Review: Stargate Continuum

[fignewton]

Yes, I know it's almost 2 a.m. Just go with the fannish flow, okay?

So, Continuum. A lot better than Ark of Truth!

Random spoilers, squees, and supposedly thoughtful comments ahead...

I congratulate the writers on their brilliance in making the first two minutes of the movie a love letter to the fans. Teams coming back from exploring, full of camaraderie! The SGC clearly busy and populated by competent people! Walter chatting in the Gate Room, and calling out the chevrons as the Gate dials up! Siler being deadpan snarky! Paul Davis! (Is that a star on his shoulder?!)

Happy sigh. Seriously, it puts you in a very positive frame of mind for the rest of the movie!

Joel Goldsmith's gorgeous music doesn't hurt, either...

There were plot holes and bits of grandstanding, of course. How many of us knew that hapless seaman would be vaporized in the kawoosh? (looks at forest of hands) And while I'm quite pleased to know that the Jaffa and the Tok'ra have reconciled to the point where the Tok'ra actually permit a Jaffa fleet around their homeworld, where are the tunnels, and their beige leather uniforms? Where are the Tok'ra touches? Where's Garshaw? And good grief, how do they expect us to accept the idea of suctioning out a symbiote via the host's forehead?

(Baal was such a wimp, too. Compare the lack of fangs and wings on that little sucker with the honkin' big snake that Hathor implanted in Jack.)

If the stuff in there is so deadly that it kills Jack in moments (and seriously, OW for Baal killing Jack again), how could it possibly be used in a ceremony that's supposed to keep the host alive afterwards?

If the timeline was first changed on Earth, why is everything off of Earth affected first? Logically, the Tau'ri should've vanished before the rest of the galaxy was altered.

Would it have killed them to give us back the original wormhole effect? The warping of spacetime would have been infinitely cooler, as opposed to the bland difference in shading.

I didn't realize it was BB playing the captain the first time round, because I really tend to focus on the story.

I loved that long debriefing scene. Although bringing up kassa, of all things, really did Mitchell a disservice - it highlighted (to me, at least) how very marginal Mitchell's contribution has been in the grand scheme of things.

Look, I know Daniel has died umpteen times and takes everything in stride. But I would've liked to see just a leetle bit of struggle with his disability. I know that there is amazing work done with prosthetics, yes, but we're given only a year's timeframe for him to get used to it, and he's much too casual about it at the end.

And of course he died first. :)

I was very interested to see that the writers chose to make life in this alternate timeline better for everyone except SG-1. Mitchell was literally grandfather paradoxed out of existence. Sam got into NASA, as she'd always dreamed, but she was dead. Daniel was in his usual alternate timeline straits - reviled with no way of redemption. On the other hand, Charlie was alive. (more on this later.) Landry (who I really can't bring myself to like, but was actually pretty good when he challenged SG-1 on their pride and hubris on insisting that their timeline was the only option) was still married. I wonder if Sam's parents were still alive, too.

Why didn't Sam or Daniel bother to mention in their debriefing that the Russians, in their timeline, had a DHD?

I loved the callback to 2010, but why did it take so much longer with all the stars in the galaxy than it did when they were working only with Earth's sun to find a solar flare? Although maybe it was just a matter of finding a flare that would work right now, whereas the 2010 one gave them a few days to work out the execution of the plan.

I've never pretended to like Vala. I can't reconcile her actions in Prometheus Unbound and the first episodes of S9 with the character we're supposed to like in S10 and accept as a member of SG-1. On the other hand, I have often stated that I very much admire Claudia Black - even if I think she has superb chemistry with everyone on SG-1 except MS. ;)

And now I will squee loudly enough to register on the Richter Scale, because oh, Claudia Black as Qetesh was beyond fantastic. She was the Goa'uld personified - cool and ruthless, cunning, manipulative, intelligent. The scene where she stabbed Baal and then forced the truth out of him was one of my favorites. I adored her and if we'd gotten CB as Qetesh instead of Vala on the show, I would be shamelessly fangirling her character the way so many fans out there adore Baal.

