The original: 

Flash Gordon (1980)

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Directed by: 

Mike Hodges (Get Carter, Croupier, Morons from Outer Space), Written by Lorenzo Semple Jr

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Starring: 

Sam Jones, Melody Anderson, Topol, Timothy Dalton, Ornella Muti, Brian Blessed, Peter Wyngarde, Mariangela Melato, William Hootkins, Philip Stone; with Max von Sydow and Peter Duncan 

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What’s it about? 

When Ming the Merciless (Sydow), Evil ruler of Mongo, a far away kingdom in space, sends Earth’s moon on a collision course, three humans- crazed but brilliant scientist Hans Zarkov (Topol), feisty and smart New Yorker Dale Arden (Anderson) and slow, brave, handsome and pure of heart Quarterback Flash Gordon (Jones)- fly a rocket to Mongo to stop the madman.  

 

Aliens and Hawkmen, Lizard people and red, dwarf sex-slaves; Kingdoms in swamps and Castles in clouds; enemies transforming to allies, hopelessness turning to hope: Flash Gordon is a film of varying themes and many parts; all of them weird. 

 

Flash Gordon the film is camp, kitsch, grimy, gritty, funny, exciting, inspiring, knowing, horrifying and fun. Everything in this world will kill you, eat you, hurt you and seduce you- and not always in that order. 

 

With a killer mix of humour, sex, amazing wardrobes, astonishing hair and more horrors than you can shake a Wood-Beast at, this is a gold star classic. 

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Endowed with an iconic score by Queen and directed with guile by Hodges, with all characters realised beautifully by a top tier cast firing on all thrusters, Flash Gordon is the ultimate space opera-action-adventure-romance-horror-comedy epic. 

 

Save every one of us?  It already has. 

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“I knew you were up to something, though I confess I hadn't thought of necrophilia.” 

 

“Grab your toothbrush and whatever.” 

 

“Flash! Flash, I love you! But we only have fourteen hours to save the Earth!” 

 

“Gordon’s alive!” 

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