Flash Gordon (1936) User Reviews

My favourite serial so far---this one has everything

[Travis_Moran · 8/10 · 30 July 2005]

My friend gives me these 3 huge boxes. "They're laserdiscs of Flash Gordon serials," he says. "I'm gonna have some giant coasters," I say. But not so. This serial rocks. (But I had to whine & moan to almost everyone I knew to find a laserdisc player for em).

There is really a little of everything in this serial: There are lion-men, hawk-men, shark-men, Earthmen, & I guess you'd call em Mongo-men. The sets & costumes combine, Greek, Roman, Oriental, Egyptian and there's even armour like English knights. Awesome costumes. And some of it was a riot. Those horrible tights with shorts over em worn by Zarkov are beyond description. And the guys in the furnace scene seem to be wearing boxers.

It's also funny the way they renamed the octopus to an octosack, the orangutan to orangapoid, and the tiger to a tigron. There's even a dragon (a Godzilla-like creature who threatens Flash on a couple of occasions before being killed off).

You like the Invisible Man? This has got you covered. You like sword fights, wrestling (both animals & men), fist fights? Plenty for any taste. We have an underwater city, a sky city, a city on top of a mountain, and tonnes of secret passages and caves.

Hokey effects? Massive amounts. The sky city is supported by radium furnaces stoked like old-time steamships. The rocketships are "powered" by fireworks and have constant backfires and/or humming noises. Lots of wires are visible holding things up (like food when Flash was invisible and of course rocketships). There's clouds out in space, but none around the earth when viewed from Mongo. "Giant" lizards show up briefly. Fighting sea creatures supposedly threaten Flash & co. on the way to the shark-men's underwater city. The "gadgets" in Dr. Zarkov's lab crack me up. And they seem to be the same ones no matter what lab he's in (he worked in Ming's lab and Vultan's).

And yeah, we have romance. Everyone wants Dale; Ming, Vultan, Flash. But at least one person wanted Princess Aura (Prince Baron) just not the person she would have preferred. In fact, it seems a lot of the sub-plots concern intrigue on the part of Princess Aura to try to win Flash.

Man I think the characters are awesome. That fat, horse-laughing, King Vultan was hilarious. How he managed those wings was pure artistry. And Ming! What can I say about Ming? He was perfect. They should have had him for the emperor in Starwars. Ming has got to be my favourite character in this serial. Princess Aura was quite a little character too. And she pulled it off nicely. I think she's a better actress than Dale Arden by a long shot. Even the sneaky high priest had a distinctive role. Zarkov was good, but not the strongest character---and he always stood in the background during fight scenes holding Dale. Now we get to Flash: Flash, of course, was the strong point, the leader, the hero---and he did it well. Crabbe is a good actor and this role fit him perfectly.

After watching this, I think I know where George Lucas got the main idea for Starwars. Watch this, you'll see what I mean.

If you ever considered watching an old serial (or any serial for that matter), this should be your first choice. The only reason I didn't give this one a 10 is because of a few story holes that could have been fixed easily, the way the giant lizards seemed just tacked in there, and a couple of weak characters (king of shark-men & king of lion-men).

Classic serial - hectic pace, silly wandering plots, great fun!

[mstomaso · 6/10 · 23 March 2007]

Buster Crabbe was a big, good-looking guy who could act. The Flash Gordon serials of the 1930s used several big guys (most of whom really weren't actors) to bring to life the characters of a serialized cartoon. This is the first series, and, some of the experts believe it is the best. I am not an expert on Flash Gordon or serials, but I know what I like, and this serial was more entertaining and enjoyable than other classics like Radar Men on the Moon and The Phantom Creeps.

Flash starts out as a young man on a plane who is preoccupied about the planet which is about to slam into the earth, destroying everything, and the very pretty girl sitting next to him (Jean Rogers). The passengers bail out and the plane crashes. Flash saves the girl and lands near a rocket ship designed to solve the interplanetary problem by a seemingly deranged but very brilliant scientist (Frank Shannon). And the adventures have just begun.

As the serial progresses, we meet Ming the Merciless - self-proclaimed Emperor of the Universe; an enormous jovial winged king with the attention span of a chickadee; an honorable and huge prince clad in Roman armor with a sword and a fleet of rocket ships; a conniving princess who wants to possess Flash, a despicable high priest, and a tribe of enslaved space hippies who Flash will eventually inspire to great deeds.

Some of the dialog is predictably corny, but overall, the stories are cleverly plotted, well edited and very well directed. The special effects are good for their time, and the costuming is terrific. There is a lot of action and a lot of dialog. Most of the acting is surprisingly good, but there are a few glaringly bad exceptions. These little problems don't really reduce the entertainment value of the films however.

There are no great philosophical points you can take home from these films, but they do exactly what they were intended to do quite well - they entertain and stimulate the imagination. Good enough for me!

