Flash Gordon (1980)
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A football star and his allies must unite the warring factions of the planet Mongo to stop a tyrant from destroying Earth.
The story
To stop Emperor Ming the Merciless from destroying Earth, football star Flash Gordon, travel agent Dale Arden, and scientist Dr. Hans Zarkov are thrust into a perilous journey. After a mid-flight disaster leads them to Zarkov's secret spacecraft, the trio travels to the planet Mongo. Upon arrival, they are captured by Ming's forces. Flash must navigate the treacherous politics of the alien world, forming alliances with various factions while trying to protect Dale and stop Ming's ultimate plan to destroy Earth.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being captured on Mongo, Flash is initially ordered for execution but is saved by Princess Aura, who falls in love with him. The group is split; Zarkov and Dale are captured by the hawkmen of Sky City, while Flash and Aura flee to the kingdom of Arboria. Flash is forced into a deadly game of chance by Prince Barin but manages to escape. Later, Flash and Barin are captured by hawkmen and forced into a death match; Flash saves Barin's life, and they join forces to defeat the traitor Klytus. Meanwhile, Ming prepares to marry Dale. Flash and the hawkmen launch a desperate assault on Mingo City using the war rocket Ajax. During the battle, Barin and Zarkov confront and defeat General Kala. Flash flies the Ajax into the wedding hall, where he confronts Ming. After Ming refuses to stop his attack on Earth, he is destroyed by his own power ring. The film ends with Barin and Aura becoming the new leaders of the land, while Flash, Dale, and Zarkov prepare to find a way back to Earth.
- First release year
- 1980
- Runtime (minutes)
- 114
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mike Hodges
- Writers
- Lorenzo Semple Jr. · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Sam J. Jones · Flash Gordon; Melody Anderson · Dale Arden; Max von Sydow · Emperor Ming the Merciless; Topol · Dr. Hans Zarkov; Ornella Muti · Princess Aura; Timothy Dalton · Prince Barin; Brian Blessed · Prince Vultan; Peter Wyngarde · General Klytus
- Genres
- space opera; superhero; fantasy; adventure
- Themes
- heroism; good vs evil
- Tone and mood
- campy; heroic
- Setting
- The planet Mongo and Earth during a period of extraterrestrial threat.
- Premise and plot tags
- space opera; sword and planet; comic book adaptation
- Source material / true-story basis
- King Features comic strip
- Franchise connections
- Flash Gordon
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable critical reception and has gained a significant cult following, despite mixed reviews regarding its humorous, self-aware tone.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 83% · scale: percentage · review count: 52; Metacritic · score: 58 · scale: 100 · review count: 13
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Award · Worst Actor · 1st · Nominated; Stinkers Bad Movie Award · Worst On-Screen Couple · Winner
- Production trivia
- A character named Fellini was included as a nod to director Federico Fellini.; The musical score was performed by the rock band Queen.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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