Flash Gordon

An interesting take on the original Flash Gordon serials. Max von Sydow is great as Ming the Merciless. Campy fun !

Looks beautiful in 4K, the colors really pop. Arrow did a really nice job with this.

If you are a physical media collector who appreciates boutique labels treating cult cinema with absolute reverence, Arrow Video’s 2-disc 4K Ultra HD release of Flash Gordon (1980) is an essential addition to your shelf. Arrow has consistently set the gold standard for restorations, and they have knocked it out of the park once again. ​Dynamic Video Quality ​The picture quality on this brand-new 4K scan—taken from the original camera negative and approved by director Mike Hodges—is a revelation. Flash Gordon is a film defined by its hyper-saturated, comic-book color palette, and Dolby Vision/HDR10 brings that aesthetic to life like never before. The primary colors are incredibly vibrant, the metallic armor of Ming's guards gleams with stunning specular highlights, and the ink-like black levels provide fantastic contrast. The level of detail captured in the opulent costume designs and practical sets effortlessly surpasses any previous home video release. It has truly never looked better. ​Disc 2: Phenomenal Supplemental Material ​While the first disc is packed with fantastic commentary tracks and vintage featurettes, the second disc is where this Special Edition really shines for supplement hungry fans. ​The crown jewel of Disc 2 is Life After Flash, a brilliant, feature-length documentary by filmmaker Lisa Downs. It offers a deeply moving and incredibly candid look at the rollercoaster life of lead actor Sam J. Jones following his breakthrough role, featuring interviews with the main cast, crew, and high-profile fans like Stan Lee and Robert Rodriguez. Beyond the main doc, the disc is loaded with excellent extended sequences, fascinating insights into actor Topol’s off-screen passions, and tribute pieces to late cast members. It is a masterclass in comprehensive bonus content. ​Plot Synopsis ​For the uninitiated, the plot is a wonderfully campy, high-stakes space opera. When the malicious alien emperor Ming the Merciless (Max von Sydow) launches a series of unnatural disasters to destroy Earth out of sheer boredom, eccentric scientist Dr. Hans Zarkov constructs a rocket ship to investigate. He inadvertently kidnaps New York Jets quarterback Flash Gordon (Sam J. Jones) and travel agent Dale Arden (Melody Anderson), launching them across the cosmos to the bizarre planet Mongo. To save Earth from total annihilation, Flash must navigate alien political intrigue, survive deadly gladiatorial trials, and unite the warring kingdoms of Mongo—including the Hawkmen and the forest dwellers of Arboria—all set to a legendary, pulsing rock soundtrack by Queen. ​Final Verdict: Arrow Video has delivered the definitive release of a beloved sci-fi masterpiece. Between the spectacular visual transfer and the exhaustive depth of the bonus features, this 2-disc set is worth every single penny. Highest recommendation!