The best of all American serials

[marionaito · 7/10 · 27 March 2003]

Flash Gordon is, undoubtedly, the best of all American serials. In a date so early as 1936,Universal was capable of making such an entertainment story, and twenty years later when I watched it for the first time as a kid it involved me in a great adventure and emotion. Buster Crabbe was the hero we always wanted to be in our childhood, and Jean Rogers the beautiful girl we always dreamt to be in love with. Dragons, octopus, monsters,gorillas were also the attraction. Charles Middleton was a great presence as Ming, the Merciless. A true predecessor of George Lucas´s Starwars.

Not-so-guilty pleasure

[jkogrady · 9 December 2002]

Universal put out three Flash Gordon chapter plays, in 1936, 1938

and 1940; but despite the larger budgets of the latter two, the first

is the by far the most fun; its successors are pale in comparison,

although the Clay People of Series II are certainly worth while. I

loved the 1936 serial dearly when I was five years old, seeing it on

TV; and I still retain a good deal of affection for it, even now when I

am old enough to be aware of the cardboard sets, ridiculous

dialogue and frequent lapses of taste. Who cares? Flash's

adventures have nothing to do with outer space and are largely

medieval, as this 1930s art deco Siegfried battles shark men,

hawk men, and cheesy rubber dragons. Buster Crabbe is ideal,

and Charles Middleton positively believes he IS Ming the

Merciless. Then there is Princess Aura. I don't know about the rest

of you male types out there, but if I were Flash I would have

dumped Dale for Priscilla Lawson's voluptuous princess by

Episode Two. Besides the perfectly obvious fact that she would be

vastly more fun in bed, consider: When Flash is in horrible danger,

what does Dale do? She faints, or gets hypnotised. Aura,

meanwhile, has swiped a rocket ship, bribed the guards, found a

cache of weapons, and is actively doing her best to rescue the

guy. She saves Flash's butt from certain horrible death about every

other episode, but does the big lunk appreciate it? Oh well. Even

when I was five I was dimly aware that there was some reason I

wanted her to take me home with her... and above all, there's

Frank Shannon's Zarkov. "You are a remarkable man. I can use

you" says Emperor Ming; and what Zarkov doesn't say, but is

clearly thinking, is: "and I can use a blithering mad emperor with

unlimited power and a fantastic laboratory"! My favorite dialogue in

the whole serial comes in Episode One. Zarkov and Flash have

just met, and Zarkov explains that the Earth's only hope of survival

is his home built rocket ship. "Sure this thing will work?" asks

Flash, after they've come aboard. "I've experimented with models"

Zarkov replies. "Ah," responds Flash; "They ever come back?" With

perfect equanimity Zarkov says "They weren't supposed to." Now,

there's a REAL Mad Scientist after my own heart! Zarkov routinely

invents the impossible on five minutes notice, from invisibility rays

to anti-gravitons. The whole thing is so absurd it's magnificent, so

hokey it's colossal. It's for the precocious five-year-old in us all.

Fight of Earth men against the evil Ming in the planet Mongo

[esteban1747 · 7/10 · 5 December 2001]

I was a child when I saw this serial, a bit after seen Buck Rogers one, both characters performed by the same Buster Crabbe, and I must acknowledge that these films have always been part of the best entertainment I've ever had. The fight against Emperor Ming was one thing but I was more interested to know about the final fate of the love triangle of Flash with Dale and Aura. Barin came and persuaded Aura to forget Flash, very innocent termination of her obsession for good-looking Flash. The serial has no offensive and really violent scenes and can be watched by all audiences. Another thing is that I learned floating in water looking the way Crabbe did it when fighting against shark men. The soundtrack was also nice although it was used previously in another film of Boris Karloff's Frankenstein. It would be nice to have the DVD of this serial provided that it comes with subtitles in Spanish (not yet available).

Fun relic

[jamesrupert2014 · 7/10 · 19 March 2017]

Flash Gordon was the first of the serials based on Alex Raymond's eponymous hero. This 13 part epic has everything a science fiction fan could ask for: strange new worlds, dinosaurs, spaceships, submarines, underwater cities, floating cities, ray-guns, invisibility machines, monsters, atom furnaces, and hunky guys in short shorts or/and hot girls in skimpy halter-tops. Buster Crabbe is all noble, jut-jawed hero and Jean Rogers makes a gorgeous, if somewhat ineffectual, Dale Arden, who spends most of the serial being threatened with a 'fate worse than death' by first Ming, then by a sharkman, then a hawkman (even the good guy Thun the lionman seems to 'cop a feel' while helping her escape in episode 5). The special effects, costly at the time, will seem quaint to modern viewers but that just adds to the charm as Flash makes his way from cliff-hanger to cliff hanger with the help or hindrance of some memorable secondary characters (although Jack Lipson's Prince Vulcan is a pale foreshadowing of Brian Blessed's booming presence in the 1981 version). 1936 saw the release of this serial and of William Cameron Menzies "Shape of Things to Come", archetypes of low-brow and high-brow science fiction: one's a silly, action packed adventure, the other a pedantic, philosophical bore. Probably not a tough choice to audiences of the time (especial the kids at whom Flash was aimed) and while I appreciate Menzies' vision, Flash is a lot more fun, and in the end, about as realistic. An added bonus is that watching this silly, innocent serial is the perfect segue into watching 1974's equally silly but much less innocent, "Flesh Gordon".

