Stargate

Stargate (1994) is a sci-fi action film — watch online on iFILM. Directed by Roland Emmerich and produced by MGM and Carolco Pictures, the story begins in Egypt in 1928: archaeologists unearth a massive stone ring covered in symbols that nobody can decode.

Sixty years later, oddball linguist Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader) cracks the code in an afternoon after the military spent decades failing. Colonel Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell) leads a special-ops team through the portal with sealed orders and Jackson along for the ride. On the other side: a planet of endless desert, enslaved people frozen in the image of ancient Egypt, and a god-like being calling itself Ra (Jaye Davidson in gold armor). Getting home means going through him. Djimon Hounsou appears early in his career as Ra's enforcer Horus.

Shot on a $55 million budget, the film grossed nearly $197 million worldwide. The premise proved durable — Stargate SG-1 ran for ten TV seasons and spawned two spin-off series. Stream Stargate (1994) online on iFILM.