StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Johnny H. Flash Gordon is rip-snorting B-Grade fun, and as much fun as you could possibly ask for. This film is a nostalgic blast made at a time when Star Wars took the world by storm; so Universal decided to 1-Up Lucas by making a movie of the very comic that inspired the basis for 'A Galaxy Far, Far Away' in the first place.Colourful, over-the-top, catchy music from Queen, and action-sequences that still make for a jolly-good time for anyone watching the movie. Part-superhero-movie, part-space-opera, part swashbuckler, all-awesome.

Leofwine_draca As cheesy comic book romps go, this takes some beating. Based on the original comic strip series - images of which are shown over the title credits - this is a film that was dated even when it was first released. The years have lent it a certain nostalgic charm and there's no doubt that it's enjoyable when you're in the right silly mood. There's also the appeal of watching some respectable actors taking part in the chaos that ensues on screen.Bad movie fans will have a field day with this one. The plot is simplistic in the extreme, not to mention contrived, and the film merely seems like a STAR WARS rip-off. The special effects are also very cheap looking, being a mixture of that bad early '80s computer effect and some very dodgy matte work. A hilarious score by Queen serves to date the film even further. Still, at least they try and throw in a bit of everything here; there's plenty of action, from gun fights to fist fights, there's some whipping, romance, glamour (the girls all get to wear shiny bikinis), drama, male bonding, and even a rubbery monster in there too.Sam Jones stars as the square-jawed American hero, and to be brutally honest, he's awful - a really poor actor. I've never seen anybody so wooden. He does have an endearing puppy-dog quality to him though. Melody Anderson is the annoying bubbly heroine who makes stupid remarks like "Flash! Flash! I love you, but we only have 14 hours to save the Earth!". Topol actually comes off pretty well playing an intelligent scientist and doesn't have to embarrass himself too much. On the other hand, Brian Blessed should be crying tears of shame if he watches himself flying about with papier mache wings. Timothy Dalton also pops up to lend some much-needed charisma, while Max Von Sydow goes over the top as the sinister comic book villain. There are also cameos from British celebrities like Robbie Coltrane and Richard O'Brien.One of my favourite scenes in this film, which I've always remembered since seeing it as a child, is the huge exciting fight scene on a tilting circular platform complete with pop-up spikes. This culminates in a Darth Vader-wannabe robo-guy getting brutally spiked. It's a lot of fun. While some bits are excruciatingly embarrassing, like the sad squad of flying bird-men, most of this is fun in a bad way and a couple of bits are surprisingly well-handled. There are plenty of in-jokes to spot and the whole thing is colourful, garish to look at. Besides, how can you hate a film which has evil henchmen who wear red gas masks? FLASH GORDON is the epitome of cheesy '80s fun and should be viewed as such.

SnoopyStyle The Emperor Ming (Max von Sydow) is attacking the Earth. Only former NASA scientist Dr. Hans Zarkov (Topol) seems to have foreseen it. He intends to launch himself in his rocket as a 'counter-attack'. NY Jets star quarterback Flash Gordon (Sam J. Jones) is taking a commuter flight. He survives the plane crash along with fellow passenger Dale Arden (Melody Anderson). Zarkov tricks the duo into his rocket and launches them into space. They are taken prisoner to find Ming's tyrannical rule over the various kingdoms. Prince Barin (Timothy Dalton) leads the kingdom of Arboria. Hawkman Prince Vultan (Brian Blessed) runs Sky City. Ming's daughter Princess Aura (Ornella Muti) is fascinated with Flash. Ming takes Dale as his concubine.This is brilliantly colorful and deliciously campy. The Queen soundtrack is second to none. The acting is big but it fits the style. Parts of it goes a bit too slowly. Some scenes are very static. Even the actors move slowly as an old-fashion way to denote drama. Sometimes it needs more energy to maintain the tension. This is an unique vision and a fun watch if you don't take it seriously.

grantss Dull. Plot is random at best. The whole movie just seems to lurch from one random scene to another. Sam J Jones is wooden and unconvincing in the lead role. Supporting cast is not bad though: Max van Sydow, Topol, Brian Blessed, Timothy Dalton, Richard O'Brien. Ornella Muti (especially) and Melody Anderson are the only reasons to watch the movie, after a point...Only watched it for the Queen soundtrack, initially, and this wears thin after a while. Only so many times you can hear "Flash, aa- aah"....