And speaking of Baal, it was a pleasure to see a return to the evil and crafty villain that we first met properly in Abyss. I despised the clone storyline, but he was fantastic here. It makes sense for a Goa'uld to possess patience and a tendency towards long and elaborate plans that demand decades to achieve fruition - after all, they've literally got all the time they need.

And again, a delightful roll call of so many of the villains - Apophis, Nirrti, Cronus, Yu, Camulus. I would've liked an explanation for how Baal managed to get rid of Ra and Anubis, but never mind...

Baal's persistent fascination with all things human, though. That cell phone. I love the irony that it ultimately proved his undoing.

Teal'c, oh, Teal'c, how can you be so awesome? Baal using foreknowledge and intelligence, again, to draw Teal'c to him. Competence and professionalism, because even as Baal's First Prime, Teal'c can't help but be superb at what he does. His acceptance of his once and future teammates, and oh oh oh when he died free - Teal'c. (The only thing more perfect would've been dal shakka mel, but no complaints.) There is nothing ever as amazing and fantastic as Teal'c. And I can't help but squee a little at how, after his failure to connect with Jack (more on that later), Daniel managed to make a real connection with Teal'c almost without trying - his matter-of-fact knowledge and insight into how Teal'c's mind must be working that kept Teal'c blinking and realizing that yes, there is something about these three Tau'ri. I loved that bit to pieces.

Sam, dear Sam. Struggling to keep walking, after she's left Daniel behind. I ached most for her when she was given that long list of professions that she wasn't allowed to touch. Emotionlessly shutting the door on one dream after another... Such cruelty. "Miss Carter" instead of "Colonel Doctor."

The writers, for a change, got the shippiness just right - her despair at Jack's death, her wincing at Fruit Loops. Easily interpreted as friendship or relationship. Well done.

I loved how she got through to Teal'c after they went through the Gate. Her competence, and the team's unhesitating support. Ah, Sam.

On a purely shallow note, how does Amanda Tapping get more beautiful every year? I loved her with short hair and while I didn't care for the messy look of early S4, she is stunning with long hair. And with glasses!

I could've personally done without the upgrade in swearing, although I know I'm in the minority there. But Daniel made me laugh and then he broke my heart, which is kinda par for the course for the guy, so why am I surprised?

Kneeling at Jack's side when he died. Having the courage to send the others away. Loopy on drugs (his facial expressions were priceless) and trying to convince Jack, and I absolutely adored  "I'm the closest thing you have to a best friend," because no way could anyone define Jack and Daniel's friendship by the usual words in the dictionary.

Part of me cringed at his choice of Charlie - I flashed on Moebius, so why not mention the cabin and no fish and Jack's fondness for college football? - but then I flashed back a lot further to TBFTGOG, when Charlie was the key to breaking through to AU Jack. So, not such a mistake. Especially when loopy on drugs.

On the subject of Jack (because including his name in an LJ cut wouldn't be fair), why was Colonel Jack so much more fantastic than General Jack? Loved  him, loved him, loved him. Loved his dialogue, his reactions to Sam and Daniel, his fury at Daniel daring to suggest that Charlie is dead. I'm only sorry we didn't get more of him.

And on that note, too... Aw, Hammond! ::sniffs:: So glad we had that fleeting glimpse of the SGC's best general ever. And Hayes, too, is a fun president (I laughed when he snarked that they didn't call SG-1 every time they needed to make a decision). And - hm. Apparently, another good thing about this timeline - no Kinsey. ;)

Back to Daniel, though - I ached for him when he found the book his alternate self had wrote and then called him in the middle of the night to try and give his other self validation and hope. And AU Daniel hung up on him. Oh, Daniel. (Was he drunk? Was that an empty bottle at the foot of the bed? I couldn't tell.)

On the other hand, Daniel speaking Russian in a panic? "What did you just say?" "We're Americans, please shoot the people chasing us!" Hee hee hee. That's my boy. :)

I'm even less of a Mitchell fan than a Vala fan, but it was great to see him back in a fighter jet again.

Is there some kind of rule that someone has to be left behind to carry the burden of fixing the timeline? Sam did it in 2010, although she died pretty quickly in the end. Daniel (oh Daniel) got the cruelest whumping ever when he was left behind to fix things in Moebius. And now Mitchell has to spend ten years trying to manipulate events to be there at just the right moment to short-circuit disaster.

