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Flash Gordon

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Flash Gordon

PG

Released Dec 5, 1980

1h 50m

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

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53 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Although NASA scientists are claiming the unexpected eclipse and strange hot hail are nothing to worry about, Dr. Hans Zarkov (Topol) knows better, and takes football star Flash Gordon (Sam Jones) and travel agent Dale Arden (Melody Anderson) with him into space to rectify things. They land on planet Mongo, where the despot Ming the Merciless (Max von Sydow) is attacking Earth out of pure boredom. With the help of a race of Hawkmen, Flash and the gang struggle to save their home planet.

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Critics Consensus

Campy charm and a knowing sense of humor help to overcome a silly plot involving a spacefaring ex-football player, his adoring bevy of groupies, and a supervillain named Ming the Merciless.

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Charlotte O'Sullivan

London Evening Standard

Basically, whether laughing with this film, or at it, you'll have a blast.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 10, 2020

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Perhaps, like many a superhero film, this one flags just a little in the final battle sequences, but Von Sydow is always there to keep things bizarre, playing it absolutely straight.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 31, 2020

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Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

a mid-air skirmish of corny old-fashioned retrofuturism and knowing postmodernism, even as its veneer of homespun innocence keeps being subverted by the corrupting powers of kink.

Jul 31, 2020

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...a deserved cult-classic with the widest of appeal. It’s camp, it’s silly, it’s funny and it manages to update the Boys Own charm of the original serials...

Rated: 5/5

Nov 30, 2023

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

The movie itself is pure fun, and its status has only benefitted from the resurgence of interest in Queen, who wrote and performed the original score.

Sep 7, 2022

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Alan Jones

Starburst

If the character of Flash Gordon reminds you of Buster Crabbe's exploits in vintage 1930s serials, then this new version of Flash Gordon is definitely for you.

Jul 26, 2022

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Rob A

The OG campy classic from my childhood; that Queen soundtrack will rock you!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/28/25

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Audience Member

A hell of a good time right here. I’ll definitely return to this one in the future lol, whoever did the visuals for this film was a damn genius by the way. It’s one of the most visually appealing films ever, if only it wasn’t held back by the technology of the time. Imagine all those vibrant and beautiful colors being aided by the stuff Hollywood’s using now. Anyways, Aura was a lot hotter than Dale, but I’ll admit it was pretty close. Whatever though this was a great movie. 3.5/5 stars.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/27/25

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Mr W

While a couple of the alien costumes and special FX are outright tacky and unrealistic-looking, the script and top quality acting makes up for it! Even though it may seem unoriginal at first glance, (and it is due to it being the classic scenario of saving the world from aliens), the final scene at the end involving Emperor Ming's ring, the unseen person laughing eerily and evilly, I can safely say, was the single best cliff-hanger I've ever seen in a film. And I'm perfectly comfortable with saying that any attempt to produce a sequel (regardless of whether it was done in the 1980s or today) would be a filthy insult to the screenwriter's ingenuity. HE'S SAVIN' THE UNIVERSE!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/12/25

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Gael C

ME GUSTO MUCHO FLASH GORDON ME GUSTARÍA VERLA OTRA VEZ EN PRIME VIDEO

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/02/25

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Alan T

It's cheesy for its time and there were moments of dodgy acting skills. Nevertheless, the film was ahead of its time like Star Wars and had me entertained. Though I wish they had fleshed out more on the titular character than just an ordinary guy trapped in another world in outer space.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/16/24

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80er F

Wie "Ted" schon sagte: So schlecht und doch so gut!(Oder so ähnlich;))

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/26/24

Full Review

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Mike Hodges

Director

Sam Jones

Flash Gordon

Melody Anderson

Dale Arden

Max von Sydow

The Emperor Ming

Topol

Dr. Hans Zarkov

Ornella Muti

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Synopsis

Although NASA scientists are claiming the unexpected eclipse and strange hot hail are nothing to worry about, Dr. Hans Zarkov (Topol) knows better, and takes football star Flash Gordon (Sam Jones) and travel agent Dale Arden (Melody Anderson) with him into space to rectify things. They land on planet Mongo, where the despot Ming the Merciless (Max von Sydow) is attacking Earth out of pure boredom. With the help of a race of Hawkmen, Flash and the gang struggle to save their home planet.

Director: Mike Hodges
Producer: Dino De Laurentiis
Screenwriter: Alex Raymond, Michael Allin, Lorenzo Semple Jr.
Distributor: Cinema Classics, Video Classics, MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Universal Pictures
Production Co: 20th Century Fox
Rating: PG
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 5, 1980, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2012
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Dolby, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Surround
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Scope (2.35:1)

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