Stargate: Rise of Atlantis accomplishes the remarkable feat of honoring the original film’s adventurous spirit while seamlessly integrating the expansive lore of the television universe, creating a blockbuster that feels both nostalgically perfect and thrillingly new. The return of Kurt Russell as a grizzled, wiser Jack O’Neill is a stroke of genius, providing the crucial bridge between eras. His weary charisma grounds the cosmic spectacle, and his dynamic with Jason Momoa’s Ronon Dex—a reunion crackling with unspoken history and lethal efficiency—is an instant fan-favorite pairing. Florence Pugh brings sharp intellect and emotional depth as the archaeologist unlocking Atlantis’s deadliest secrets.

The threat is magnificently scaled. Henry Cavill, shedding his heroic image, is a revelation as the new Goa’uld deity. He embodies a chilling, intellectual menace, a god not of brute force but of cold, calculated cosmic domination, making him the franchise’s most formidable villain since Ra. The Wraith, redesigned with a terrifying new ferocity, serve as his perfect ravenous horde. The space battles are staggering in their scope and visual clarity, a symphony of Ancient drones, Wraith cruisers, and Earth’s Prometheus-class ships clashing in dazzling, tactical warfare.

Where the film truly soars is in its narrative ambition. The discovery and activation of the lost city of Atlantis is handled with awe-inspiring grandeur, but the plot’s true power lies in its game-changing twist. The revelation surrounding the “Zero Point” weapon doesn’t just raise the stakes; it recontextualizes the entire history of the Ancients and the Stargate itself, opening breathtaking new narrative possibilities. With a 9.7/10, Rise of Atlantis is more than a sequel; it is a new dawn. It is a visually stunning, intellectually engaging, and perfectly cast epic that successfully resurrects a beloved universe for a new generation, proving that some legends are only waiting for the right gate to open.

Watch now: