Flash Gordon!

Flash Gordon (1980)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: Mike Hodges

Starring: Sam J. Jones, Max Von Sydow, Melody Anderson, Topol, Ornella Muti

From: Universal

What a March I've had so far. I explained recently how Monday was a loss due to food poisoning; Wednesday, my digestive system was in revolt due to unknown reasons (I might as well have been Harry in Dumb & Dumber after ingesting all those laxatives) and yesterday I visited someone in the hospital... it was not unexpected and the situation is relatively minor, so they'll be out soon. Point is, March has started off rather poorly and last night seemed like an opportune time to see a wacky bright extravagant movie, and Flash Gordon seemed like the right cure for my ails.

Naturally, it did work. I've never seen the Buster Crabbe serials or read any of the comics; there is mixed opinions on if the tone of this matches any of the previous iterations of the character or not. That don't mean anything to me so the corny, campy nature of this brings up no complaints. Some things can be nitpicked (or a lot if you're insufferable like CinemaSins) but who cares? For me, this nonsense is a lot of fun, even if the title character is sometimes a buffoon and on at least a few occasions, is overshadowed by the denizens of the planet Mongo.

The story is at least easy to follow and there is no shortage of memorable characters; who can forget HAWKMEN, after all? The movie is always colorful between the extravagant sets, costumes, skies of multiple hues, etc. The movie is a blast and features such things as a travel agent heroine suddenly doing gymnastics out of nowhere, Timothy Dalton as Errol Flynn as Robin Hood, and an awesome henchman who wears a gold mask; thankfully, this is not so slight that it turns into a farce or is too dopey to enjoy. The true highlight is not Ornella Muti (although she is great); rather, it's Queen's music. Now there is something that is marvelous and is a big boon to this extravagant space opera.


To reiterate, this viewing was to brighten my mood, and something like this was exactly what I needed.