewing the film. But said the film should be "discounted" as a "bland" film.[26] Dean Winkelspecht from DVD Town called it " one of the better direct-to-video releases" he had laid his eyes on.[27]

[edit] Awards and nominations

Stargate Continuum won the High-Def Disc Awards 2008 category for Best Nontheatrical Blu-ray.[28] The film was nominated for 6 Constellation Awards in 2008, the results are to be announced on July 11, 2009.[29] It was also nominated for a total of 11 Leo Awards in 2009. The results were announced on May 8 and 9, 2009, the film won three of eleven nominations.[30]

[edit] Constellation Awards

Year Category Nominee Result
2009 Best Science Fiction Film, TV Movie, or Mini-Series of 2008 — Nominated
Best Overall 2008 Science Fiction Film or Television Script Brad Wright Nominated
Best Male Performance in a 2008 Science Fiction Film, TV Movie, or Mini-Series Richard Dean Anderson Nominated
Best Female Performance in a 2008 Science Fiction Film, TV Movie, or Mini-Series Amanda Tapping Nominated
Claudia Black Won
Best Technical Accomplishment in a 2008 Science Fiction Film or Television Production Rainmaker Digital Effects Nominated

[edit] Leo Awards

Year Category Nominee Result
2009 Best Direction in a Feature Length Drama Martin Wood Nominated
Best Screenwriting in a Feature Length Drama Brad Wright Won
Best Cinematography in a Feature Length Drama Peter Woeste Nominated
Best Picture Editing in a Feature Length Drama Brad Rines Nominated
Best Overall Sound in a Feature Length Drama Paul Sharpe, Iain Pattison and Graeme Hughes Won
Best Sound Editing in a Feature Length Drama Devan Kraushar, James Wallace, Kirby Jinnah, Jay Cheetham and Dario DiSanto Nominated
Best Production Design in a Feature Length Drama James Robbins Nominated
Best Costume Design in a Feature Length Drama Christina McQuarrie Nominated
Best Visual Effects in a Feature Length Drama Michelle Commens, Stephen Bahr, Christopher Stewart, Krista McLean and James Kawano Nominated
Lead Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama Michael Shanks Won
Lead Performance by a Female in a Feature Length Drama Amanda Tapping Nominated

