Stargate Atlantis - Rising (Pilot Episode)
by Martin Wood
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DVD details
Actor: David Hewlett, Joe Flanigan, Rachel Luttrell, Rainbow Francks, Torri HigginsonDirector: Martin Wood
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 88 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-06-07
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Reviews of Stargate Atlantis - Rising (Pilot Episode)
DVD Review: Holds true to the Stargate universe
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been a longtime SG-1 fan, and never even thought to give Atlantis a try until SG-1 finished its 10th season. Despite owning all 10 seasons and now the 2 SG-1 movies, it's nice to have the universe and franchise continue.
Since I began watching Atlantis when SG-1 finished its 10th season, I didn't begin with the first season. Season 4 was where I started, and, despite being lost for the first several episodes, I really started getting into the show. I eventually picked up seasons 1-3 from Amazon, and watched them in between season 4 episodes until season 5 started this summer.
To put it simply, the spin-off is very well done. The Wraith, while nothing compared to the Ori, are a formidable enemy who live off of the life force of humans. Throw in some good looking women, explosions, a cool set, better looking stargate, and Star Trek like "run abouts" you've got yourself a pretty good show.
I'm very eager to continue to see how the series pans out. It's got everything from the ancients, Wraith, Replicators, intergalatic gates, appearances of SG-1, great story lines, and more. Atlantis is truly worthy of the Stargate name it carries.
To put it simply, if you've liked SG-1, give this a try (and a few good episodes), and you won't be disappointed.
DVD Review: Stargate Atlantis Rising
Summary: 5 Stars
I have never been able to see the whole movie when it's been on TV - but I am a big fan of the series. So it was wonderful to sit down and watch "how it all began"! It is even better to know what the characters were like at the very beginning, and to see how friendships have evolved (tho being friends with McKay has got to be a challenge!!) And when the city rises from the ocean? Magic!! So obviously I think this is a great way to start the series.DVD Review: Stargate Atlantas Pilot & season 2 & 3
Summary: 5 Stars
All are great as I am a real si-fi buff and love all si-fi. Stargate and Stargate are my favorites. I am a Trekie from way back and this is what has got me hooked on all forms of si-fiDVD Review: Enjoyable
Summary: 5 Stars
I have enjoyed the Stargate series and was intrigued when Atlantis came out.
I found out that I enjoyed as much as the Stargate it is just a different version. Five stars!
DVD Review: The lost city... found again
Summary: 4 Stars
One of the big arcs of the "Stargate SG-1" series was finding the Lost City of the Ancients, also known as Atlantis.
It also turned into fertile fodder for a spinoff series (come on, you KNEW they had to make one eventually). While the first two-parter is a bit awkward in places, it's a solid enough action-thriller that introduces some likable new heroes, a legendary city, and a new race of alien parasites.
At the Antarctic base, Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) has finally figured out the location of Atlantis -- in the Pegasus galaxy.
General Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) gives the go-ahead for an exploratory unit to go to Atlantis -- even though they don't have the power to return back to the Milky Way, and will be stranded there. So Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson) leads an international group of scientists and military to another galaxy, and arrive in the sunken Ancient city of Atlantis.
Unfortunately, after ten millennia Atlantis is running out of power, and soon the whole place will flood. So the military unit, including Major John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan), goes scouting in unknown territory through the Stargate. Meanwhile, the irritable scientist Rodney McKay (David Hewlett) tries to somehow salvage the city -- with surprising results.
While the people on the planet of Athos (where's Portos and Aramis?) turn out to be peaceful, they soon face an ancient enemy -- the parasitic, vampiric Wraith, who destroyed the Ancients long ago. When several Athosians and U.S. officers are kidnapped, Sheppard must lead a small team deep into one of the Wraith ships -- with devastating consequences.
"Stargate: Atlantis" has an easier introduction than most series, even spinoffs. The whole idea of it was introduced over a few seasons of "Stargate SG-1," and two of the lead characters -- Weir and McKay -- were also recurring characters. As the final touch, there are even two regulars who show up for a few scenes.
"Ths Rising" (in itself a spoiler) admittedly has some flaws -- the first half is as slow as the second is fast, and too much time is spent on Teyla, a native love interest for Sheppard. But it really kicks into place in the second half, where Sheppard unwittingly sets up the Big Bad Threat for the rest of the series, and the characters settle into Atlantis.
And while the script is a bit bland for several scenes after Jack O'Neill leaves the scene, it regains its snap from McKay, Sheppard and Carson Beckett ("You really need to get out more." "We're in another galaxy. How much more out can you get?"). Not to mention the constant jokes to keep the scripting from ever getting too pretentious ("Gateship One? A little Puddle Jumper like this?").
It's also graced with some wickedly good special effects -- the opening scene and the "rising" are particularly lovely -- with a newer brand of Stargate and a new "wormhole" transition. And thank God, there is no endless whining about how they may never see Earth again, as many series would do.
The cast is a little uneven here -- Higginson doesn't have much to do in this episode except wander around, dewily marveling at Atlantis. Rainbow Sun Francks is kind of annoying as an eager-puppy soldier, and Rachel Luttrell exists mainly in this episode to tell us what the Wraith are.
But there are some actors that slip easily into their grooves: Flanigan has a nice O'Neillian sarcastic snap, although he seems a bit too flirty. Hewlett is hilarious as the mildly antisocial, ever-exasperated scientist, and Paul McGillion is simply adorable as a cuddly Scottish doctor.
"Stargate Atlantis: Rising" has its shaky moments, and the actors were still getting a grip on their roles. But it's a solid opening for a solid sci-fi series, taking the Stargates out into a new galaxy.
Description of Stargate Atlantis - Rising (Pilot Episode)
When SG-1 discovers what it believes to be the remnants of the Lost City of the Ancients ? the originators of the Stargates ? Stargate Command launches an investigation. A new team of explorers, headed by civilian Dr. Elizabeth Weir, travels to the distant Pegasus Galaxy, where it discovers an advanced but deserted city on the ocean floor, a group of nomadic humans and a deadly enemy that feeds on humans as an energy source!There are those who may regard it as old wine in a new bottle, but that doesn't mean that Stargate Atlantis doesn't have something to offer to both newcomers and fans of Stargate SG-1, the franchise from which it evolved. Co-creators and executive producers Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, both of whom worked on the earlier show, have concocted an appealing premise for this spin-off, in which the so-called Ancients abandoned Earth millions of years earlier, taking their city (i.e., Atlantis) with them. Now, a new team has gained access (via the Stargate, the "wormhole" our heroes use to travel to different worlds) to the legendary sunken city, where new adventures and deadly new enemies await. Stargate SG-1 stars Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks make appearances in this series premiere, but the focus is on the new characters. Of these, Joe Flanigan excels as the insouciant Major John Sheppard, an Air Force pilot unexpectedly recruited for the new mission because of his preternatural ability to interface with the Ancients' wondrous technology. The new leader is Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson), a role that is neither especially well-written nor well-played. The new monster-villains, replacing the trusty old Goa'uld, are the Wraith, whose name is actually cooler than they are; they may eat humans, in addition to being all-powerful (natch), but they tend to come off like refugees from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Overall, the production values and special effects remain top-notch, especially for television, and the story itself is OK. But while Stargate Atlantis is certainly promising, it has a ways to go to equal its predecessor, which remains one of the best-made, most compelling sci-fi programs on television. --Sam Graham
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