When I was a kid, I remember seeing a preview in the movie theater for something called "Flash Gordon". A confusing cascade of gaudy sets, laser blasts, explosions, and the fact that the hero had my last name was all it took to sell me on this one. It was only years later that I found out the movie I loved so dearly was, in fact, considered a flop. No matter, as Flash Gordon was part of a generation of films, between the release of Star Wars, and the release of Terminator 2, where big-budget didn't necessarily mean corporate calculations and focus-testing resulting in lifeless blockbusters such as "Pearl Harbor". A movie could be ambitious, and do it with personality, whether it was the moody ambience of John Carpenter's "The Thing", the Muppets-on-steroids fairy tale musings of "The Never-Ending Story", or the stop-motion monsters and heroics of "Clash of the Titans". "Flash Gordon's" strength lies in its shameless will to entertain, and pull the audience along for an over-the-top, goofy ride. When affable football star Flash Gordon and demure travel agent Dale Arden share an airplane ride together, all hell breaks loose when the destructive forces of space tyrant Ming start messing with Earth's weather, thus forcing Flash to crash land the suddenly pilot-less plane on Dr. Hans Zarkov's greenhouse. Zarkov, having determined the moon is being pushed toward the Earth by alien forces, "accidentally" kidnaps Flash and Dale, and they take off in his phallic rocket of hope to try to save Earth. When they reach the alien system of Mongo, which for some reason seems to mostly consist of floating fragments of planets, they are taken before Ming. Of course, that's where the real fun begins. There are some truly memorable and campy performances here, whether it's Max Von Sydow's scene-stealing Ming, Timothy Dalton's 9-degrees-more-serious-than-everyone-else Prince Barin, or Brian Blessed's lovingly loud and jovial Vultan the Hawkman. The sets are blindingly colorful, and the special effects are by turns psychadelic, tacky and vivid. And then there's the heavenly soundtrack by Queen, whose ridiculous amounts of talent were quite suited for a movie that lived by the credo "more is more". The movie jolts along at a brisk pace, as Flash, Dale and Zarkov haplessly fall into various situations, each one more over the top than the last. One of the best aspects of the movie is seeing our heroes, being plucked from mundane everyday life, and being placed in this garish otherworldly adventure. This movie is so fun, that it literally enrages me that Sci-Fi Channel recently took the Flash Gordon property, and soiled it by converting it into an utterly mundane and cheap TV show, run by bean counters so tight-fisted with money that their version of Hawkmen don't even have wings- they have ragged capes. Give me "Flash Gordon approaching on a Hawkman rocketcycle" anyday over a warmed-over, cheap Smallville/Charmed wannabe filled with oh-so-self-aware cutesy dialogue even Kevin Smith would think twice about writing. The only good thing about the Sci-Fi Channel "remake" series is that it prompted the re-release of this movie on DVD in 2007. Therefore, this particular DVD issue is no longer needed. The actual quality of the transfer for the 1998 DVD release is rather grainy and dirty, and there are no extras. The "Saviour of the Universe" edition is apparently remastered, and is priced normally, as opposed to the now out-of-print 1998 version. In any case, this movie is a must have, as a memento of a time when "event" movie-making was more of an art than a rote science.

Always a blast from the past! Has just enough cheese but entertaining enough to watch again and again.

OK, so "Flash Gordon" just doesn't compete with "Star Wars"...but it was never MEANT to. I mean, really; Scorsese makes "The Departed", which wins best picture and is arguably one of the best cop dramas ever made...does that make us like "Starsky and Hutch" or "Law and Order" any less? Of course not, it's like comparing apples to oranges. With that out of the way, I have to say that this early 80s incarnation of the comic strip and serial hero from long ago is one of the most entertaining movies to come out of that era in it's genre. You had it all; really REALLY bad guys (Max Von Sydow as the ruthless Ming the Merciless really seemed to have the time of his life here), flaxen-haired, burly really GOOD (and I mean from the titular Boy Scout to the seemingly selfish but gold-hearted princes of the realm) good guys, beautiful maids on BOTH sides, and enough laser blasts and over the top explosions to make anyone happy. Add to that the inspired soundtrack by Queen, and you have one heck of a Saturday afternoon worth of enjoyment...I suspect the same kind of enjoyment that was inspired by the serials way back in the day, with the similar cliffhanger elements and rapid fire sequencing. There's a touch of Indiana Jones as well as Luke Skywalker in our hero here, and I suspect his spirit may inhabit the both of those descendants a little bit. The film was intentionally done as a "live action comic book", and the dialogue and costumes show it, but if you are looking for a fun, sentimental ride where the bad guys are bad and the good guys are good, something you and the kids can watch and ALL of you enjoy it, you could do an awful lot worse that joining Flash, Dale, and Zarkov in their efforts to keep earth safe from the tyrannical Ming.

One of the greatest 80s camp space films of all time!

One of the best movies from the 80's! Love the music (sound track by Queen) & has the best wardrobes & costumes!!!