I double-checked to make sure the woman who flirts with him wasn't the old high-school girlfriend, because that would've been a fun touch. Alas, no.

Any suggestions on why he screamed "Carter!" instead of "Sam" when she died, when he's been calling her by her first name throughout the movie?

Final analysis: despite some missteps and weak points, a very likeable movie. Thanks, guys. :)

Comments

[tejas.livejournal.com]

I was less than impressed overall, but I gotta say, Daniel had *the* best line: Who would make this shit up? :-);-)

And would it hurt for just *once* to find a Daniel who *isn't* reviled in an AU? *sigh*

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Well, as I said, I'm less than thrilled by the upgrade in language. To each their own. Although the sentiment is certainly true.

To be honest, I don't think we could find a non-reviled Daniel, because he has too much intellectual honesty. Unless he doesn't go into archeology, he will eventually discover the discrepancy and he will have the courage to publish those findings, despite its unpopularity and the lack of proof.

And don't tell me you didn't love the line about the "closest thing to a best friend"... :)

[sg-wonderland.livejournal.com]

Mag and I were both complaining that, just once, we'd like to see a wildly successful Daniel who has his own show on The History Channel and has sold like a gazillion books. Potential fic to come at a later date.....

[iamrosalita.livejournal.com]

I think what you saw at the foot of Daniel's bed was the top of his prosthetic leg. It was clearly visible early in the scene. A half-empty bottle of booze on the night stand would have made the scene, imho.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, you're right! The beginning of the scene shows the foot quite clearly, now that I know what I'm looking at.

I'm not entirely sure if drunk!Daniel would've made the scene better. It's just so... Daniel to try and call himself like that, alcohol or no.

(although if it's late night in the States, it's early morning in Egypt. Bit of a slip there.)

[http://users.livejournal.com/traycer_/]

Dang, would I love to be there with you when you watch one of these movies for the first time. *g* How could I have missed half of the stuff you mentioned?

I said that same thing about Colonel Jack and General Jack. I'm so glad that I'm not the only one. :) And that scene with Daniel calling his other self nearly broke my heart. He wanted so badly to help, but forgot what how hard it was to believe anyone else cared.

As for Mitchell screaming, "Carter," he called her Carter many times in the movie, which irritated me each and every time. It seems to me that he says "Carter" and "Jackson" as if they were dirty words. *shrugs* My opinion only, mind you.

All in all, Continuum is a fantastic movie and now that you've brought up all these goodies, I'm gonna watch it again.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Hee! I watched and then sat to write and found myself going back to see little snippets... and then watching a little more... :)

Yeah, Colonel Jack was the guy from S1-7 that I loved. General Jack, whether or not he buys lunch, just isn't the same.

how hard it was to believe anyone else cared

Oh, yeah. I don't know which Daniel made me ache more - the Daniel who got hung up on, or the Daniel who was sure any encouragement was only a prank.

I can't stand the "Jackson" thing. I didn't honestly notice whether he calls her "Sam" or "Carter" for most of the movie, but that last scream just grated.

Yes! Go watch again, and squee! :)

[princessofg.livejournal.com]

fascinating to get your take on it! yay.

i liked it much better than Ark, for many of the reasons you name.

I didn't enjoy or hate the s*** from Daniel in the ice; I am kind of puzzled, actually, at all the people who loved it so much. I don't "need" the cursing you often see in fanfic; I think it is IC for someone like Jack, but I also adore old Hollywood movies where you would imagine that there would be cursing, realistically, and yet there is none, like an old Bogart movie. So yeah. but you know me -- the fic i'm usually reading is very nc 17, so the cursing is kind of the least of the issues, but there's something for every taste in fanfic and that's how it should be, I deem....

thanks for the thinky! and I agree -- Amanda gets more lovely with every passing year.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

I am often taken aback at the spate of swearing in fic. It's not true to the characters, and since the show started on cable, that characterization wasn't constrained. And I've always believed that the more eloquent command a person has of a language, the better they can express themselves without resorting to cursing.

Amanda Tapping is a beautiful woman. Definitely.

