I bought The Ark of Truth yesterday and we watched it last night. It's a good, fun movie - and a good ending to the Ori story arc. The opening sequence, flying over the gorgeous mountains of British Columbia, Canada, is breathtaking. More great mountain scenes are when Teal'c (Christopher Judge) is walking towards Celestius.
The story is a comfortable place for Stargate fans, with a couple of nice surprises. It's like returning home after a long absence. Over the ten years of Stargate SG-1's run, the characters have become like good friends to their fans. We know how they'll react to other characters and most situations.
The acting was top notch, as I expected from this strong cast. Special kudos to Tim Guinee, who played Tomin, an Ori warrior who turns against his Prior, but not necessarily his faith.
Christopher Judge, as Teal'c, had a wonderful dialogue with Tomin, describing Teal'c method of dealing with being a former Goa'uld soldier who killed hundreds, if not thousands, of enemy soldiers and innocent civilians while serving the false god Apophis. We joked that Teal'c spoke more in that one speech than he did in an entire season of early SG-1!
Michael Shanks, as Daniel Jackson, was very expressive, especially when talking to the Ascended Ancient, Morgan Le Fay. He also had one of the movie's best lines:
Jackson: Oh, God.
Doci: Your gods cannot save you now, Daniel Jackson.
Jackson: Actually, that's just a statement of general dissatisfaction.
Claudia Black's role was small, but she was excellent as usual, and her exchanges with Adria were powerful.
Amanda Tapping, whom I am eager to see this fall in her show, Sanctuary, did a wonderful job as the smart, talented, and kickass Lt. Col. Sam Carter. My only complaint is that in her initial firefight with Ori soldiers that she didn't hit more of them. Sam Carter is a much better shot than was shown in that scene!
Ben Browder's Lt. Col. Cam Mitchell, the last character to be introduced on the show, got his butt royally kicked, but he was strong, brave, kicked some butt back, and funny at the right times. His character is different than John Crichton on Farscape, but there are those "Browderisms" that appear in both characters. Another favorite line was Mitchell's, "Owww" after defeating his Terminator-esque foe.
There were more great actors and roles, but you'll have to see the movie to enjoy them.
The writing was very good, with only a bump here and there. The 1.5 hr DVD, was shot on 35mm film, so the look is more dramatic than a typical television show, or Stargate.
Did I like The Ark of Truth? Indeed!
