Enemy at the Gates & Stargate Infinity

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Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This episode swings open some metaphorical and literal portals as we explore our Top 5 Gates in film and TV, take aim with the tense WWII drama Enemy at the Gates, and finish off with an animated sci-fi detour through Stargate Infinity.

🎯 Top 5 Gates

1. The Gate (1987) – A cult horror favourite where kids accidentally open a portal to a hellish dimension in their backyard. Lesson learned: don’t play records backwards.
2. Stargate (1994) – The OG interstellar gateway. A ring-shaped relic that opens up a wormhole to another world and kicked off a massive franchise. A literal game-changer.
3. Heaven’s Gate (1980) – Famously one of the biggest flops in cinema history (but with a critical reappraisal in recent years), Michael Cimino’s ambitious Western tackled big themes and cost even bigger bucks.
4. Hell’s Gate (Constantine, 2005) – Whether in comics or Keanu Reeves’ stylish supernatural noir, the concept of opening the gate to hell has never looked cooler (or more dangerous).
5. Jurassic Park’s Gate – “Welcome… to Jurassic Park.” Those massive doors swing open, John Williams' music swells, and cinematic history is made.

🎥 Main Feature: Enemy at the Gates (2001)

Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, this WWII epic sets its sights on the Battle of Stalingrad through the scope of famed Soviet sniper Vasily Zaitsev (Jude Law). In the ruins of the war-torn city, Vasily becomes a national hero, his legend weaponised as Soviet propaganda. But his true test comes in a deadly cat-and-mouse game against Major König (Ed Harris), an elite German marksman sent to eliminate him.

The film excels in creating an oppressive, rubble-filled atmosphere where every movement could be your last. Law plays Zaitsev with quiet resolve, while Harris brings ice-cold precision to his Nazi counterpoint. Though not entirely historically accurate, the film blends tension, romance, and war spectacle into a compelling drama.

👽 Kids/TV Feature: Stargate Infinity (2002–2003)

The Stargate franchise’s lone animated outing aimed at younger audiences, Infinity takes place 30 years after the original film. A new team of cadets and their alien allies must travel through the Stargate to find the truth about a mysterious alien artifact, while being pursued by evil forces trying to stop them.

Though short-lived (just one season), Infinity expands the Stargate universe into new territories, focusing on teamwork, intergalactic ethics, and colourful, kid-friendly action. It didn’t achieve the cult status of SG-1 or Atlantis, but it remains an interesting chapter for completists.

Whether it's opening up ancient wormholes, sneaking through war-torn ruins, or accidentally unleashing demonic forces in your back garden, gates in storytelling are rarely just about what’s on the other side—they’re about what gets let in. Step through with us, if you dare. 🔫🚪🌌🎬

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Until next time, we remain...

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