A Serial Classic

[nostalgicman2004 · 9/10 · 9 October 2003]

After 66 years "Flash Gordon" still has an appealing scifi/adventure/epic feel that many of today's science fiction adventures strive for and fail to deliver. The only way to fully enjoy this serial is just to sit back and not pick at anything (hokey effects, dialogue, why Flash doesn't go for Princess Aura etc.). And as for you older people who saw "Flash Gordon" back on the serial screen or on T.V. "back in the day", if you want this fine serial to remain appealing to future generations, get your kids/grandkids to watch this when they're young. It worked for me (Male aged 18 or under). 9 out of 10

Flash Gordon: Space Soldiers—13 chapters of cheesy goodness.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 18 April 2015]

In the smoky vastness of space, a strange planet rushes towards Earth on a collision course. Scientific genius Dr. Alexis Zarkov (Frank Shannon) has built a rocket ship in which he intends to travel to the speeding planet and somehow alter its trajectory, but is unexpectedly joined on his mission by American football player 'Flash' Gordon (Larry 'Buster' Crabbe) and his blonde travelling companion Dale Arden (the absolutely gorgeous Jean Rogers), whose plane has been forced out of the sky by an electrical storm.

Flash Gordon was, in its day, the most expensive serial ever produced, and wowed audiences so much that two further serials were made in quick succession (Trip to Mars in 1938 and Conquers the Universe in 1940). These days the crude special effects, bizarre costumes, stilted acting, meandering scripts and static direction seem extremely primitive, but it is for precisely these reasons that I enjoy the serial so much—it's all just so much cheesy fun (there's also an element of nostalgia: they used to air these on Saturday mornings during my school holidays).

Space Soldiers, the first adventure for Buster Crabbe's daring space explorer, is divided into 13 chapters packed with punch-ups and sword fights, imaginative settings, crazy creatures (Orangopoids, Tigrons and Fire Dragons, oh my!) and silly sci-fi contraptions, each ending on a 'thrilling' cliffhanger that leaves the hero in mortal danger (although each successive chapter would see Flash easily escaping peril to fight another day).

Universal's greatest chapterplay

[Shotsy · 9/10 · 7 April 1999]

One of the most famous of all movie serials! Still interesting today although it does have an "old movie" look to it. The second serial looks better but simply does not equal this one. Actors have a good time , especially Middleton and Lipson. Great editing by the Universal expert crew. The musical score was tracked in from Universal's "Destination Unknown", "The Invisible Man", "The Black Cat", and "Werewolf of London". And what great action music it was! If there was a choice for all-time best serial, this (arguably) should be #1.

Classic Comic Book Serial!

[bsmith5552 · 7/10 · 12 August 2013]

"Flash Gordon" is another of those serials based on a popular comic strip of the time. It shows its age through the cheaply produced special effects and obvious matte paintings used as back drops. In its' defense one has to remember that this was 1936 and it WAS based on a comic strip.

The basic plot has Flash Gordon (a blond Buster Crabbe), his girlfriend Dale Arden (a blonde Jean Rogers) and brilliant scientist Dr. Zarkov (an un-blond Frank Shannon) rocketing off to the planet Mongo to try to prevent it from crashing into the earth. Once there they are captured by Emperor Ming the Merciless (Charles Middleton) and his sinister daughter Aura (Priscilla Lawson).

Flash battles the usual array of monsters and soldiers in his on-going battle with Ming and his men while escaping many life threatening cliff hangers in the process. Ming, meanwhile has taken a liking to the lovely Dale and Aura has set her sights on Flash for herself. Dr. Zarkoff has won the favor of Ming for his brilliant scientific discoveries. I mean, is there nothing the man cannot invent to deal with the many life threatening dangers and emergencies that occur over the course of 13 chapters?

Other characters in the story include John Lipson as the hilarious winged warrior King Vultan, Richard Alexander as Prince Barin, Theodore Lorch as the evil High Priest and James Pierce (the former Tarzan) as King Thun an ally of Flash.