As shown

Flash Gordon, le classique de la science-fiction des années 80, fait son retour dans une toute nouvelle édition Blu-ray 4K. Réalisé par Mike Hodges, ce film emblématique continue de captiver les spectateurs avec ses effets spéciaux révolutionnaires et son ambiance rétro futuriste. La première chose qui frappe lorsqu'on lance ce Blu-ray 4K est la qualité remarquable de l'image. Les couleurs sont éclatantes et bien saturées, avec une richesse de détails qui rend justice aux décors extravagants du film. Les scènes d'action sont nettes et fluides, offrant une expérience visuelle immersive. Les effets spéciaux, bien que datés, bénéficient d'un nouveau souffle grâce à la résolution 4K, ce qui permet de redécouvrir les nombreux détails qui peuvent passer inaperçus dans des éditions précédentes. Les dialogues sont clairs et bien équilibrés avec les effets sonores et la musique emblématique de Queen. Les scènes d'action sont accompagnées d'un son percutant qui remplit l'espace sonore, transportant le spectateur au cœur de l'action. Que ce soit lors des combats spatiaux épiques ou des confrontations sur la planète Mongo, l'audio contribue à l'immersion totale dans l'univers de Flash Gordon. Cette édition Blu-ray 4K de Flash Gordon est accompagnée d'une sélection de bonus intéressants pour les fans. On y trouve des documentaires sur les coulisses du tournage, des interviews des acteurs et de l'équipe technique, ainsi que des commentaires audio du réalisateur Mike Hodges. Ces suppléments offrent un regard approfondi sur la création de ce film culte et ajoutent une valeur significative à cette édition. Ce Blu-ray 4K de Flash Gordon offre une expérience de visionnage exceptionnelle pour les amateurs du film. La qualité vidéo époustouflante, l'audio immersif et les bonus enrichissants font de cette édition un incontournable pour toute collection.

The classic Flash Gordon movie with the original theme from Queen made to this movie. Unforgetable movie. Fast deliver. Thank you.

As a teenager I loved this film. It might be cheesy, full of poor props and some wonky acting but it's immensely entertaining, funny tongue and cheek and just has some classic moments that even thirty five years later people can quote. Flash Gordon is based off of the 1930's comic strip by Alex Raymond. The film follows Flash (Sam Jones), an all american blonde haired quarterback for the New York Jets american football team. Returning from holiday on a plane with only one other passenger, Dale Arden (Melody Anderson) they are hit by some freak weather events causing them to crash into a building of the scientist Hans Zarkov (Chaim Topol) who forces them to go into a rocket with him knowing this weather is not natural. From there they end up on Mongo, run by the all powerful emperor Ming (Max Von Synow) and Flash must show the different factions of Mongo how to fight back and rebel against him. The plot isn't going to win any awards and nor is the acting but there are some classic sequences and great lines from Timothy Dalton, Brian Blessed among others, it's simply great campy fun. There are rocket bikes, ship assaults, an arena fight, weird creatures, old fashioned model special effects, it's just great and all this with a film in which half of Sam Jone's lines were voiced by an impersonator! The soundtrack was written and performed by Queen full of their iconic sound and plenty of guitars throughout. "Flash, ahhhhh he's a miracle!" It couldn't be any more perfect for the film. The blu-ray is pretty devoid of content, just a couple of commentaries but this was made long before film extra's were a thing so it's kind of expected. The picture quality also isn't very good, more like a low end dvd but at the price it is though, I doubt it matters. I'm not going to lie, this isn't a good film in a traditional sense by any stretch but if you've got an open mind, Flash is funny, colouful, retro campy fun. Recommended. + Genuinely funny in places. + Fantastic soundtrack by Queen. + Retro special effects. + Diiiiivvve!

la verdad es que la pelicula es una joya del cine pop , pero el problema que tuve con la compra fue que mi Reproductor de Blu ray me decia que tenia otra region y bueno tuve que conseguir otro reproductor para verla