Flash Gordon (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'Flash Gordon' (directed by Mike Hodges), based on a popular comic serial, tells a typical space opera story: when Earth comes under a series of deadly attacks from outer space, American football star Flash Gordon (Playgirl model, Sam J. Jones) & travel agent Dale Arden (Melody Anderson) are kidnapped by a scientist (Topol), shot off of Earth in a rocket ship, & taken to the planet Mongo, origin of the attacks. There, they face the terrifying Emperor Ming (Max von Sydow). Ming the Merciless {as he's called} plans to obliterate Earth. And it's up to Flash to unite the various kingdoms of Mongo to fight against Ming to save lives that spans several planets. Along the way, Flash must face many foes & resist the temptations of an enigmatic space princess if he is to prove victorious.
The biggest rise I got out of this movie was ooh-ing & ahh-ing at Danilo Donati's spectacular sets & outrageous costumes. There are also some strange, cartoonish action sequences (the flight of Hawkmen, the reception at Ming's court, the wedding vows) that brought a smile to my face. The make-up designs are wonderfully bizarre. The special effects are as cheeseball as you'll ever see. And listening to Queen's flamboyant, over-the-top rock score was certainly interesting.
See, it's hard to dislike 'Flash Gordon', but it's also hard to take it seriously; which is the point, I guess. There is no serious drama; no visceral excitement; no stellar performances; shallow characterizations; cliched plot points. So yeah, 'Flash Gordon' is pretty weak sauce, narratively-speaking. But I appreciate enough of it to give it a critical pass. It obviously aims to be odd, fluff fun - and it succeeds on that level only. Performance-wise, Max von Sydow chews his scenes as the malevolent Ming. Brian Blessed & Timothy Dalton have their moments. And with Sam J. Jones makes a splash as the blonde bombshell hero. This whole film is a campy extravaganza - a guilty pleasure for anyone who would tap into its so-bad-it's-good madness.
The biggest rise I got out of this movie was ooh-ing & ahh-ing at Danilo Donati's spectacular sets & outrageous costumes. There are also some strange, cartoonish action sequences (the flight of Hawkmen, the reception at Ming's court, the wedding vows) that brought a smile to my face. The make-up designs are wonderfully bizarre. The special effects are as cheeseball as you'll ever see. And listening to Queen's flamboyant, over-the-top rock score was certainly interesting.
See, it's hard to dislike 'Flash Gordon', but it's also hard to take it seriously; which is the point, I guess. There is no serious drama; no visceral excitement; no stellar performances; shallow characterizations; cliched plot points. So yeah, 'Flash Gordon' is pretty weak sauce, narratively-speaking. But I appreciate enough of it to give it a critical pass. It obviously aims to be odd, fluff fun - and it succeeds on that level only. Performance-wise, Max von Sydow chews his scenes as the malevolent Ming. Brian Blessed & Timothy Dalton have their moments. And with Sam J. Jones makes a splash as the blonde bombshell hero. This whole film is a campy extravaganza - a guilty pleasure for anyone who would tap into its so-bad-it's-good madness.