Home|Movies|Robots|Timeline|Authors|Rating System

Flash Gordon (1980)

Flash Gordon is an American Qraterback[sic] who is taken a ride towards the planet mongo with his beautiful girlfriend Dale Arden are quickly taken in by the Mighty Ming the merciless who seizes Dale and tries to execute Flash. However Flash escapes and now must collect an army of strange beings to fight back this seemly mad Emperor and revive Dale as well as saving the earth all at the same time. Can Flash do it? Written by Miss Nichola McDougall

Featured Reviews:

Michael Salley

"Flash Gordon" was perhaps one of the most enjoyable movies we have watched to date. The effects and scenery may not have been as refined as they might have been... but the movie earned more brownie points with me than many of the others simply by being humorous. The plot itself seemed a bit far-fetched; a group of pseudo-Mongols from space taking over the rest of the galaxy planet by planet as soon as the denizens of said planets have discovered that there is more life out beyond their own world. In places, the movie seemed entirely too simplistic and somewhat rigged; the testimony given to the "Emperor"... Head Space Cadet... whatever he was... by a relatively unfortunate tribe started with "We have nothing to offer you. We have suffered greatly since you blasted our kingdom." This attitude, while humorous, sums up the entire mentality of the "bad guys" in Flash Gordon - the Space Mongols are a classic race of conquerors who are deaf to the cries of the brutally conquered until the day when they are finally crushed in a heroic uprising by the minions. Flash Gordon himself is a super-hero in human form, in the way that his hair remains beach-surfer blond no matter how much he goes through... in one scene, he's being blasted on his air scooter, and in the next he's recomposed perfectly. Facts such as that... and the complete lack of shooting skill exhibited by all but one or two of the characters... and the fact that Flash and his co-heroes can always survive a barrage of shots from numerous ray guns that invariably manage to blow up everything except their target - seem to detract from the overall veracity of the film. It's too contrived. However, the standard good-vs-evil... evil-seems-to-be-winning... but-somebody-saves-us-all-at-the-last-minute sequence is perfectly intact, and in its own way the movie does have some good points to make regarding the role of the conquered and their conquerors. As for robots... none were clearly evident. There were some floating bowling balls that killed people with blast rays... I'd assume those were robots of some form or another. Technology in this movie was portrayed in terms of efficient killing and brainwashing technology that threatened the people... but then again, half of the people were threats too. Overall... the movie lacked finesse but was a good laugh and did suggest some anti-technology impressions that would have existed at the time of the movie. As the Cold War was reaching its end but still raging throughout America, it's reasonable to assume that movies such as this with all the fancy weaponry and so forth... would represent the anti-technology-for-evil attitude that prevailed at the time the movie was made.

Jeanne-Claire White

Flash Gordon is one of those movies that is so bad it is hilarious. All of the movie components are awful from the expressionless actors to the cheesy jokes. The plot is about Flash Gordon trying to save the planet Earth, and he and Dale are kidnapped and have to break free. Although the plot is lame, the music for this film is absolutely amazing and very catchy.  The action scenes are basic, and the only sign of a robot that I saw was a hovering machine.  If you are into space movies and have a lot of free time, I recommend this movie for a few good laughs.

Mike Wittmer

Melody Anderson said it best, “Flash, Flash I love you, but we only have fourteen hours to save the earth!”  Flash Gordon combines the sweet simplicity of its characters with an exciting plot and an upbeat soundtrack by Queen that leaves you “hangin’ on the edge of your seat.” This movie has all the classic comic book elements.  You have the hero, the chick, the scientist, the evil warlord bent on destroying the Earth, the flashy lasers, and even the obnoxious sound effects. What’s not to like? It’s a fun movie for you and your friends, although the cartoon-y feel might get to you when watching it alone.    

All Reviews