[princessofg.livejournal.com]

oh, forgot to add: I adore Paul Davis with the intensity of a thousand suns... will be looking closely at his uniform when i watch my retail copy... i did not notice what rank he's achieved by now....

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

samantilles below says it's still a major's oak cluster, which is a tad surprising - surely he should've been promoted by now?

I love Paul Davis too. Proof that the good guys can exist outside the SGC.

[sg-betty.livejournal.com]

I loved the movie, myself. Regarding Mitchell's use of 'Carter', as I recall, he generally calls them Carter and Jackson. I always figured that he didn't want to presume too much given that they have more experience in the field than him. I think it was more unusual that he called her Sam - circumstances did rather demand a more casual and comforting demeanor. ; ) I've always liked Mitchell, he's just so darn likable.
Claudia Black was indeed fantastic as Qetesh. Perfect characterization. I completely agree with your take on Vala. I'm trying to separate season 9 and season 10 in my mind (er, suppress season 9's Vala, actually) and I'm finding that helps... : )
I thought all the characterization was terrific, and seeing them trying to cope with what they'd lost, entirely alone was so very poignant. I'm kind of glad they didn't push Daniel's adjustment to having a physical disability too hard. That would have made my "Oh, Daniel" count way too high for one movie. It also would have taken away from Cam and Sam's adjustments as well - how could they possibly compare? And I'm not a huge fan of extended angst in general. I find Meridian unwatchable. It's just too brutal for me.
The opening was, indeed charming! Walter! Siler! Davis! Oh my! I was grinning like crazy.
As for the swearing, it was mild enough not to bother me. And if you can't say "Oh, shit" when you are about to freeze to death, alone, on an ice flow, when can you say it? ; )

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

I wasn't paying enough attention in the movie, but under most circumstances in S9-10, Mitchell calls her Sam. And a scream of despair at someone's death - why not her first name?

I'm glad you like Mitchell. I... don't really care for him, one way or another. I enjoy the fanboy aspect and despise the reckless aspect and am pretty much married to classic SG-1. (In a gen sort of way, of course. Heh.)

Opening! Best one ever. :)

One person's mild swearing is another person's... not so mild? And for an answer to your question, perhaps dying of radiation or getting stabbed by a Replicator version of one of your closest friends? Or being stranded in Ancient Egypt with twisted dopplegangers of the people you loved? We've seen Daniel is all sorts of desperation, and the swearing just isn't in character for me. YMMV, and evidently does. :)

[lyore.livejournal.com]

I saw this a while ago when it premiered at one of the Australian Cons (I have no idea how they got the permission to do that), and have been waiting anxiously for everyone else to see it. Yay!

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

::is envious::

Now go watch again! :)

[samantilles.livejournal.com]

I've got so many thoughts on your post!
1. Paul Davis still has a major's oak cluster on his shirt (I work with the military, so I notice those things right off the bat!) I loved that they at least had cameo's for all our favorite secondary characters, and even mentioned Dr. Lee (even without a visual cameo).
2. In terms of the swearing, I think it is largely just Daniel that swears (we get the S word a few times from him, don't we?) but then again, he's got the short straw coming back in not quite one piece, so maybe there's some latent hostility that builds throughout the story.
3. I'll be the first to admit that Vala has been growing on me a little bit here and there, but she was absolutely amazing as Qatesh. I absolutely agree with you 100% on her characterization as a Goa'uld. I also really loved her explanation on what it's like to the host to go through the extraction process. But on thing struck me throughout the movie... Claudia Black was definitely concealing something that looked like a six-month-pregnancy-belly. At first I thought it might just be the dress, which i thought fit her awkwardly, but if you look at the end of the movie, she can't seem to keep her vest closed either.
4. My heart broke for Sam so many times, from watching Jack die (I think he died from a direct needle puncture to his heart though? rather than just the poison) to thinking they left Daniel to die on the ice and that they themselves would die. The fact that she couldn't do anything related to her fields because of her very public death was just kicking her feet from underneath her. And I think everyone looks better with glasses (with limited exceptions of course)
5. Loved Daniel calling his altSelf, and the reaction of the altSelf thinking that Daniel isn't being serious about his calling (like its a prank he normally gets.) But someone had to believe him enough to publish that massive book he wrote (even if it was 70% off) As for losing his leg, I thought a year was an appropriate timeline to get used to prosthetics, and something tells me all his medical costs were covered, so he got the best "machinery" possible to accelerate his recovery. At first, I thought Daniel's handling of his losing his leg was a bit cavalier, but then again when you think about "the grand scheme" of things, he has died twice already and was facing a third, knowing Oma would not ascend him again) But his attitude was also the true "bounce-back" Daniel we read so much about in fandom. If anyone was going to take the news that well, it would have probably been him. Also, Daniel at least proved himself necessary while sitting "backseat" in the airplane... he wasn't a pilot, but he at least wasn't just cargo either when he saved their collective asses with his awesome Russian.
6. Daniel and Jack- <3 the "closest thing to a best friend" line was truly squeeworthy, but I also cringed when he stated to the guards that he wanted to get rid of those "freaks" I would have loved to get a quick look at alt-Jack glancing at a picture with his grown up son just to make get what Daniel said out of his mind.
7.Misc- Landry... I've always liked Beau Bridges before, but I never liked him as Hammond's replacement. But I did like his verbal lashing about changing the timelines. - Did anyone notice on the box with the Stargate in it while on the boat had "Langford" printed on it (lower right hand corner)? That type of detail is why I fell for the Stargate series and continued through it -- continuity and attention to Detail. They didn't need to put it on there, but someone was smart enough to make a fan squee (and rewind to make sure it was actually there!)