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Stargate - Continuum @ EzyDVD". EzyDVD. 2008-05-13. http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/800115. 
  2. ^ a b "Stargate - Continuum". The Numbers. Los Angeles, California, USA: Nash Information Services. http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2008/0SGCT.php. Retrieved on 2008-12-19. 
  3. ^ "Tapping discusses SG-1 movies". GateWorld. August 9, 2007. http://www.gateworld.net/news/2007/08/tapping_discusses_isg-1i_movies.shtml. Retrieved on 2007-08-09. 
  4. ^ a b c d e Wood, Martin and Wright, Brad. (2008). Audio Commentary for "Stargate: Continuum". [DVD]. MGM Home Entertainment. 
  5. ^ Paul Spragg. Cam-Do Attitude. 
  6. ^ "Stargate: Continuum to Film Scenes in the Arctic". comingsoon.net. 2007-03-14. http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=19350. Retrieved on 2007-03-14. 
  7. ^ "APLIS POSTCARD #13". US Navy: Commander, Naval Submarine Forces. March 24, 2007. http://www.sublant.navy.mil/HTML/24%20Mar%20Postcard.htm. Retrieved on 2007-04-13. 
  8. ^ "APLIS POSTCARD #14". US Navy: Commander, Naval Submarine Forces. March 25, 2007. http://www.sublant.navy.mil/HTML/25%20Mar%20Postcard.htm. Retrieved on 2007-04-13. 
  9. ^ "APLIS POSTCARD #16". US Navy: Commander, Naval Submarine Forces. March 27, 2007. http://www.sublant.navy.mil/HTML/27%20Mar%20Postcard.htm. Retrieved on 2007-04-13. 
  10. ^ MC1 Barrie Barber (2007-04-17). "Stargate Stars Film Movie Aboard USS Alexandria at the Polar Ice Pack". United States Navy. http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=28895. Retrieved on 2008-08-05. 
  11. ^ "Man of Vision: GateWorld Talks with Martin Wood". GateWorld. July 22, 2008. http://www.gateworld.net/interviews/man_of_vision.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-07-30. 
  12. ^ David Read (2009-05-07). "New Frontier". GateWorld. http://www.gateworld.net/interviews/new_frontier4.shtml. Retrieved on 2009-05-07. 
  13. ^ "Stargate: Continuum on DVD July 29". gateworld.net. April 4, 2008. http://www.gateworld.net/news/2008/04/istargate_continuumi_on_dvd_july.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-04-04. 
  14. ^ "Wright: Continuum is classic Stargate". gateworld.net. November 21, 2007. http://www.gateworld.net/news/2007/11/wright_icontinuumi_is_classic_is.shtml. Retrieved on 2007-11-21. 
  15. ^ "Release Date Scoop for Stargate - Continuum DVD!". TVShowsOnDVD.com. http://www.TVShowsOnDVD.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=9318. Retrieved on 2008-04-03. 
  16. ^ "Extras, Specs & Pricing Revealed for Stargate - Continuum". TVShowsOnDVD.com. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Stargate-SG-1-Continuum/9358. Retrieved on 2008-04-09. 
  17. ^ "Stargate goes nuclear". playbackmag.com. April 2, 2007. http://www.playbackmag.com/articles/magazine/20070402/stargate.html. Retrieved on 2007-03-30. 
  18. ^ "New directions Part 2. Gateworld talks with Robert C. Cooper". gateworld.net. July, 2007. http://www.gateworld.net/interviews/new_directions_part_2.shtml. Retrieved on 2007-07-19. 
  19. ^ Sumner, Darren. "Anderson confirms SGU appearances". GateWorld. http://www.gateworld.net/news/2009/04/anderson-confirms-sgu-appearances/. Retrieved on 2009-04-15. 
  20. ^ "Preview: Stargate Continuum". Sky Entertainment. http://tv.sky.com/preview-stargate-continuum. Retrieved on 2009-04-13. 
  21. ^ Nix. "Stargate: Continuum (2008) Movie Review". Sci Fi Cool. http://www.scificool.com/stargate-continuum-2008-movie-review/. Retrieved on 2009-04-13. 
  22. ^ "Stargate: Continuum Blu-ray Review". IGN. http://bluray.ign.com/articles/895/895143p1.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-13. 
  23. ^ Houston, Don. "Stargate - Continuum". DVD Talk. http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/33851/stargate-continuum/. Retrieved on 2009-04-13. 
  24. ^ Wilson, Mark. "Review: Stargate Continuum". About.com. http://scifi.about.com/b/2008/07/29/review-stargate-continuum.htm. Retrieved on 2009-04-13. 
  25. ^ Sumner, Darren and Read, David. "Review: Stargate Continuum". GateWorld. http://www.gateworld.net/news/features/review_stargate_continuum.shtml. Retrieved on 2009-04-13. 
  26. ^ "Stargate Continuum (2008) - DVD Review". Sci-Fi Movie Page. http://www.scifimoviepage.com/dvd/stargate_continuum-dvd.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-29. 
  27. ^ Winkelspecht , Dean. "Review of Stargate Continuum on DVD". DVD Town. http://www.dvdtown.com/reviews/dvd-stargate-continuum/6184. Retrieved on 2009-05-29. 
  28. ^ "Stargate News". Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer. http://stargate.mgm.com/news_detail.php?id=116. Retrieved on 2009-04-13. 
  29. ^ "Constellation Awards". Stargate Archive.com. http://www.stargatearchive.com/journal/index.php/2009/04/stargate-nominated-in-2009-canadian-constellation-awards. Retrieved on 2009-04-13. 
  30. ^ "Leo Awards, 2009 Winners". Leo Awards. http://www.leoawards.com/winners_2009.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-11. 

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