"Check the angular vector of the moon!"
Why not write about 'Flash Gordon' again? It's a monumental achievement, produced by a madman, part improvised on the fly, and scored by rock geniuses. There are quotes aplenty and a blockbuster role for Brian Blessed. Oh, and there are guards with very literal 'hand-guns'. Mwahahaha. 'Flash Gordon' is the stuff that dreams are made of, and the classical comic book movie. It may indeed be the only perfect comic strip movie, and one indelibly and beautifully engraved on the mind's eye. Does it make sense? No, it's total nonsense, but its heart is in the right place, and there is internal sense throughout.
"Flying blind on a rocket cycle?"
Of course, this is not a film to watch if you have problems with Brian Blessed in golden wings and a spiky helmet. It's not a film to be taken seriously on any level, and is really a pure romance of the old definition masquerading as an action film. The costumes are a sight to behold, with masks, capes and brocade aplenty, as supplied by the grand costumiers of Italy. The influence of the old movie serials is clear to see, and the brilliance of the costumes and sets is thrilling.
"Pathetic Earthlings."
Added to the incredible production values, you get Timothy Dalton a few years before his James Bond years, Max von Sydow going through the full gamut of theatricality as chief villain Ming the Merciless, and an American football fight sequence that has to be seen to be believed. Everything is interesting in some way in 'Flash Gordon', even the corny romance at its core. To borrow from one of the film's DVD commentaries, the film is fascinatingly 'pure', and the purity it possesses allows anything to become acceptable. In the world of 'Flash Gordon', an hourglass that runs against gravity is barely noteworthy.
"Flash, I love you! But we only have 14 hours to save the Earth!"
Oh, if only Queen could have scored more movies. Their work on 'Flash Gordon' is astonishing in places, although I'm not sure if they're responsible for the more orchestral pieces. There are transcendent moments, especially when the rocket ship is drifting through space or the gas is wafting into the execution chamber. It's a film that is actually scored very subtly, even when taking the theme song into account. It all works, drawn together by invisible glue and a measure of insanity.
"A-ha! I thought it was one of the prime numbers of the Zeeman series. I haven't changed!"
'Flash Gordon' is often described as campy. I have no idea what 'campy' means, though, and prefer to think about it in other terms. It's innocent but racy, colourful and daft, epic adventure and goofball romance, indescribable and filled with style, and totally coherent despite being often quite nonsensical. If all those things sound good, then you have to watch 'Flash Gordon'!
"Will it make me forget?" "No, but it will make you not mind remembering."
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