MAY 2021 – The original Stargate feature film is back on Netflix, for streaming subscribers who haven’t seen it yet — or who just want that 150th rewatch.
The digital streaming giant has added the 1994 movie that spawned a science fiction franchise to its sci-fi film library — so now is a good time to revisit the story that started it all! The franchise subsequently made the leap to television in 1997, and today includes three live-action series and more than 350 episodes. (We’re also hoping for a fourth series from creator Brad Wright to be green-lit soon.)
Directed by Roland Emmerich and written by Emmerich and Dean Devlin, Stargate tells the story of an ancient artifact being studied deep inside a military base. There, scientists and engineers worked to unlock an ancient artifact unearthed from the sands of the Giza Plateau in 1928.
Recruiting Daniel Jackson (James Spader), the team is finally successful in dialing the Stargate to another planet. Colonel Jack O’Neil (one L, played by Kurt Russell) leads a team through to the other side in order to make a threat assessment. And, oh my Ra (Jaye Davidson), do they ever find a threat. Their journey across the galaxy wears its heart on its sleeve, and makes for a fun action-adventure blockbuster with tons of mythology potential.
Jaye Davidson plays Ra, the film’s lead villain.
Stargate is easily one of the best sci-fi flicks of the 1990s. It grossed $196.5 million globally ($71 million domestic) when it was released in theaters in October of 1994. That made it one of the biggest hits of the year, and a sleeper hit as an unknown sci-fi property coming from a small studio. (The film’s original investors actually got cold feet and sold the rights to MGM shortly before it was released.)
The movie is available on Netflix only in the United States, with a running time of 2 hours and 1 minute. This is the theatrical cut of the film, which does not include a few minutes of additional footage later added to the director’s cut for the home video release.
If you don’t have Netflix, you can currently watch Stargate for free (with ads) on YouTube Movies (U.S. only).
One word of realism: Fans who are excited at the prospect of future Stargate productions shouldn’t read too much into the movie turning up on Netflix again. The streaming rights to Stargate and other films and TV shows regularly come and go from one service to another. (Also the distribution rights for the Stargate movie are held by Lionsgate, not MGM.)
Stargate is rated PG-13. Watch the original trailer below, pop some popcorn, and get ready to step through the gate!
Then if you’re ready to continue onward from the movie into the TV series, check out our Watch Order options and Where To Watch online. You can continue straight on into Stargate SG-1, which picks up the story one year later and is also currently available on Netflix in the U.S.