disc rating:
company: Universal Pictures
year: 1980
runtime: 111′
director: Mike Hodges
cast: Sam Jones, Melody Anderson,
Topol, Max Von Sydow,
Timothy Dalton, Brian Blessed,
Omella Muti, Peter Wyngarde
writers: Lorenzo Semple Jr.
and Michael Allin
cinematography: Gilbert Taylor
music: Queen
and Howard Blake (orchestral)
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Plot: Football superstar Flash Gordon (Sam Jones) and journalist Dale Arden (Melody Anderson) are swept to the world of Mongo by overzealous scientist Dr. Zarkov (Topol) to stop evil Emperor Ming’s (Max von Sydow) fiendish plot to smash the Earth to atoms.
Based on the eponymous comic by Alex Raymond and owing a considerable debt to the 1936 serial starring Buster Crabbe, this big budget flop from producer Dino De Laurentiis is a picture with a bit of an identity crisis. Earnestly directed by Mike Hodges from a knowingly camp screenplay by Lorenzo Semple Jr. (Batman: The Movie), Flash Gordon never quite makes up its mind as to which it would prefer to be, though that doesn’t keep it from being a lot of fun along the way. Bolstered by outlandish art deco-inspired production design by Danilo Donati (Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom) and a raucous rock score by Queen, the film has become something of a cult classic in the thirty years since its original release and remains an extravagantly ludicrous experience unto itself.
Adding much to Flash Gordon’s appeal is its well-cast assortment of supporting players, the most notable of which is Max von Sydow’s (The Seventh Seal) inimitable turn as the villainous and lascivious Ming the Merciless. Sydow relishes every syllable of his often ridiculous dialogue, turning Semple Jr.’s script into some kind of art for so long as he’s speaking and easily dominating the picture in the process. No less worthy of mention are the other denizens of Mongo, the forest-dwelling Arborians led by Prince Barin (Timothy Dalton, The Living Daylights) and the Hawkmen led by boisterous Prince Vultan (Brian Blessed), each of whom have at least a few recognizable faces among their ranks (William Hootkins, Richard O’Brien, etc.). Famed Israeli actor Topol (Fiddler on the Roof) makes for an appropriately hysterical Dr. Zarkov, while Peter Wyngarde (The Prisoner, The Avengers) relishes in the role of Ming’s perpetually masked head of security, Klytus.
Oddly lacking are the two leads, who are constantly upstaged by their more lively supporting cast. Melody Anderson’s (St. Elsewhere) Dale Arden is reduced to just another pretty face, a literal cheerleader for Flash (“Go Flash, go!”) during his moments of heroism. Briefly livening things up for Arden is her escape from Ming’s boudoir, which culminates in some fun post-Star Wars hallway shootout action.
Faring worse is Flash himself, who is failed more by Semple Jr.’s screenplay than the lackluster performance by Sam Jones. As a character Flash is simply underwritten, and once he enters the fantastical world of Mongo he can’t help but be shown up by his supporting characters. Jones is reported to have had considerable differences of opinion with Hodges and De Laurentiis, differences that led to him leaving the project as soon as shooting had been completed. With Jones unavailable most if not all of his dialogue was overdubbed by a voice actor as yet unknown, leaving the eponymous lead looking and sounding even less interesting.
Surprisingly, neither of the character issues listed above are enough to sink the picture, even given their prominence within it. Flash Gordon is, in the end, just too imaginatively constructed to really disappoint. The skies of Mongo are alive with garish flowing colors that place it deep within the realm of fantasy. The technology of Mongo’s inhabitants is a delicious throwback to the original comics by Alex Raymond, with everything about the place reveling in retro-futurist style. I’d argue that Flash Gordon is worth seeing for Danilo Donati’s expert production design (and the epic amount of money that was poured into it) alone. Of course the Queen doesn’t hurt either, and where else are you ever going to see a human-sized baddie impaled by a space ship?
Universal’s Blu-ray of Flash Gordon lifts their 2007 ‘Saviour of the Universe Edition’ DVD package to the high definition playing field with generally good results. The 1080p VC-1 encoded transfer makes for an obvious visual update for the outrageously colorful production. The 30 year old film appears remarkably clean, even during the frequent process photography (practically every other take once Mongo is reached), and the imagery is stunning. Detail and contrast are both strong, and color saturation takes a noticeable bump. The only issue I have with the otherwise fine 2.36:1 image are moments of digital manipulation, a bit of digital noise reduction and perhaps some edge enhancement as well. The opening shots in the airfield appeared particularly weak to my eyes (I don’t think they’ve ever looked terribly good). Augmenting the visuals is a booming DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, which presents the awesome Queen soundtrack and awful sound effects with equal clarity. No complaints there. English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles are available for the feature.
Supplements are, in a word, disappointing, all duplicated (in SD) from the earlier ‘Saviour of the Universe Edtion’ DVD. Heading things up are a too-long interview with Flash-obssessed comic artist Alex Ross (13 minutes), which proved just too zealous for this reviewer to make it through, and a far more engaging discussion with screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr. (9 minutes), who is under no delusions about the overall quality of his script. The only supplement worth revisiting is chapter 1 of the 1936 serial starring Buster Crabbe, which offers a wealth of similarities to the De Laurentiis-produced venture and a slurpasaur attack to boot. The original theatrical trailer rounds out the package.
Universal’s Blu-ray seems overpriced at a SRP of $26.98, particularly given the limited supplemental package, though fans will likely find it a worthwhile investment for the improved video and audio presentation alone. A handful of obvious shortcomings and a De Laurentiis in the credits aren’t enough to keep me from enjoying the film itself, which has been a guilty pleasure for going on two decades now. You may love it or you may hate it, but if you haven’t seen it before then what the hell are you waiting for? Recommended!
