Flash Gordon Boxed Set

Rating:
Summary: The best sci-fi serial that ever was
Review: All three Flash Gordon serials with all the episodes intact. Well-transferred to DVD. Buster Crabbe is handsome, even with the bleached blond hair, earnest, strong and unflappable: all you'd expect in a comic strip hero. To be honest, all the actors seem to take their work seriously, even if there was an occasional lapse of continuity in the story. No serial villain comes up to the level of Charles Middleton as Ming the Merciless (although I feel Henry Brandon as Fu Manchu comes close), and he is ably supported by numerous lackeys. Middleton and Beatrice Roberts, as Queen Azura of Mars, manage to pull off a tandem villain performance that works, in the middle film of the trilogy, Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, my favorite. Flash too is helped by a strong supporting cast of comic book-like characters. Most of the special effects are very hokey, making the films all the more fun, though. There is plenty of suspense, both from the cliffhanger endings of the episodes and the evolution of the relationships between the characters. Several villains turn fairly plausibly into good guys by the end. The second and third serials have good music too, including Liszt's Les Preludes, if I remember the title of the piece correctly. The first serial is in the National Registry of Film, along with Citizen Kane, Maltese Falcon and The Godfather. I enjoy other sci-fi serials like Undersea Kingdom and Crabbe's Buck Rogers, but these are real classics.

Rating:
Summary: The best sci-fi serial that ever was
Review: All three Flash Gordon serials with all the episodes intact. Well-transferred to DVD. Buster Crabbe is handsome, even with the bleached blond hair, earnest, strong and unflappable: all you'd expect in a comic strip hero. To be honest, all the actors seem to take their work seriously, even if there was an occasional lapse of continuity in the story. No serial villain comes up to the level of Charles Middleton as Ming the Merciless (although I feel Henry Brandon as Fu Manchu comes close), and he is ably supported by numerous lackeys. Middleton and Beatrice Roberts, as Queen Azura of Mars, manage to pull off a tandem villain performance that works, in the middle film of the trilogy, Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, my favorite. Flash too is helped by a strong supporting cast of comic book-like characters. Most of the special effects are very hokey, making the films all the more fun, though. There is plenty of suspense, both from the cliffhanger endings of the episodes and the evolution of the relationships between the characters. Several villains turn fairly plausibly into good guys by the end. The second and third serials have good music too, including Liszt's Les Preludes, if I remember the title of the piece correctly. The first serial is in the National Registry of Film, along with Citizen Kane, Maltese Falcon and The Godfather. I enjoy other sci-fi serials like Undersea Kingdom and Crabbe's Buck Rogers, but these are real classics.

Rating:
Summary: Classic
Review: Based on the early thirties comic strips, Buster Crabbe and Jean Rogers make a libidous, action filled classic. The budget for the time was huge, each chapter costing up to $175,000, this shortly after the Great Depression.

These chapters of the serial are earlier, before King Vultan has been fully devoloped. Nonetheless, these are vital parts of classic serial which has spawned such memorable names like Ming the Merciless.

The serial was originally successful with aid from King Kong spawning a science-fiction flare into the 30's culture, and it in turn made its mark upon later sci-fi flicks.

Rating:
Summary: Classic
Review: Based on the early thirties comic strips, Buster Crabbe and Jean Rogers make a libidous, action filled classic. The budget for the time was huge, each chapter costing up to $175,000, this shortly after the Great Depression.

These chapters of the serial are earlier, before King Vultan has been fully devoloped. Nonetheless, these are vital parts of classic serial which has spawned such memorable names like Ming the Merciless.

The serial was originally successful with aid from King Kong spawning a science-fiction flare into the 30's culture, and it in turn made its mark upon later sci-fi flicks.

Rating:
Summary: A premier packager of nostalgic television shows
Review: Bridgestone Multimedia Group is a premier packager of nostalgic television shows and family-friendly movies for the home and community library video market. Their combination of highly quality programming and budget friendly pricing make their videos a "must" for collectors, fans, and patrons of public library video entertainment collections. One of their very best is the Flash Gordon Trilogy that starred Buster Crabbe as Flash Gordon, Frank Shannon as Dr. Zarkov, and Charles Middleton as the unforgettable galactic villain, Ming The Merciless. The original Universal Studios Saturday afternoon movie serial was based on a Hollywood adaptation of the popular newspaper comics science fiction adventurer, his steadfast friends and colorful foes. Volume One (Flash Gordon, 1936, 246 minutes) is the complete serial and takes place on Planet Mongo, introducing the Hawkmen, Sharkmen, and Lionmen. Volume Two (Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars, 1938, 280 minutes) finds Ming allied with Azura, Queen of Magic and a colorful storyline involving the Clay People, the forest savages, and nothing short of the survival of earth is at stake! Volume Three (Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe, 1940, 235 minutes) finds Ming once more back on Mongo and introduces the kingdoms of Aboria and Frigia with earth about to be destroyed if Flash and his allies fail. For the movie buff it is very interesting to see how the quality of sound, photography, and set designs improved so rapidly every two years. The cliff hanger nature of each serial episode was edge-of-your-chair thrilling to their original audiences, and are works of pure nostalgia for we who are old enough to remember them still! Highly recommended!!

Rating:
Summary: Show your Grandchildren SCI Fi at it's Best
Review: I got this DVD Collection as a Christmas present. I had videotape copies of the three serials but only "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" was a complete and uncut version of the original series. I grew up watching this serial on Saturday mornings on TV. It was a real joy to sit down and watch the entire series again. I got the whole family involved and we had a great time together. We all agreed that "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" was the best of the series.

Rating:
Summary: Show your Grandchildren SCI Fi at it's Best
Review: I got this DVD Collection as a Christmas present. I had videotape copies of the three serials but only "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" was a complete and uncut version of the original series. I grew up watching this serial on Saturday mornings on TV. It was a real joy to sit down and watch the entire series again. I got the whole family involved and we had a great time together. We all agreed that "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" was the best of the series.

Rating:
Summary: A Must For Any Sci-Fi Collector
Review: I must admit this series is a bit before my time, but I used to love watching it on Sunday mornings as my dad would brag about Buster Crabbe playing Flash. The picture on all three discs is superb considering its age. I cracked up when I heard the announcer mention the amazing speed of 1200 mph though. Still, these old sci-fi shows have their allure, and I could sit and watch episode after episode and still want to see what Flash does in the next show. This is the swashbuckler of sci-fi. Any serious sci-fi collector will be glad they purchased this set.

Rating:
Summary: A Must For Any Sci-Fi Collector
Review: I must admit this series is a bit before my time, but I used to love watching it on Sunday mornings as my dad would brag about Buster Crabbe playing Flash. The picture on all three discs is superb considering its age. I cracked up when I heard the announcer mention the amazing speed of 1200 mph though. Still, these old sci-fi shows have their allure, and I could sit and watch episode after episode and still want to see what Flash does in the next show. This is the swashbuckler of sci-fi. Any serious sci-fi collector will be glad they purchased this set.

Rating:
Summary: Great Prints
Review: I would never have believed the high quality of these old masterworks of the 30's. Great picture and sound quality propel Flash Gordon into space to fight Ming (and fight off his daughter, the foxy Princess Aura) and save the earth. They will never again make movies like these. If you like this type of entertainment you will not be dissapointed in the quality.