Having been filmed by Universal, the production had access to the studio's large inventory of laboratory equipment and electrical apparatus that had been used in their various horror films such as "Frankenstein" (1931). The special effects, especially the flying sequences, look cheap and unconvincing. The interiors of the space ships are small and bare boned with only one apparent seat for the pilot and he is not even strapped in.

Having said all of that, "Flash Gordon" is nonetheless a fast moving entertaining serial that spawned two sequels: Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars" (1938) and "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" (1940).

Unwatchable

[bull-frog · 2/10 · 5 October 2007]

I watched the first few episodes a short while back and felt I couldn't take it anymore. The horrible looking fight scenes are the worst I've ever scene in my life. About one-third of each episode is dedicated to Flash Gordon and his "mighty" fight moves. I know fight choreography from that era isn't exactly up to par with today's standards, but this is ridiculous. They don't even try to make it look realistic. Flash Gordon, who hardly resembles a fighter, uses his drunken slow moves and bare fist to knock out four or five guys with knives, guns, and other weapons. Give me a break! There's also a scene where he does some similar act while in the water. Basically every episode has scenes similar to that. As for the rest of the episode, there's not much else I remember. I basically viewed it out of curiosity on what science fiction looked like 70 years ago.

The Standard for All Serials

[GaryKoca · 10/10 · 24 April 2006]

The Standard bearer of all movie serials, the definite good guy - Flash Gordon - versus Bad Guy - Ming the Merciless. Though the special effects seem awful by today's standards, for 1936 they were top notch. But the essence of the story is the battle between Earthman Flash Gordon (Buster Crabbe) versus Emporer Ming of Mongo (Charles Middleton). Crabbe and Middleton are terrific in their parts. And the supporting characters playing Dale Arden, Dr. Zarkov, Princess Aura, Prince Barin, Vulcan, and the rest are all very good. This serial is far superior to the 1980 movie, basically because Crabbe is much much superior to Sam J. Jones as Flash Gordon.

This serial is the standard bearer for all movie serials. No question about it.

Just sit back and enjoy it!

[JohnHowardReid · 7/10 · 19 March 2018]

Directors: FREDERICK STEPHANI, RAY TAYLOR. Screenplay: Frederick Stephani, George Plympton, Basil Dickey, Ella O'Neill. Based on the comic strip "Flash Gordon" (or "Speed Gordon" as it was known in Australia) created and drawn by Alex Raymond. Photography: Jerome "Jerry" Ash, Richard Fryer. Film editors: Saul Goodkind, Edward Todd, Alvin Todd, Louis Sackin. Art director: Ralph Berger. Special effects: Norman Dewes. Music adapted from Franz Waxman's score for The Bride of Frankenstein. Producer: Henry MacRae.

A Universal serial in 13 chapters of two reels each. U.S. release: 6 April 1936. Copyright by Universal Productions, Inc. Chapter titles and copyright dates: The Plant of Peril, 18 March 1936; The Tunnel of Terror, 23 March 1936; Captured by Shark Men, 9 April 1936; Battling the Sea Beast, 17 April 1936; The Destroying Ray, 23 April 1936; Flaming Torture, 30 April 1936; Shattering Doom, 6 May 1936; Tournament of Death, 14 May 1936; Fighting the Fire Dragon, 20 May 1936; The Unseen Peril, 27 May 1936; In the Claws of the Tigron, 3 June 1936; Trapped in the Turret, 10 June 1936; Rocketing to Earth, 17 June 1936.

The serial was cut down to a 97-minute feature version called ROCKET SHIP. I have also seen this listed as Spaceship to the Unknown and Atomic Rocketship. TV title: Space Soldiers.

SYNOPSIS: Flash Gordon, Dr Zarkov and Dale Arden blast off to Planet Mongo where they encounter Ming the Merciless, who seeks to conquer the entire universe.

NOTES: Sequels are Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938) and Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940).

COMMENT: This legendary serial is still great fun today. Of course it doesn't have its original impact. Although the sets are still impressive (some refurbished from Bride of Frankenstein), the special effects and props look more than a bit tacky. Instead of breathtaking wonder, they now inspire amusement. Many of the thrills that once brought audiences out in a sweat, now bring chuckles and campy laughter. But there's no denying the pace and sheer energetic gusto of Flash Gordon. This was writer Frederick Stephani's first and last directorial assignment. Ray Taylor had to be called in to help him out, whilst no less than four film editors worked on assembling the footage - which now truly moves with a speed Flash would have been proud of. There are no seams. Stephani's visual flair admirably complements Taylor's vigorous action staging.

The players may lack subtlety, even finesse, but Crabbe certainly looks the part, while Jean Rogers makes an attractive heroine. And who could fail to enjoy Charles Middleton's Ming and Priscilla Lawson's Aura?