I wasn't going to post anything about my review on Continuum, but I felt compelled to respond, and it all just kind of flowed out once I started!

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Oooh, long thinky responses! My favorite kind. ;)

Like I said, a love letter to the fans, but... Davis is still a major? Hasn't he been a major since S3? Is it normal for someone to go eight years without a promotion? I love people in the know who can explain these things!

I don't want to make a huge issue out of the swearing, but I really didn't like it. He's gone through worse - it just seemed OOC for me.

I will never complain about others liking Vala. I've tried and I can't. But Qetesh was just too fantastic for words. That is the personification of the Goa'uld.

I think I did read somewhere that CB was pregnant, which would explain the costuming.

Sam got to be the face of emotion in this movie, didn't she? And yes to kicking her feet out from under her! Re Jack - pretty sure Baal stabbed him in the shoulder. Not sure how it could reach the heart. It wasn't that long a needle!

Poor Daniel AND alt-Daniel. He wouldn't be Daniel Jackson if life didn't first kick his feet out from under him (literally), then club him over the head. I agree that his weeble gene probably stood him in good stead here, but I would've liked to see more of the gradual process. Except for a slight lurch when they jumped through the Gate at the end, there's no reference to the prosthetic at all after the call-himself scene.

The Russian had me grinning. So perfect!

Daniel and Jack - I wasn't surprised at his intense reaction. Jack has always been first and foremost Charlie's father, and even the suggestion that he could've been the catalyst for his son's death would have hit him like a ton of bricks.

Yes, I noticed the Langford bit on the box! The timeline puzzled me a little, though - why did it take eleven years to get shipped over to the States?

Fan squee! Hee hee hee. :)

[annienau08.livejournal.com]

Okay, how much do I love you and your thinkiness?

I would try and respond in kind, but I'm still mostly in my "OMGSQUEE!" faze. Because that right there? That was my team. And they were awesome.

[samantilles.livejournal.com]

the OMGSQUEE phase does make one a little loopy and incoherent, doesn't it? I usually don't get past the OMGSQUEE phase to begin with!

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

:)

And I just finished responding to your fantastic review!

SQUEE! just about covers it. I'll ignore the bits that bothered me (Daniel forgetting Apophis in SS, and then just walking away from Vala at the end, frex) and really enjoy what felt like seriously classic SG-1.

[kalquessa.livejournal.com]

My absolute favorite moment was in the fighter jets, when Daniel was casting doubt on how likely their plan was to work, given that Ba'al seemed to know every step they would take before they took it, and Cameron said something lime "But remember, Ba'al doesn't know we survived," and Daniel, with as much asperity as it's possible to put into mere words, replies "Oh, we have him now!" Bwah! Daniel! I love you, be mine!

