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Whistle Stopper - Flash Gordon
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List Price: $9.98
Our Price: $3.49
Your Save: $ 6.49 ( 65% )
Availability:
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Starring: Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, Max von Sydow, Topol, Ornella Muti
Directed By: Mike Hodges
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786300182356
Format: Color
ISBN: 6300182355
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Universal Studios
Release Date: 1997-07-01
Running Time: 111
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: 1980-12-05
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Slaves of the Empire.
Comment: Maybe I could have understood the movie better if I wasn't having so much fun watching it! Why are Sam and Dale stuck out in the universe instead of going back to earth? Well, I'd stay out in space if the alternative was the dreary, dust-ridden planet we get a glimpse of at the beginning of the film. The movie picks up steam and color as soon as Dr. Zharkov kidnaps our hero and heroine and whisks them off to save the planet, and especially when they reach the court of the fabulous Ming the Merciless. Ridiculed for its "camp" qualities when it came out, and for the inadequate and dubbed acting of Sam J. Jones as "Flash," FLASH GORDON in fact tells its story in a relatively straightforward manner, while Jones is unexpectedly winning in a difficult role; as soon as he remembers his football plays in a push against Ming's henchmen in reel two, he won my heart in that old fashioned Lil Abner Peter Palmer way. In some ways he's a fool, but no more than Jimmy Stewart was in the 30s and 40s movies FLASH harks back to. In the words of Queen's catchy theme song, "Flash! --Ahhh, ahhhh!"
Melody Anderson does what she can with a all-American girl shtick, but she comes closer to pure camp with her endless posturing about America and her defiance of danger. However, the role calls for her to show more complex emotions when she must give up Flash in order to save him, and she fulfills these scenes admirably, telling Aura, for example, that she can't poison Ming, for she has promised to be a good wife to him (in exchange for him sparing Flash's life). Keeping her promise turns out to be her Achilles' heel, and that one trait seemed quintessentially American, a naive belief in one's word for good or bad. She's like Sarah Palin, except her gowns are better.
As Ming, Max von Sydow does better work than in any of those Ingmar Bergman movies that made him famous. Tim Dalton takes his time in his slow evolution from evil to sidekick, and his portrayal gains strength from his early refusal to play for viewer sympathy. Like everyone else, I enjoyed Brian Blessed's hawkman, though at times he comes perilously close to enjoying himself more than anyone else. But hands down the movie belongs to Ornella Muti as Aura, she is smoking hot and just gets better and richer throughout the film until she attains actual cinema perfection in the last sequence of FLASH GORDON. You'd have to be Myron Breckinridge to adequately describe her genius in print.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Flash Gordon
Comment: Have always liked this movie, especially since Queen did the soundtrack.
In great shape, boxed; already watched a few times.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A classic movie..
Comment: I got my DVD today and I must say I am really happy with it. I felt like a kid again watching this movie and even watching the theatrical trailer. I loved the interview With Alex Ross, I myself am an artist so I appreciated it. I noticed half the people on here whining about the audio and this and that...and really..It doesn't even matter...this is a great classic film! And if you appreciate the genre then you will love this movie! The people who complained need to learn they shouldn't always sweat the small stuff. FOR CRYING OUT LOUD IT WAS MADE IN THE 80'S What do you expect? Great film..and lots of fun.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Classic
Comment: This is a classic. And they redited it so it looks amazing. The case is cool too if you want to display it. It fold up to open. I really love this movie. You should check out the new figures they just put out for it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A brief comment
Comment: Having remembered fondly the other Buck Rogers movie from the late 70s, if I recall right, I had always wanted to see this one.
I wasn't disappointed. Filled with dramatic and improved special effects (it was now several years from the first Star Wars movie), spectacular cinematography, absolutely fabulous costumes, beautifully done sets, and a stellar cast, this movie delivers on all counts. I suspect just their costume budget was more than the original Star Wars movie.
The plot is well known, so I won't comment there. But the entire cast looks like they're having a grand time with this campy, fun-filled, futuristic romp. Brian Blessed, who plays Vultan, the king of the Hawkmen, looks like he's having the time of his life. In fact, while watching the movie I reflected that I couldn't ever recall seeing an actor having such an uproarious, rip-snorting good time playing a role. He is absolutely beside himself with the pleasure of playing that part, and I just found out why after doing a little research on the IMDB site. Here's an except from the page there:
"As a child he and his friends used to play at Flash Gordon, inspired by the Buster Crabbe TV serials. In these childhood games Brian would always play Vultan, leader of the Hawkmen. In the 1980 film Flash Gordon he played the same role as he had in childhood."
No wonder Brian is having such a good time. :-) It's amazing that he got to play the role of his favorite character in the big screen movie. Good for Brian, who has always been one of my favorite actors. What an amazing coincidence and stroke of good luck for Brian.
All the actors are great too, and Max von Sydow is perfect as the evil Ming. But everyone else in the cast is superb also, including the ones I didn't know as well, and I only knew Timothy Dalton from his James Bond roles.
Overall, a fun movie that more than does justice to the original concept.
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Editorial Reviews:
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When the totalitarian planet of Mongo decides on a whim to obliterate Earth, it's up to the lunk-headed quarterback Flash Gordon and his oddball companions to make the universe safe for democracy. Based on the classic (and infinitely more reputable) comic strip and its '30s screen serialization, this cotton-candy-colored trash classic deserves immortality for Queen's unforgettably pulsating soundtrack alone. The legendary Max von Sydow appears to be having a blast as the evil Ming the Merciless, while Ornella Muti, as his daughter, is the living embodiment of what attracts adolescent boys to comics in the first place. (She makes Barbarella look mundane.) One of the most shamelessly entertaining movies ever made, this is a knowingly absurd sensory freak-out that'll have the viewer blissfully checking the sky afterward for signs of Hawkmen. --Andrew Wright
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