Insipid Influence

[Cineanalyst · 4/10 · 20 September 2019]

I've seen a few film serials, and thus far I'm not a fan. But, to fancy oneself a film buff, I suppose at least some must be endured--and I stress "endured," being that many, such as this one, "Flash Gordon," go on for thirteen-or-so repetitive chapters, running up to several hours in total length. "Flash Gordon" is of special historical importance as, perhaps, the most popular and celebrated of Hollywood's "golden age" serials from the mid-1930s to the mid-1940s. It's included in America's National Film Registry for a reason. I think my problem is with the form, which has more in common with television episodes than with feature-length cinema. This is more "Star Trek" the TV show, say, than "Metropolis" (1927). Of course, New Hollywood filmmakers grew up on this fluff, which was aimed primarily at matinee-attending boys, and so eventually "Flash Gordon" and its ilk came to closely resemble the feature film and, namely, those involving George Lucas, including the Indian Jones and Star Wars franchises. Indeed, "Flash Gordon" was ahead of the curve of our current age of cinematic franchises, shared universes and endless reboots. Born of a comic strip and previously adapted for radio, the film serial went on to spawn two sequels, "Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars" (1938) and "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" (1940), as well as TV series and a 1980 film.

Thus, I appreciate its historical significance, but I struggle to appreciate this even as mindless entertainment. The designs, effects, performances and plots are cheesy and as monotonous as the inevitable cliffhanger at the end of an episode and its equally-inevitable resolution at the beginning of the next one. There's little in the way of imaginative sci-fi visuals, either, with obvious and poor special effects, enough hidden passages to make one wonder if they stumbled into a haunted-house picture, eavesdropping, double crossing and other soap-opera antics, English-speaking aliens surrounded by either Art Deco designs or laboratories ripped-off from Universal's Frankenstien films, and the usual exotic "othering" including villainous ethnic stereotypes. I mean, "Emperor Ming" of the planet "Mongo," where they strike gongs, for crying out loud.

But, don't get me wrong; it's not as though any of the other characters have any dimensionality or sophistication to them, either. Consequently, characters change loyalties and goals at the drop of a hat. Flash is your typical, cardboard cutout, vacuous adventurer meant as the hero for the young-male spectator to identify with. Apparently, he's addicted to getting into fights, which of course he always wins, and he's catnip to the ladies. One of these women and the other part of the picture's idealized Arian-blonde coupling, Dale, is even worse--a damsel-in-distress trope who is constantly fainting and screaming when not spouting characteristically-insipid dialogue or projecting her one anxious impersonation of acting. And, yes, the alien women are more interesting; at least, Princess Aura can hold her own in a skirmish, and their outfits offer sex appeal--and along the same lines as when Flash lacks clothes over much of his muscular frame. Relatively racy stuff for a picture released under the tyranny of the Hays Code. And, since it's sci-fi, there's something of a mad doctor--although, like the other characters, he's blander than the wallpaper.

That the production values here are claimed to be superior to those of other chapter plays is discouraging. There is the occasional, if unmotivated, canted angle, shadowy lighting, POV shot, or composition framed by foreground objects. The repetition required some innovation, or at least variety, in editing transitions, including wipes. When the program does, perhaps, try more-original ideas, they tend to be ridiculously slipshod, such as encounters with the "Shark Men" (guys wearing swim caps) "Hawk Men" (guys wearing fake wings) and "Lion Men" (just guys)--and they're all white men, including Ming. Or, there's Flash mixing it up with an "octosak" (an octopus, essentially), some sort of claw monster, an "orangopoid" (a guy in a monkey costume) and a fire dragon. At best, this junk is laughable. And when at their laziest, merely "giant" iguanas show up, or a bear with a nose ring, or just a plain tiger--sorry, I mean, "tigron."

Otherwise, there's some blatant imitation of "Metropolis" in the employment of closed-circuit television-like screens, although their use here along with radio for communication, in addition to surveillance, had me hoping for more-intriguing self-reflexivity (indeed, another serial I recently viewed, "Adventures of Captain Marvel" (1941), more fully developed this notion), and there's the turning of clock-like hands to operate the radium-fueled atom furnaces. Heck, Flash even instigates a proletariat revolt in the plant to further recycle elements from Fritz Lang's silent masterpiece. Moreover, as if copying the Frankenstein franchise weren't enough, invisibility is borrowed from another of Universal's monster series--apparently, just a side project the scientist happened to be working on in his spare time between saving Earth from imminent destruction, trying to contact and get him and his crew back home, and repeatedly saving Flash from his continual life-threatening predicaments. It's only fitting that other filmmakers like Lucas came along to imitate this imitation. Give Flash a lightsaber instead of a sword in which to swashbuckle with in space, and he's basically Luke Skywalker.

