Rating: 
Summary: Great fun. He save everyone of us!
Review:
Every movie produced tries to be fun and entertaining, but few accomplish it as well as this movie version of Flash Gordon from 1980. Max von Sydow, Sam Jones, and Ornella Muti are great in their roles as Ming the Merciless, Flash, and Ming's debauched daughter, Aurora. Timothy Dalton was in this too, as well as the guy from sliders to play the chief Hawkman, and maybe Topol as Dr. Hanz Zarkov.
This movie is almost two hours of brainless fun. It's also matched up with an outstanding Queen soundtrack. This is a great guilty pleasure for any movie fan.
-- JJ Timmins
Rating: 
Summary: From comic to serial to TV to-finally-his full-length film!
Review: FLASH GORDON is certainly a faithful follow-up to his previous mediums of entertainment, which thrilled anyone who read the strip, waited for the conclusions after seeing the cliffhangers in the serials with Buster Crabbe, or delightfully viewed the campy TV series of the 50's. After STAR WARS was a smash, it was inevitable that the 30's space ranger would journey to the big screen again - this time in a full-length adaptation of Alex L. Raymond's comic strip work. The special effects are hardly special, and there are pathetic love scenes between Flash and girlfriend Dale Arden, but there is a lot not to be missed in this film from producer Dino De Lurentis. (One of his best- he accomplishes the same standards he had set for BARBARELLA 13 years earlier.)
The Earth is under attack by the Planet Mongo, whose ruler Ming the Merciless (Max von Sydow, in one of his best roles) is also ruler of the Universe, and who lives up to his name (he views the destuction of Earth as a form of amusement and has a war brewing between the races of Mongo 24 hours a day). Rocketing to the rescue is the titular hero (Sam L. Jones) and Ms. Arden (Melody Anderson), plus Dr. Hans Zarkov (a hilarious Topol), to try to convince the waring races lead by Hawkman Vultan (Brain Blessed) and opponent Prince Barin (pre-007 Timothy Dalton), as well as seductress Princess Aura (Ornella Muti), to unite and bring down the emporer and his army and save the galaxies from further tyranny.
Gotta love those costumes, sets, and awesome rock score by Queen!
Rating: 
Summary: Very original definately a classic.
Review: This movie is somewhat cheesy but it is a classic in his gender and definately very well put togheter, also the soundtrack is top-notch. Overall: EXCELLENT.
Rating:
Summary: Out of print?
Review: I've always liked the 1980 version of Flash Gordon and was extremely fortunate to discover a mint-condition copy in a local record store for only 11 bucks.By looking at the copies for sale here it seems that I saved upwards of $140.I've always enjoyed movies that don't take themselves too seriously and Flash Gordon is near the top of my list in that regard.It has a terrific comic-book-come-to-life look and feel and fine,over-the-top acting performances all around.Hopefully,somebody will re-issue this film on DVD and give it the works...Dolby 5.1,commentaries,etc.=
Rating:
Summary: Three stars for the movie, none for the video quality.
Review: The campy fun of this movie still holds up. Unfortunately, the video transfer of this film was shoddy to say the least. The picture quality varies from good to watchable, but the sound slurs so badly from the beginning I thought my vcr was chewing the tape up. I've since found out the fault wasn't with the individual tape I bought--they're apparently all like this. Towards the end of the video, the picture jumps uncontrollably for about five to ten seconds and corrects itself. Like I said, though, it's not a problem with the cassette or the vcr, it's the transfer from film to video. If it weren't for the label and the box, you would think you'd bought a video someone taped off cable and dubbed a several times. Buyer beware--it's the same old Flash, but he's been given a beating.
Rating:
Summary: FLASH! AAHHH! SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE!
Review: "Flash Gordon" was the movie George Lucas originally wanted to make. But, when he found out that uber-producer Dino De Laurentiis had purchased the rights to it, Lucas decided to make little movie of his own that made a minor splash in the box office. I believe it was called "Star Wars" ;-) heh heh. Perhaps it's best that Lucas did not get to direct "Flash Gordon" because I doubt that even he could have made it any better than the minor Saturday serial it became. Of course, "Flash Gordon" is not a bad movie. At least, it isn't in the strictest interpretation of a bad movie. It has all the elements of a really bad movie: bad acting, laughable dialogue, cheesy special effects, and a rock musical score that just about deafens the audience. Combine all of these elements together and you have a campy movie that is a hilariously good time.
The movie begins when the evil Emperor Ming of Mongo (played with scenery-chewing flair by Max Von Sydow) gets bored and decides to torture and destroy Earth for his own amusement. This leads to some really cool shots of hurricanes blowing, volcanoes erupting, and hot hail (!) falling. Alas, Ming made the unfortunate mistake of causing trouble for the plane carrying Flash Gordon and Dale Arden. They crash into the laboratory of mad scientist Hans Zarkov, who tricks them into accompanying him in his rocket to travel to the source of the attack on Earth and stop it. There is no doubt that Flash will do that, but, the ride is fun, nonetheless. There are some fun planets in the Mongo universe, none of which seem to be constrained by the necessity for oxygen, laws of gravity, or plain common sense. There is an entertaining scene early in the movie where Flash attacks Ming's guards (who seem to be an assemblage of mimes and pig-men) by running through them as though he were a fullback and hitting them in the head with items that look like a cross between a Faberge Egg and an iron football. The acting in this movie will never come close to winning any awards other than a Razzie, but it fits perfectly for this movie. Sam J. Jones and Melody Anderson both play Flash Gordon and Dale Arden as air-headed Ken and Barbie clones. Ornella Muti is a particular treat for all hormone-charged males as she plays the sexually seductive daughter of Ming, Princess Aura. There are even reputable actors like Timothy Dalton, Brian Blessed, and Topol (not to mention Von Sydow) who camp it up with the best of them. Rock legends Queen also provide a rocking good time with theme song and the pounding soundtrack.
