The Kurt Russell Sci-Fi Military Movie That Spawned A Beloved Franchise Is Streaming On Prime Video

If a movie has "star" in its title, the chances are high that it's going to be some fun science fiction. Kurt Russell's venture into wormhole frontiers in 1994's "Stargate" proves there's no exception to the rule. For those unfamiliar with this Roland Emmerich-directed sci-fi spectacle, the good news is it's now streaming on Prime Video. Praise Ra!

"Stargate" shoots for the stars but lands in another dimension of storytelling. This visual effects-heavy tale sees the U.S. Air Force discover a mysterious ring-shaped device known as the Stargate. Thanks to the deciphering skills of linguist specialist Daniel Jackson (James Spader), Colonel Jack O'Neil (Russell) and his team find out that this contraption is a wormhole, possessing the ability to open up a portal into another world. Of course they venture through it, because it would be the most boring movie in the world if they didn't. In the end, they uncover another civilization, secrets about humanity's past, and the maniacal alien Ra (Jaye Davidson).

While "Stargate" receives a lot of love today, that wasn't the case in the '90s. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds only a 53% approval among critics. Celebrated critic Roger Ebert wasn't a fan at all, dishing out only one star and calling it "a film school exercise." Maybe one of the dumb things he disliked about "Stargate" was O'Neil trying to have a hairstyle like Guile from "Street Fighter 2." Bless those weird '90s fashion trends!

Some of the critics might have turned up their noses at "Stargate," but the audience didn't. The $196 million haul from a $55 million budget had the studio laughing all the way to the bank. With those extra zeroes warming up the spreadsheets, it's no surprise that the film expanded into a franchise and then stretched out further than anyone could have ever imagined. From comics to video games, and onward to TV shows, the "Stargate" timeline grew vast and became jam-packed with more lore and memorable characters.

Television fans had it particularly good with "Stargate SG-1," which picks up right after the movie's events and ran for 10 glorious seasons. Richard Dean Anderson takes over from Kurt Russell as Jack O'Neill (his surname receives an extra L in this version), while Michael Shanks replaces James Spader as Daniel Jackson. 

"Stargate SG-1" received its own spin-off in the form of "Stargate: Atlantis," which features Jason Momoa at a foundational point in his career, and delves even further into this scintillating sci-fi universe over five seasons. If that isn't enough, "Stargate Universe" and the bite-sized web series "Stargate Origins" also come highly recommended.

While the "Stargate" franchise from 1994 to 2018 should keep fans occupied for a long, long time, don't expect for it to ever go away. There's still so much more to explore and experience through this titular portal. The sky isn't the limit here; the universe is.