Movie Notes: Flash Gordon

August 5th, 2009

= 4 stars

Starring Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, Max Von Sydow
Directed by Mike Hodges

Synopsis

Earth comes under attack by Ming the Merciless (Max Von Sydow), psychotic ruler of the planet Mongo. Football player Flash Gordon (Sam J. Jones), travel agent Dale Arden (Melody Anderson), and scientist Zarkov (Topol) travel to deep space to save the world.

The Good

• Max Von Sydow is perfect as Ming the Merciless, ruler of Mongo, sporting a black metal helmet thing and turn of the century xenophobic Chinese facial hair.
• Tons of inventive camp, from corny lines to over the top set designs and costumes. Each of the kingdoms have a different design, from the hot-tempered, sweaty Hawkmen to the secretive, strategic tree people of Arboria, dressed like Robin Hood extras.
• Absolutely, annoyingly unforgettable song by Queen.
• I had first seen this film as a kid, and certain parts are still ingrained in my subconscious, in particular, the tree-stump thing Flash is ordered to stick his hand into, Prince Vultan and Flash’s battle on a tilting, spiked platform (“to the death!”), and the borderline R-rated red leather outfits of Princess Aura (Ornella Muti).
• A rather hilarious ending — a marriage between Dale and Ming is psychologically, the worst imaginable thing, and the climax involves Flash Gordon flying a ship under a hail of laser gun fire to impale Ming on a gigantic spike. Phallic references abound.

The Bad

• Flash Gordon as played by Sam J. Jones is rather uninteresting. This is one flick where all the things surrounding the hero are more satisfying than the hero himself. Max Von Sydow pretty much steals every scene.
• The campy tone, while I admit to generally enjoying, doesn’t fare well in comparison with more serious movies of the time period like Superman: The Movie.
• So many plot holes and stupid situations it’s not even worth recounting.

Conclusion

This is a very dumb movie that’s impossible to take seriously. If you keep that in mind as you’re watching, it’s wholly entertaining. I felt like a kid again.

IMDB: Flash Gordon
Wikipedia: Flash Gordon
Rotten Tomatoes: Rotten Tomatoes 83%