7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
When energy waves pull the moon out of orbit, New York Jets quarterback Flash Gordon unexpectedly finds himself heading for the planet Mongo, where, with assistance from the beautiful Dale Arden and the noble Prince Barin, he will face Emperor Ming the Merciless and rescue humanity.
Starring: Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, Max von Sydow, Topol, Ornella MutiSci-Fi | 100% |
Action | 28% |
Comic book | 19% |
Fantasy | 11% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Susan Sontag burst into mainstream prominence with her 1964 essay “Notes on Camp,” where she averred, “Indeed the essence of Camp is its
love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration.” Sontag could have just waited 16 years and simply taken everyone to see the 1980 film
version of Alex Raymond’s iconic Flash Gordon instead, for the film stands as a virtual paean to unnatural artifice and exaggeration. That
has made it a bugaboo for many critics, while making it the darling of other, more camp-tastic lovers of works of “art” that are so outrageously
awful they actually inspire a certain degree of respect and admiration. As the opening credits roll, cutting between live action (a decidedly relative
term in this filmic universe) and original Raymond comic panels, we are treated to the Messianic urgency of Queen’s title song equating Flash with
the Savior of Mankind (nothing like a little hyperbolic commentary to get our expectations up). But it’s the cast list that is our first hint that we’re
about to experience a film of positively protean camp sensibilities.
Aside from relative unknowns Sam J. Jones as Flash (apparently post-dubbed according to several sources) and Melody Anderson as love interest
Dale Arden, we have a veritable treasure trove of wonderful actors evidently punching the time clock for what was hopefully a lucrative paycheck in
a less than stellar (no pun intended) enterprise. Therefore we get the iconic Max von Sydow, evidently tired of all that Bergmanesque sturm
und drang, hamming it up as bad guy Ming the Merciless, not to mention Tevye himself, mono-named Topol, as putative good guy scientist
Doctor Zarkov, though in this reimagining by scenarist Lorenzo Semple, Jr., Zarkov’s methods may be less than desirable even if his motives are
pure. Future James Bond Timothy Dalton is on hand as perhaps duplicitous Prince Barin, I, Claudius’ redoubtable Augustus himself, Brian
Blessed, is Prince Vultan, and Italian vamp Ornella Muti is temptress Princess Aura. Mix in an international array of supporting actors, everyone
from Mariangela Melato to Peter Wyngarde to Robbie Coltrane and you have a mélange of epic proportions, all working under the aegis of Dino De
Laurentiis, a producer who seemingly never learned the meaning of the word “restraint.”
Flash, Zarkov and Dale ponder their fate.
I'm sorry to have to say this to you legions of Flash Gordon fans, but this film is just downright ugly. It was ugly in its original theatrical presentation and it's stayed ugly through its many iterations on home video. Flash soars into the stratosphere on Blu-ray with a VC-1 encoded transfer delivered in full 1080p and an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Part of the problem with this film is its relentless emphasis on garish reds and greens. While that may be a Christmas staple, here it's overblown to the point where one simply seeks to escape the nonstop palette choices of Donati. Rarely has a film bathed in red so ceaselessly, and unfortunately the green interstitials only become annoying, rather than a relief. The good news is this looks quite sharp for its age, with nicely robust colors. Occasionally some of the reds bloom slightly (notice Dale's gown once she's taken prisoner by Ming), but for the most part we're given a clear and precise image. There isn't much damage to the source elements, though you'll notice some very brief bleedthrough in the opening few seconds. Contrast is excellent and black levels, while not incredibly deep, are adequate and shadow detail is quite good. There's simply no way the Blu can overcome the inherent ugliness of most of the imagery here. It's sharper, yes (if somewhat processed looking in the often typical Universal way), and more deeply saturated, but that may in fact be a problem with this particular film.
The best part of having a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix for this new Blu-ray release of Flash Gordon is the ability to hear the really quite engaging Queen score in all its glory. This was one of the first films to exploit a rock song score as part of the general underscore, and Freddie Mercury and company provide a glittering sonic accompaniment to the visual madness. In fact the score fills out the surrounds much more expansively than the general sound design does, which tends to remain resolutely anchored to the front channels. There are occasional foley effects that zing in from various directions, but for the most part this is a front heavy, though very clear, soundfield that is not going to send audiophiles to the moon (or any other planet). There's a fair amount of floor vibrating LFE throughout this film, both in the sound effects and the lowest rumbling tones of the synthesizer, which regularly pre-announces coming mayhem. Dialogue is clear and, aside from some of the heavy accents, easy to understand. This isn't a (pardon the expression) flashy soundtrack, especially considering the film itself, but it's a solid and respectable effort that gets the job done, at least minimally.
All of the extras from the SD-DVD "Saviour of the Universe" edition have been ported over to this Blu-ray, still in standard definition. A self- congratulatory interview with comic book artist Alex Ross (13:27) is less interesting than the funny and insightful turn by screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr. (9:14). But the best extra is undoubtedly the first chapter of the premier Crabbe Flash serial, entitled "Planet in Peril." Spending 20 or so minutes with this late 1930's version of Flash shows exactly what's missing from the 1980 iteration: fun! The Crabbe serial takes itself deadly seriously, which makes Flash's many non sequiturs all the more hilarious. If Semple had taken that approach, instead of the over-arch camp-fest he employed, the results would have been much more enjoyable. The theatrical trailer rounds out the extras.
Don't get me wrong: there's something inescapably captivating about this Flash Gordon. Whether that turns out to be the captivation of witnessing a hideous train (or spaceship) wreck, or not quite believing the spectacularly stupid dialogue while simultaneously not believing the spectacularly outrageous sets and costumes, I'll leave to your individual preferences. This Blu is definitely a step up in image quality, but the film's flaws are only more apparent in high definition. There's only so far technology can take you, no matter what Dr. Zarkov might want you to believe.
Mondo X Series #6
1980
Warcraft Fandango Cash
1980
40th Anniversary
1980
Standard Edition
1980
1980
2-Disc Limited Edition Collector's Set
1980
Limited Edition
1980
2013
2013
The Richard Donner Cut 4K
1980
The Star Beast / Wild Blue Yonder / The Giggle
2023
2018
2020-2023
Extended and Theatrical versions
2011
2015
1977
2019
2014
2017
1999
Extended TV Cut & Special Edition
1978
2017
Cinematic Universe Edition
2018
2017
2016
1982
1966-1969