My First SGA.

[icarus]

wildernessguru and I are watching our first Stargate: Atlantis episode.

So, yes, I can see the slash. There are two likeable characters: McKay and Shep.

As for the rest of the show...

1) dry and obvious dialogue
2) plots that are sci-fi retreads except with dull pacing
3) crappy costumes and props (particularly the arm-patches... my girl scout uniform had better quality)
4) cheap and silly-looking special effects (this one is just a bubble machine where they've applied a blue filter -- I could do that in my living room)
5) clueless and slightly phony acting (the actors stop acting once they've delivered their line while still on camera)
6) cardboard sets, with no detail or effort (look at that background, there's no electrical wiring, no switches, no boards, no dials -- it's just a LiteBrite set)
7) terrible staging (people are upstaging each other, the camera angles are awkward and amateurish ... MutantX has better staging than this)
8) mediocre soap opera quality cinematography (and the only cool shot is shown with the opening credits)

... what's not to love?

It's like Stargate only with no budget to spend on costumes, props, writers, directors, cinematographers, sets, or actors.

Comments

They might as well have named the show Wormhole X-Treme

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

It's on after SG-1, so I probably will watch it from time to time.

But part of why we watch Stargate SG-1 is the high production values. WG is very impressed with the effort at military accuracy they've put into SG-1 -- from weapons to uniforms to protocol -- an effort that is non-existant in SGA. He also enjoys the special effects, the sets, and the tight battle scenes.

I really appreciate the wacky costumes (silly, sexy, and pretty much lifted straight out of a fetish magazine) the gorgeous matte paintings for off-world settings, the music (yes, the music is large part why "One False Step" and "The Fifth Race" work) and the acting: the interplay between Rick Anderson and Michael Shanks is not just slashy, they're both excellent actors who can take a horrible script and make it fly. Amanda Tapping has taken a ridiculous "superwoman" role (soldier, physicist and gorgeous to boot? C'mon...) and made it work. Christopher Judge has developed minimalist acting to an art form.

I also enjoy the writing and storylines when they're good. The writing on SG-1 has always been inconsistent, though there are a couple of seasons where it's across-the-board good.

As far as I'm concerned, the first rule of a good sci-fi show is that the actors have to play it like it's real, or the entire show doesn't work. The Twilight Zone set the gold standard. Aside from the bad acting on SGA (jeeze, people, staying in character is one of the basics) even the good actors... well, you remember the episode "Wormhole X-Treme!"? McKay is playing this like it's a spoof. Or his kid's school play.

No Jack ordering Teal'c he is not to shave the head!

And... augh. I didn't know Jack ordered Teal'c not to shave his head. Just. Augh. I've just ordered the season 8 DVDs but so far I haven't seen past season 7.

Icarus

Re: They might as well have named the show Wormhole X-Treme

[mousapelli.livejournal.com]

Christopher Judge is so the best comedian on the show, and i think that sort of understatement is a big part of why SG1 works and SGA does not, at least for me.

That's actually in season 2 (i'm watching my way through the DVDs). during the one where they get body-switched accidentally? And Jack finds Teal'c about to shave his head and freaks out, and Teal'c insists it must be so, and Jack says "I'm going to talk to Hammond! Don't you dare shave THE head!"

speaking of acting, everybody pretending to be everybody else? is quality. Cause you know they do little actor impressions of each other all the time, and the whole thing was just glorious.

Re: They might as well have named the show Wormhole X-Treme

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, when he starts to shave Jack's head in Holiday! Oh, well, I've seen that a thousand times. I noticed Christopher Judge has hair in the upcoming seasons and I thought -- anyhow, good to be wrong.

speaking of acting, everybody pretending to be everybody else? is quality.

Chris Judge was the best one in that ep. His impression of Jack was hilarious.

Icarus