A Cult Movie With a Magnificent Transposition of Alex Raymond's Cartoon to the Big Screen

[claudio_carvalho · 5 January 2005]

When a mysterious planet is menacing to collide on Earth, the athlete Flash Gordon (Buster Crabbe) flies by plane to meet his father in New York and stay with him during the collision. While traveling, Flash meets the blonde passenger Dale Arden (Jean Rogers) and they become friends. However, their plane falls, and Flash and Dale jump together using the same parachute. They land nearby the laboratory of Dr. Alexis Zarkov (Frank Shannon), who invites them to join him in a travel in his rocket to the threatening planet in an attempt to avoid the eminent destruction of Earth. When they arrive in the planet, they meet Ming the Merciless (Charles Middleton), the emperor of Planet Mongo, who wants to destroy Earth, and his daughter, Princess Aura (Priscilla Lawson), who has an infatuation for Flash Gordon. This is the beginning of a magnificent transposition of Alex Raymond's cartoon to the big screen, in a cult movie. The story is divided in thirteen chapters as follows:

1) The Planet of Peril ("O Planeta do Perigo") 2) The Tunnel of Horror ("O Túnel do Terror") 3) Captured by Shark Men ("Capturado Pelos Homens-Tubarão") 4) Battling the Sea Beast ("Enfrentando a Fera do Mar") 5) The Destroying Ray ("O Raio da Destruição") 6) Flaming Torture ("Tortura Flamejante") 7) Shattering Doom ("Perdição Quebrada") 8) Tournament of Death ("Torneio da Morte") 9) Fighting the Fire Dragon ("Lutando Contra o Dragão de Fogo") 10) The Unseen Peril ("O Perigo Invisível") 11) In the Claws of the Tigron ("Nas Garras de Tigron") 12) Trapped in the Turret ("Encurralado na Torre") 13) Rocketing to Earth ("Voando Para a Terra")

The adventure of Flash Gordon in Planet Mongo shows all the characters of the comic strip: he becomes friend of the Prince Thun (James Pierce), the leader of the Lion Men, a people enemy of Ming. He is arrested by the Shark Men in the underwater Shark Palace of King Kala (Duke York Jr.), who is dominated by Ming. Flash Gordon allies to Prince Barin (Richard Alexander), who claims to be the inheritor of the Mongo's throne, and they fight against the Hawk Men, leaded by King Vultan (Jack 'Tiny' Lipson), in the palace in the air, becoming allied in the end.

In the Twentieth-First Century, the special effects of this film are very cheesy and dated, like in an Ed Wood movie: visible wires holding rockets and flying objects, quite ridiculous "maquettes" of the cities, the fire dragon, the fly and movements of the rockets with fire in the propellers, even the behavior of the character of Dale Arden, screaming, fainting, being paralyzed in the dangerous situations are very funny in the present days. But this is part of the entertainment, and the viewer must appreciate the film never forgetting when it was shot (1936). For the Brazilian readers, I would like to inform that the DVD released by Classicline has some mistakes in the translation. Inclusive some titles in Portuguese of the chapters written on back cover of the DVD are not correlated with the titles showed in the beginning of each chapter in the movie. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Flash Gordon no Planeta Mongo" ("Flash Gordon in the Planet Mongo")

Dated but fun

[mhorg2018 · 6/10 · 8 July 2018]

One of the more expensive serials, Flash Gordon did cut a few corners here and there (note the music, all from other Universal films), it has a good cast and is quite faithful to the comic strip. Still fun to watch today.

Kind of cool

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 6/10 · 12 June 2023]

As I'm guessing is the case with a lot of old serials, this can feel repetitive and not particularly great if the parts are watched fairly close together. But there is some creativity involved in getting this all to work together as one big story, and I enjoyed seeing the ways it ended up influencing other adventure/sci-fi movies.

The only other old film serial I've seen is Les Vampires, and I don't think Flash Gordon (1936) is anywhere as good as that. But I think it's worth checking out for sci-fi buffs who haven't yet seen it, and while I probably would've liked it more had it been feature-length rather than as long as it was, the way it's split into 13 chapters does give it a certain novelty factor.

Opposing a Theocratic Despot

[flapdoodle64 · 10/10 · 4 April 2008]

This is the sexiest movie serial ever made. How Universal ever slipped Dale and Princess Aura's outfits passed the Hays Office sensors, I've never know. And for some reason, every lecherous tyrant on the planet is literally drooling over Dale Arden. No less than Emperor Ming's own daughter, Aura, commits treason just to seduce Flash. In 1936, America was still in the midst of the Great Depression and any temporary escape from reality was too precious to waste just on the children.

The two subsequent Flash Gordon serials, in 1938 and 1940, radically toned down the sexual tension to as close to zero as possible. But the legacy of the 1st serial lives on, in the imaginations of the generations of males who ogled Dale and Aura's midriffs, and in the miniskirts and aluminum foil bikinis of the original Star Trek. Captain Kirk, a character who is believable only so long as one accepts the premise that a red-blooded Earth man is naturally irresistible to all women from any alien planet, owes his very existence to Flash Gordon.

