d-millhoff
Anyone who doesn't like this movie, doesn't get it. The directing is flat, the acting just plain awful, the makeup worse. yet 30 years after it was released, Flesh Gordon is still the funniest, cheesiest spoof of genre films outside The Simpsons. Where else are you going to find alien sex rays, rapist robots, matching eye and nipple patches, and a narcissistic Harryhausenesque demon who would be perfectly at home in a disco if he weren't green, 40 feet tall and covered with scales? The surprisingly good art direction (on a shoestring budget) and Hanna-Barbara sound effects finish the package. In short, unless you're some easily-offended Christian republican in search of something to complain about, this is must-see material. And come to think about it, even if you are, you need to see it.
birdy123
I first saw this movie while stationed in the US military in Germany during the Cold War, approximately in 1979. The claims on the DVD box that it contains a complete print are somewhat false. For one thing, the following shot or shot groups are left out of the DVD print: When Flesh and Dr. Jerkoff first see Wang's castle in the distance, Jerkoff says something like "Wow! That's fabulous!", to which Flesh replies "No it isn't, it's only a set". There may have also been one or two other comic moments which were also removed. The DVD is in fact longer than the VHS print, however.The sex scenes described as missing were in fact roughly cut out of this movie for military distribution. They started, then were visibly spliced out. This leads me to believe that the true X-rated version of this movie is still out there.Notwithstanding those complaints, I have given this movie a higher rating than most other people for two reasons: 1.) I really, really like Flash Gordon, and I think this spoof was written and produced by people who did also.2.) The 3D camera work and animation is almost as good as Harryhausen in my opinion. You get some really nice effects to go along with the silly story line.I hope more people get to see this movie.
iago-6
Hey, I like good, sleazy fun, so I thought I couldn't go wrong with renting Flesh Gordon, which I have heard about for years without really knowing much about. The movie itself is mildly amusing, but what's really wonderful abut this disc is the commentary track, which is TEN TIMES more interesting than the movie itself. The Movie We open with a LONG title about how this is a tribute to the adventure serials of the 20s and 30s… we find out on the commentary that this was added to avoid a lawsuit, because they were unaware that their writer had taken an episode from Flash Gordon and reproduced it nearly exactly. Anyway, so it seems that the good citizens of Earth are suddenly bombarded by the sex ray, which makes them crazed to have sex with the first person they see (and I wonder: what would David Cronenberg make of this?). This is a big problem, so Flesh Gordon, who soon meets Dale Ardor, are going to travel to the planet Porno to find out what's going on. They meet Flesh's pal Flexi Jerkoff (one of those jokes that, the more you think about it, the more absurd and funny it gets), who has a spaceship that oddly recalls the shape of a penis, and they take off. By now you will have noticed the radical differences in quality and apparent budget from scene to scene. For example, later in the film we have some very nice, nearly-academy award nominated stop-motion animation, and yet when Flesh and co. are on the plane at the beginning, it's quite clear that the walls are made of stapled-on packing material.So Flesh and pals travel through the moronosphere to the planet Porno, where they crash land. Meanwhile, the evil Emperor Wang has noticed their presence, and sent out guards, who obsequiously refer to him as "Your Protuberance," "Your Sickness," and "Degenerate One." The guards go after our trio who are having their own problems with the Penisauruses, which are giant stop-motion animated uncut penises with horns and one vertically-blinking eye. This affords viewers the sight of the comely Dale being rubbed all over by a dickhead the size of a hippo. They escape, and are soon awarded the power pasties by someone or other, which will give them the decisive edge. Anyway, so it goes on, even going so far as to include an intermission and cliffhanger as tribute to the original series. Later our heroes are menaced by giant robots with spinning drills where their dicks would normally be, and finally Dale (whose bush is the size of Nebraska, by the way) is taken by this giant monster to the top of a tower, in an unlikely tribute to King Kong. Things go on and soon they end.This movie is clearly part of the mix that resulted in the Austin Powers movies, and it has a similar effect as so many of the jokes are so juvenile and moronic that eventually they become kind of funny. I was especially laughing at the guards saying things like "Right away, degenerate one" to Emperor Wang. The problem is that NO ONE in the movie is attractive, so although there's lots of randiness and softcore excitement going on, there was no one I was really interested in.The Commentary I popped in the commentary while I was assembling some furniture, really just wanting to know WHAT the director could possibly have to say about this piece of work. What I got was a totally fascinating tale of low-budget grindhouse film-making in all its glory. The producers made porn films, and that was all. But at this time, some porn films were getting shown in legitimate theaters, so they decided to make a porn film that had more to it than sex, and hired various people and got started. One of the interesting aspects of the whole story is that the producers have no idea what the screenwriter or special effects people are doing while they all work separately. These were people with absolutely no experience in making a film, suddenly trying to do it. They face associates baldly trying to cheat them, police harassment, a few rounds through the judicial system… it's an incredible story. For a while the director is followed by the police until they locate the set, then the police confiscate the film, and then the director has to prove in court that the film is NOT pornographic, which helped determine why this movie came out as a softcore comedy "tribute" to the old serials, instead of a real porn film as was originally intended. Remember how I said that some of the special effects are very good? Well, turns out that a then-unknown Dennis Muren, who would later become the lead man at ILM and win academy awards for Star Wars, E.T., Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, you name it, worked on this film (and had such a bad experience he didn't want his name on it). Since there were only two other films that year that HAD special effects, this one was almost nominated for an Oscar—but the Academy decided not to have the category that year instead of even considering this film. The film itself I worth seeing, at least for a quick fast-forward, but if you're interested in the behind-the-scenes of low-budget and porn film-making, but the commentary here is one of the most interesting stories of low-budget film-making you'll ever hear.--- Hey, check out Cinema de Merde, my website devoted to bad and cheesy movies. You can get the url from my email address above...
Sperry23
While it is most definitely a porny, the writer, director, and cast clearly did their homework. Everything from the lighting design to the scene wipes were solidly based in the classic Buster Crabbe "Flash Gordon" series. The SFX so closely duplicate the effects of the 30's SF films, and are a delight for any adult who remembers seeing Flash Gordon save the Universe in 13 episodes. One of the best scenes is, of course, the Monster vs. Flesh. Animated in the classic Willis O'Brien/Ray Harryhausen style, it's a treat to behold. Not to mention funny and sharp. However the Rapist Robots, and the swordfight scene come in as close second and third.The storyline is coherent (a rarity for a XXX feature), and the actors clearly are having a lot of fun making it...so to speak. Admittedly, the sex and nudity isn't for everyone, but for those who enjoy a well-built film as well as a (mostly) well-built cast, it's a treat. Make sure you get the "directors cut" wide screen version.