This movie really made me hurt for the team. *hugs them all*

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Daniel has always been the King of Snark. He just looks so innocent (note I said looks, not is!) that everyone just assumes it's all Jack's fault. ;)

Yeah, this put the team through the wringer. But characterization and teamy goodness makes up for a LOT.

[randomfreshink.livejournal.com]

For me, this was filled with all kinds of win--it's all the small bits that I love (and there were lots of them).

It struck me that Jack's anger at Daniel mentioning his son was over the top if the son is okay -- however, it fits if there was a gun incident, and Charlie recovered (but maybe not 100%). That's where you'd get that hot flare of denial. And that's where Jack would be wanting to lock these flakes up and keep them away -- and also he'd be wanting to stay out in the field and away from having to look at his son every day with that reminder. So I'm going for gun shooting still happened, but left Charlie with brain damage.

It also seemed to me that as someone's noted, Daniel's already lost his life twice, so a leg really is smaller. The heartache for me came in the loss of his work--what the hell could he do? If it's not linquistics, not history, not anthropology--and he's also not going to be able to even farm himself out for physical field work.

I did love his optimism when Sam called that somehow after a year or so they'd be allowed to talk--and that he's been thinking of them (that's even harder than lose a leg, losing your support system). All of them were just left hanging in the wind, and that had to be pure torture.

Time travel stories are not my favorite, but this one makes up for lots of stuff with a killer pace and it's just so nice to see the kids.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

What a fascinating theory!

Speaking as a mother, I would have been every bit as furious as Jack at such a suggestion - no OTT reaction as far as I'm concerned! OTOH, I find the theory fascinating - absolute fury and hot denial because it almost happened, and there was damage. Creepily good.

I don't agree that dying is worse than losing a leg (and I still grin stupidly at being part of a fandom where an argument like that is even possible). Because we don't know how much he remembers of his deaths, and in any case, they don't affect him in the "now." Losing a leg, on the other hand - as you say, the pain of being banned not only from his profession, but from any kind of physical activity - utterly heartbreaking.

(He couldn't go back to archeology, though, even if he hadn't lost the leg. Like Sam, he was banned from his areas of expertise. Sheer CRUELTY.)

I loved his eager assumption about Sam's call, yes - almost as much as I adored that he didn't have a television. (Internet?)

I don't know why you don't post your reactions to eps and things on your own LJ - they deserve greater dissemination than being buried in my comment threads!

[blue-jello1.livejournal.com]

My absolute favorite scene was the one in the airport hangar with Landry. Like many other people, I don't consider him to be one of my favorite characters, but he did do a good job in this scene. I loved how it started off funny (Daniel's reaction to being told about himself in the alternate timeline is just perfect)but got serious at the end, especially when Landry was yelling at the team that they were so arrogant to want to change the timeline. The other scene that I loved was the one right after SG-1 has just gated back to Earth and find themselves not in the SGC. I thought the writing and acting was just so natural. And the very beginning at the SGC was great too.

That being said, I think that there should have been more with Daniel, and not just because I think that there could always be more Daniel. I wish we could have seen him adjusting to the prosthetic leg, trying to talk to Jack again, turning more bitter, getting a job. I imagine that he's teaching history somewhere. (Oh, and I think that something probably did happen with the gun, but Charlie didn't necessarily have any lasting damage.) And about the cursing, I think that on the ice it was justified but when he was being questioned it was out of character. I have to admit that I laughed when he died though, because it's happened so many times before and because he was, of course, the first.

I loved the character aspect of the movie, and it really hurt when SG-1 was split up. I can't wait for a third, preferably on the big screen!

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

It's interesting, how many people liked Landry in that scene. Honestly, if he'd shown even an ounce of the same integrity throughout the show, I might have liked him there, too!

But YES to that opening scene at the SGC, and oooh, I would've loved to see Daniel try and consider and reject teaching history because he knows it's all a lie. And you're the second person to suggest that something might have happened with the gun, even if it wasn't fatal. I'm getting increasingly intrigued by the possibilities.

it's happened so many times before and because he was, of course, the first

Heh, yes, that was my reaction too: OF COURSE Daniel dies first! :)

Is there really going to be a third movie? I want more SG-1, of course - who doesn't? - but this did have a "the end" feeling stamped on to it.