The sexual overtones, like everything else great about this series, belonged to a unique period in time. This is not only one of the all-time greatest serials; it is also one of the all time greatest comic strip adaptations, ever. It is far more faithful to the source material and far more exciting than most of this odd little genre. In 1936, because entertainment was so precious, adults as well as kids read the newspaper funnies, and I suspect Universal figured the audience wouldn't have tolerated any major departures from the source material.

The special effects are, of course completely unconvincing and even laughable to modern audiences. For the audience of 1936, these images were perfectly adequate; their imaginations had not atrophied and could supplement the deficiencies. In our increasingly jaded modern world, where we need stronger and stronger doses of unreality, I find a certain charm in the handcrafted look of this serial.

Buster Crabbe is the absolute epitome of what this type of hero should be: handsome, virtuous, uncomplicated and athletic. Crabbe had been a genuine Olympic champion, and didn't need steroids or hormones. Flash Gordon is decisive; he is the kind of guy who figures out what to do and takes action. He doesn't waste his time with ambivalence angst, or ennui; his audience had no time for such things… people in the depression were too busy just trying to survive! The rest of the cast is also great, especially Charles Middleton as Ming the Merciless. If he isn't the absolute greatest villain of all serials, then he is certainly the standard by which all such villains are to be judged. The other players, however, each fully invest their characters with total feeling. Modern viewers not used to the acting style of this period are liable to think these performances over the top, but actually, they are simply exuberant.

This serial moves quickly and is always either interesting or exciting. It is full of great fight scenes, wild costumes and sets, buzzing and sparking electrical devices, and rocket ship dog fights. The basic plot involves Flash fighting Ming the Merciless, who declares himself absolute Ruler of Mongo by the authority of his Personal Deity. Flash fights what amounts to be asymmetrical warfare against Ming, who has vastly superior forces and weapons. Ming retaliates against Flash by torturing him and several of his compatriots.

Flash uses unconventional tactics; in one sequence he brings a whole city to its knees by sabotaging its energy production. Flash also works with various ethnic groups, such as the Lion Men and the Hawk Men, finding areas of mutual benefit and forging alliances. Although these people appear to be physically different than Earth Men, Flash seems to presume they are equals and treats them as such. In the Depression, audiences believed that a red-blooded American would never tolerate a theocratic despot, that he wouldn't hesitate to fight for justice and to free oppressed people. This is probably the biggest difference of all between the original audience, and modern viewers. Truly, 'Flash Gordon' belongs to a world that is lost to us.

Fun Guilty Pleasure

[ferulebezel · 7/10 · 10 June 2022]

Bad dialog, bad effects, bad consumes, bad fight choreography, bad music, bad acting, and a bad plot. Somehow it's still huge fun. I think it might just be a relief from all the heavy handed message sci-fi we're fed now days.

The star wars of the 1930's

[vampi1960 · 10/10 · 4 October 2006]

i originally seen the flash Gordon serial on PBS,and thought it was fun and awesome,i overlooked the special effects of the rocket ships with sparklers,and the big dragon monster with lobster claws,who cares this is 1936 and it was a serial,so each week they would show a new chapter, buster Crabbe played flash Gordon 3 times,in all 3 serials.then in 1939 he played buck rogers,in 1933 he played Tarzan the fearless.he was a very busy actor.beautiful jean rogers played sexy dale Arden.frank Shannon as professor zarkov,and Charles Middleton played the evil ming the merciless.he makes Darth Vader look like a boyscout.the serials were very close to the Alex Raymond comic strip.space travel was just a pipe dream at the time.not to mention ray guns and television.this one stands out as the best serial ever.the sequel flash Gordon's trip to mars is 2 chapters longer,the next flash Gordon conquers the universe is only 12 chapters.and then there's the natives of mongo..,hawk-men, lion-men,shark-men.the feature version leaves out the shark-men scenes. for the full effect you must see the complete serial.i heard George Lucas was inspired by flash Gordon when he did star wars.flash Gordon was from universal studios.and the music on the soundtrack is from many universal movies like bride of Frankenstein,werewolf of London,Dracula's daughter,etc;even today flash Gordon continues to delight people young and old.10 out of 10.

Silly but fun!

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 4 August 2023]

Flash Gordon (Buster Crabbe), girlfriend Dale Ar5den (Jean Rogers) and Dr. Alex Zarkov (Frank Shannon) travel to the planet Mongo to battle the evil Ming the Merciless (Charles B. Middleton). Ming's daughter the Princess Aura (Priscilla Lawson) falls in love with Flash and tries to help them. Big-budget serial with some impressive sets and costumes. It also runs 13 chapters and is a little over 4 hours long. It's never boring (each chapter ends with a cliffhanger) and moves quickly. Also Crabbe was great as Flash! He's tall, handsome and in great shape. The special effects are dreadful with truly laughable monsters but that just adds to the charm! Try watching it in sections like chapters 1-5 then the next day chapters 6-13. It's a lot to take in one sitting.

