Flash Gordon (1980)

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And then there’s this…

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I couldn’t be more happy that it was a discussion with me that prompted that post. I love Flash Gordon as much today as I did when I was four.

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Campy as it is, I think it still holds up. But I’m also blinded by deep nostalgia – HBO had this on heavy rotation in the early '80s and it became a staple of my childhood. Of course it became one of the first DVDs I bought.

Even as a kid, I remember finding it weird that Ming had never heard of Earth, “an obscure body in the S-K system,” yet when they cut to a shot of his ‘dashboard of disasters,’ nestled between options for “Hot Hail” and “Typhoon” is a button clearly labeled “Earth Quake.”

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Oh totally. I’ve seen this movie about 50 times, maybe more (thanks, HBO). When I got the blu-ray and, I’ll admit it, enjoyed an herbal remedy (which I hadn’t in years because of anxiety) it was a religious experience. Being a massive Queen fan doesn’t hurt, either. Then I saw “Ted” a week later and thought, “Seth MacFarlane could possible have been my brother.” I’ma go watch this again right now.

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Never noticed that! I was always too busy trying to say “Earth” like Ming.

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“Flash! ooh-aah-aah Frickin’ Awe-ah-some.”

phew

removes fist from stump

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I like how the soundtrack was used in Observe and Report.

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Klytus, are your men on the right pills?

Maybe you should execute their trainer.

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This is the greatest movie of all time. Of all time!
Flash! Ah AH!..

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The spoof “Flesh Gorden” was pretty good. Not even really a porno, as it had harrysausen type stop motion creatures and somewhat decent low budget sets. The Penisaurus was especially good.

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There is no way Flash wouldn’t start ahead of Mark Sanchez or Geno Smith this season.

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I saw it at the drive-in. Fantastic! Nothing else compares.

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Am I the only one old enough to have seen this in the theater? Kind of feels like when I spoke up in film class, having to contradict the professor – that yes, at least one of us had seen Star Wars on opening day.

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Nope, I saw it - a German dub, of course - back then, too. Also The Empire Strikes Back.

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Every time someone mentions Flash, I think about The Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Smashers_of_the_Galaxy_Rangers). Brilliant spoof of Flash, especially the ending with the kiss.

Now off to have a breakfast with a slice of toast and some Cheddite.

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Wow, that had to be interesting.

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I also saw it in a theater at the time. Two things stick out for me:

  1. Queen’s music was an integral part of their marketing for this film. Every commercial featured the tagline: “Music by Queen!” I think it’s too bad other films don’t do that.
  2. When [SPOILER ALERT] Flash kills Ming (duh), Ming bleeds green blood!
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And regarding that bog-beast coming-of-age ritual: http://oglaf.com/riteofpassage/ (it’s oglaf, so nsfw)

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even weirder, they’re speaking to each other in flawless English.

anyway, I think the days of this type of rich, opulent mise-en-scene are long gone, which is the real star of Flash Gordon. You just don’t see eye-candy like that anymore unless it’s CG, which can be cool, but it’s not the same thing.