"Flash Gordon" will never achieve much more than minor hit status and cult favorite (and inspiration for more than a few drinking games). Yet, it is still as much fun to watch on the 50th viewing as on the first.
Rating:
Summary: go jets!!
Review: Break out the crackers, there's enough cheese in this film to go around the block three times. Great soundtrack-go Queen. What a fun time I had watching this film.
Rating:
Summary: FUN AT FULL THROTTLE FOR A CAMP CLASSIC
Review: This movie version of the comic book and serials of the 1950s sticks very faithfully to its origins. For those not in the loop, the film follows the galatc adventures of Flash Gordon, (Sam J..Jones) and his fellow space travelers. When Dr. Hans Zarkoff (Topol) accidently transports himself, Flash, and Dale (Melody Anderson) to another galaxy, the trio finds itself battling the evil Emporor Ming (Max Von Sydow) as they struggle to return to Earth. The film is a cult favorite that is high on camp. With its toungue firmily in cheek, Director Mike Hodges takes viewers on a wild and enjoyable ride. From its bold sets, over the top acting, to its killer soundtrack by Queen, the movie pulls you in because of its campiness and fun The F/X still hold up especially on DVD FLASH GORDON is among my favorite guilty pleasures of all time and it looks great here..
I wont whine about the lack of extras on the DVD. I [would like] a special edition DVD reissue of the film. I think that it would be awesome to own. Even the campy classics deserve a little respect Millions of people can't be wrong. In the interim, kick back, shut down your thinking cap and get ready to have fun.
Rating:
Summary: Imperfect, but still fun
Review: Sam J. Jones and Melody Anderson are Flash and Dale Arden in this now 20+ year old re-make of the famous series. In this version, Flash, a NY Jets quarterback, shares a flight with Dale, which is forced to crashland because of bad weather. Unbeknownst to just about everybody, the bad weather is actually being caused by the evil Ming, the emperor of the planet Mongo (and just about any other place having a population sentient enough to fear being blasted to atoms). The only person who seems to know what’s going on is former NASA scientist Haim Zarkov (Chaim Topol), whose now a certified mad-scientist (with the home-made rocketship to prove it). When Flash and Dale stumble out of the wreck of their plane and into Zarkov’s lab, he kidnaps both of them, forcing them to fly into space with him. Landing on the exotic world of Mongo, they find an empire composed of planets ruled by Ming out of fear and a mutual hatred of each other. Surviving his execution, Flash has less than a day to unite the warring factions of Mongo against Ming, save Dale from becoming Ming’s latest conquest and save the Earth.
This movie is sort of a treat, but it’s no more than that with its thin plot and (now cheesy) FX. It’s fun because the flick is actually faithful to the original, both in its artwork (which captures the 1940’s feel with riveted spaceships that look inspired by WWII bombers) and its casting: the original Flash Gordon pitted the pure-white and American hero against a dubious assortment of alien (actually foreign) powers bent on imperialistic expansion and the acquisition of American women. In the new film, both Gordon and Arden seem alone in their north American accents (Anderson is actually Canadian), beset by villains with British or Italian accents. If the action is lame (even Dale, armed with a lasergun, can dispatch Ming’s soldiers by the dozen) and the FX ditto (the sound effects seem ripped-off from “Barbarella”), the casting provides a lot of fun – especially Brian Blessed as Vultan, the Hawkman King (coincidentally, his character had the most fun in the original serials), Ornella Muti as Aura, Ming’s lusting daughter and Mariangela Melato, unrecognizable from her role as the concquered castaway capitalist from “Swept Away” (1975) who as Ming’s general brings out the fun of lines like “dispatch war-rocket Ajax to bring back his body!” There's also a strange though appreciated cameo by Rocky Horror vet Richard O'brien as a flute-playing subject of Prince Barron. The film lacks for better effects, but something along the lines of the violence of Star Wars would ruin the look (“Raiders”, which proved you could go back to the old serials with plenty of modern visceral excitement, was still a year away). The film is best when it’s suggestive – like when the strapped down Aura faces torture with the dreaded “bore worms”; or when Ming first uses his ring on Dale, bringing out a submissive side unparralled by any woman, even – as the evil Klytus notes – the emperor’s own daughter. Now, how would they know? I suggest getting the DVD with its widescreen and all of that gorgeous viewing.
Rating:
Summary: "Fun" Space Fantasy!
Review: Ok, so it's a little campy, but sometimes it's fun to watch movies like this. Especially when the sexy Timothy Dalton makes an appearance, or when the music is provided by one of the best 80's groups there was--Queen! Ornella Muti is good too, so is Max Von Sydow as Ming. In this sometimes serious world, you can always use a bit of fantasy, only this one takes place in Space, you know...sorta like "Star Trek" but not as cheesy!
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