Flash Gordon

Italian sexbomb Ornella Muti has a midget named Fellini on a leash… This "sophisticated" winking joke and many others, lots of catchphrases (the Emperor's wedding vows: Do you - Ming the Merciless, Ruler of the Universe - take this Earthling, Dale Arden, to be your Empress of the Hour?“) and the overall concept mean one thing: this film doesn't take itself seriously at all and doesn't want the viewer to. The inspiration of the current phenomenon of Star Wars and the classic 1940s precursor is obvious, the men with wings and costumes are reminiscent of Vadim's Barbarella and the overall infantile art styling is so pleasantly goofy that you can't help but love it. Dino de Laurentiis took a big risk by throwing so much money into it; this bizarre cult film for fans of old comics and 1950's sci-fi B-movies couldn't have had a wide audience response (and it didn't), so even the open ending went to waste. The wisecracking emperor (“Dale. We have decided to marry her. She's exceptional. We will breed with her and send our Imperial progeny back to populate your Earth.”) played by the charismatic Max von Sydow deserves his own movie :) (23/03/2008)

So I watched of Flash Gordon again after all these years... And lo and behold, I survived in good health and without serious consequences. Whether it's what takes place in Earth's Zarkov lab or after landing on the planet, whether it's Flash's "rugby" brawl with Ming's guards, Timothy Dalton looking like Errol Flynn from The Adventures of Robin Hood, the absolutely perfect Max von Sydow, the final attack of the hawk men, or the music by Queen... Everything is so silly that it's magical and fun. Sure, a lot of the "fun" is actually pure "ridiculousness", but should I mind? Why on earth would i?__P.S. I was struck by one thing: Did the director of Get Carter make this? Well, you know the Brits. (20/12/2010)

Not even Ed Wood could have done a worse job of bringing into the world this dim-witted offspring of The Wizard of Oz and Barbarella (or, if you prefer, Robin Hood and Princess Leia). Whereas Wood’s films were comically serious, however, Flash Gordon is seriously comical. A few times. A substantial part of the chatty scenes are now boring and the action scenes get their juice primarily from the music of Queen. Flash Gordon was one of the most compelling movie experiences of my childhood, when I believed it to be an unsettling and even frightening sci-fi flick. 60% (14/11/2010)

With time, Flash Gordon feels like a rather sympathetic parody - the problem remains that it is an unwelcome kind of magic. The intention of the creators was clearly to pay homage to old science fiction stories with a film adaptation of the famous classic comic book. Tacky and overdecorated sets and bad special effects only highlight the outdatedness and worn-out nature of the subject matter. The superficial and from beginning to end calculated project, which was meant to ride the wave of Star Wars' popularity, was not saved even by the excellent music of Queen, the charismatic Max von Sydow, and the charming Ornella Muti, for whom the film's failure meant a return to Europe and the end of dreams of a successful career in Hollywood. Overall impression 35%. (25/06/2006)

Finally! This is just naive beauty. Such an unbelievably clichéd plot, but presented in such gorgeously kitschy visuals that one simply can't help but fall in love with it. And alternatively, one might hate the film because it's just utter nonsense. However, the creators understood the film to be quite significant because the cast is great, as well as the timeless music of Queen. It’s a great B-movie that a fan like me simply has to adore. I've never seen the enchantment of an old comic captured so perfectly before. It literally oozes a love of trash. Beautiful. (23/07/2014)