Flash Gordon

Rating:
Summary: Msytery Science Theater 3000 material
Review: Wow, this movie is painfuly bad. I mean, it's great for a laugh but honestly, what were the writers producers thinking. If you know the show Mystery Science Theater 3000, this is exactly the kind of movie they would bag. Flash has the combined looks and intelligence of a drugged up surfer and a football player who's been in one too many tackles. Between enemies that look like Gangus Khan, Robin Hook, and Lego people, and Flash's shining oafishness, this movie ranks right up there with movies like "Parts the Clonus Horror" and "Soul Taker."

Rating:
Summary: Better than most give it credit for...
Review: While many have panned this over the years, this campy 1980 send-up of the Flash Gordon story is a fun, enjoyable adventure. The acting, plot, and special effects may not be the best, but put them together and you're in for a good time. The Queen score/soundtrack is great, although it'd be unfair to try to compare it to the incomparable job they did on Highlander.

The DVD delivers a high-quality picture, but is totally devoid of extras. Hopefully a special edition DVD will someday see release, and do this classic justice.

Rating:
Summary: Very fun to watch
Review: I remember seeing this movie years and years ago, (I was only 3 years old when this was released in theatres back in 1980) so I rented it last night. This movies cheesy special effects and corny, comic strip dialoge give this movie a certian charm that made me want to watch it twice in one night. This movie is a result of the sci-fi, Star Wars craze of the late '70's/early 80's (that was alot better then the kung-fu craze at that time) that sadly, when widely unnoticed during its release.

Sam Jones is the perfect Flash Gordon and he gets flown up into space with a reporter and a scientist, who all get captured by Mings minions, (Ming is the emperor of the universe and classic bad guy.) From there he escapes, (I wont say how incase you haven't seen the movie) and gains allys from hawkmen and woodmen to fight Ming. Alot of action and alot of passion in this movie make it alot of fun to watch.

Rating:
Summary: Unique movie
Review: I saw glimpses of the old Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon series when I was younger. This one brought them to the modern screen in a glitzy, comic book style that branded it a classic for me. It's on level with clean kid's entertainment, so don't think it will be recommended as some flashy hip-hop hood romp. Similar to Master of the Universe (the Movie) if on a higher level.

What some people will find interesting is that Geroge Lucas began Star Wars as nothing but a MODERN RENDITION OF THE OLD CLIFFHANGER SERIES! In fact, his notes started out pretty much as Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon: generals saving princesses and visiting strange planets and so on. His goal was nothing less than to bring the old serials back to life. Years of evolution and (without a doubt much input by uncredited people) actually changed Star Wars to the format it is known as. (And he also incorporated many other themes, especially Japanese samaurai movies).

After seeing Star Wars and reading the annotated scripts about how he developed it, it then became obvious why the old Flash Gordon series had planets of ice and forest and jungle and desert, and why Star Wars also had planets of ice and jungle and forest and desert.

And yet both movies are (thankfully) different enough to where the similarities do not easily come out. If you are a scholar, check out the old black and white series. The Flash Gordon series itself begins with text floating into the distance to introduce the different episodes of each series. That in the 1930s!...

Rating:
Summary: Hail Ming!
Review: Growing up, I thought this was the greatest movie next to Star Wars. As a kid I never realized how cheesy it was, but who cares. I love this movie as much as I did 17 years ago.While the the special effects may seem primitive, they have a unique and entertaining quality about them, I especially like the clouds. This movie provides many entertaining and memorable scenes that fans of cult classic movies will love.Did I mention the super hot Aura or the rocking Queen soundtrack. Hawkmen Diiiieee!

Rating:
Summary: very entertaining movie
Review: Some will say it is a cheesy ripoff of Star Wars, but i disagree although it has a similar storyline, I would say that it is more or less a tribute to Sci-Fi. like the ''Empire Strikes Back'' the same year (1980), it was definately ahead of its time in special effects,G.Lucas himself said the 1930's series inspired him to create ''Star Wars'' which this pays tribute to. it will definately make you feel like a kid again, somthing the whole family could enjoy..

Rating:
Summary: cool
Review: Yes the speacail effects are bad. But thats nothing compared to the 1950s speacail effects. model rockets and such.( dont get me wrong i dont mind watching the old seirals now and again.) i susspect the effects for this movie were mad bad to mimic the effects of the old serials. Jones is an ok actor. i like dr. zarkov. dalton is nice as baron. i liked the princess, (espesily her legs. =)). brain blessed is wonderful as vultan. hes amusing and fun to watch. what seails the deal is MAX VON SYDOW!!! he is excellent as ming the merciless. sydow dominates every scean he is in. even if its a breif one. when ever i think of flash gordon i think of sydow as ming. no other actor is as powerful as sydow as ming. every word he says is locked in my memory. "klitus im bored what new play thing can u offer me today?","pitiful earthlings. if u had any idea of the true nature of the universe you would have hidden form it in terror.", and many more. also i would like to add i like the story and the way the charitures in the movie. the look of mongo is beautiful. so if u like sci fi see this movie. p.s. to those of you who recall prince thun the lion man. when flash and the others first see ming we see other princes of mongo. one is a nubian who is killed by ming. his name is prince thun. so much for the bold lion man in this movie at least. i recall thun best from the origanal comic strip.

Rating:
Summary: A great B movie with a super score
Review: Taken as what it is, a B movie, it's thoroughly enjoyable. Adding on a first-rate score made it that much better.

Rating:
Summary: It's Cheesy, It's Corny, In Short, Just Right
Review: At least it's cheesy and corny on purpose, unlike some movies I could mention. Flash is a star quarterback, Dale is a gutsy girl reporter and Dr. Zharkov is your usual mad scientist who just happens to have a spaceworthy rocket in his basement, you know the type. Ming is, well, Merciless. His daughter Princess Aura is libidinous. Prince Barron is heroic and in love with the wicked Princess. Add a supporting cast of evil henchmen, gallant foresters, aeordynamically unsound birdmen, a terrific score by Queen and the most marvelously '30s futuristic sets and costumes and you've got the 1980s 'Flash Gordon'.

Rating:
Summary: Flash Rules
Review: This movie is great! Im a fair fan of sci-fi and this movie is throghly enjoyable. The effects and costumes are CHEESY but I did not mind. I kind of liked the cheesy effects. I don't know if the movie would have had the same affect on me if it had good effects. Classics hero movie.