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Flash Gordon
1980 111 min Italy, Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States of America PG 12+
★6.6
Science Fiction, Adventure, Action
Director: Mike Hodges
💬 Based on the comic
«Flash Gordon»
byAlex Raymond
Trailers
EN
EN
EN
Description
A football player and his mates travel to the planet Mongo and find themselves fighting the tyranny of Ming the Merciless to save Earth.
Budget:
$35M
US Gross:
$27.11M
Worldwide:
$27.1M
Starring
Sam J. Jones
Actor
Melody Anderson
Actor
Max von Sydow
Actor
Awards
Saturn Awards 2008
— Best DVD Edition of a Classic Film
Saturn Awards 1981
— Best Science Fiction Film
Saturn Awards 1981
— Best Costume Design
Razzie Awards 1981
— Worst Actor
BAFTA 1981
— Best Production Design
BAFTA 1981
— Best Costume Design
Saturn Awards 1981
— Best Supporting Actor
BAFTA 1981
— Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music
Key opinion
Flash Gordon is widely regarded as a campy, visually vibrant cult classic that prioritizes stylized escapism over narrative depth. While critics and audiences frequently praise its iconic Queen soundtrack and Max von Sydow's performance, the film remains divisive due to its intentionally naive tone and weak lead acting.
| Score | The Queen soundtrack is universally recognized as an iconic and energetic highlight that elevates the film's overall appeal. | |
| Acting | Max von Sydow delivers a commanding and charismatic performance as Ming the Merciless that grounds the film's absurdity. | |
| Production | The film utilizes vivid, colorful production design and extravagant costumes to successfully replicate the aesthetic of 1930s comic-strip serials. | |
| Acting | The lead performances by Sam J. Jones and Melody Anderson are frequently cited as wooden, uncharismatic, and failing to provide an anchor for the plot. | |
| Originality | The film's reliance on 'camp' and deliberate artifice is praised by fans of nostalgia as charmingly naive, while others dismiss the approach as superficial, soulless, or tonally messy. | |
| Production | Opinions on the visual effects are polarized between those who appreciate their handmade, retro charm and those who find them cheap and inferior to contemporary sci-fi standards like Star Wars. |