Below Average

[coles_notes · 4/10 · 17 April 2023]

The oldest on this weeks list and likely the oldest serial I've yet to watch, this one was technically three different series, each produced for theatres in 1936, '38, and '40 respectively: Flash Gordon, FG's Trip to Mars, and FG Conquers the Universe. Each featured 12 - 15 new thrilling black and white short adventure episodes of Flash's latest escapades on the planet Mongo as he tries to defeat Emperor Ming the Merciless and his goals to conquer the planets and destroy Earth. Originally from a comic strip which basically directly copied Buck Rogers of the time (1934), the Flash Gordon comic became quickly competitive in the market. To capitalize on the brand the three film serials were eventually created. In this time of course televisions in the home were yet to be a thing, and theatres didn't exclusively play "movies" (longer form one-off films), the theatre content could be viewed much more similarly to a large, shared communal television set, with customers paying their quarter to get in, and that ticket would be a pass for the entire day. Reels were played back to back, some certainly containing "movies" as we would currently expect them, but more often playing 10-20 minute news reels, advertisements, and of course many serials, from Looney Tunes to our own Flash Gordon (it wouldn't be until Hitchcock and his 1960 Psycho that "standard movie times" were really a thing, but that's a story for another day perhaps). Produced by Henry MacRae (an early Canadian Hollywood pioneer), each episode features a new adventure of Flash (played by Larry "Buster" Crabbe) and his friends, more often than not ending in some cliff hanger and the classic "return to this theatre next week for the following episode of...". The special effects and costuming were the most enjoyable by far (his costume in the first films supposedly went on to inspire that of Superman in 1938's Action Comics No. 1), though the acting and scripts themselves are pretty dry. However seeing cartoon lightning (animated over the literal film reels themselves), huge rubberized costumes, and rocket ships made of cardboard were most of the fun. Not to mention the "giant dragons" which were literally just footage of iguanas walking around and upscaled next to people screaming to make them look like giant monsters. There was a lot of it, and I certainly didn't pay attention to every second, but it was a joy to have on in the background, so for any fans of serialized film history I would highly recommend an episode or two.

"...was really great in the papers, but never as a movie!"......Buster Crabbe (Interview with Tom Snyder, circa 1978)

[redryan64 · 10/10 · 11 September 2006]

As previously stated in one of my great reviews, the Universal Pictures'Trilogy of FLASH GORDON should not be classified with the other serials. For,indeed the three of these have made a sort of celluloid-electronic mythology for a punchy, war phobic mid twentieth century world. They stand alone in many peoples' minds as THE example of just what a cliff hanger was.

We can recall seeing Buster Crabbhe as a guest on NBC's late night talk show, TOMORROW, hosted by Tom Snyder. This was circa 1979-80. During the interview Mr. Crabbe was asked about his personal fitness habits. He credited weight training and swimming, coupled with some sound dietary habits-which included vitamin and protein supplementation.(And would you believe it, he smoked several cigarettes!)

When questioned about his career, Mr. Snyder of course got to the subject of his portrayal (and strong identification with) the character of Flash. Buster stated that he had read and enjoyed the feature in its original medium, that is a comic strip the property of Hearst's King Features Syndicate. He stated that he had thought that it would not work once transferred to the screen! Luckily he was wrong.

As for the 1st serial, it was a very good adaption of the original continuity from the Sunday Color Comics. The world is about to end because of impending collision with Planet Mongo.It's up to independent working Dr. Zarkov to rocket to the wild planet to change its course. He enlists the aid of Flash and Miss Dale Arden, newly acquainted parachuters from airliner, landing in Zarkov's property.

The Serial has excitement through out and manages to make one feel that there is always some other peril lurking just outside the film frame. The costuming and decor is varied,from Romanesque to Oriental to Art Decco. It would be easy to surmise that this was due to frugality on the part of Universal,but once again this was being faithful to creator,cartoonist Alex Raymond's visual concepts.(just look at the old strips as reprinted in many collections) The rockets were used before in JUST IMAGINE! (Fox 1930), a science fiction musical comedy.The other scientific lab equipment was provided by Universal's prop dept.,being the top Hollywood company doing Horror and SciFi.

The cast features Jean Rogers(Dale Arden) and Priscilla Lawson (Princess Aura)who get into a good girl vs. bad girl battle over Flash. Charles Middleton portrays Emperor Ming in a sort of overly melodramatic villain,but makes it work. Zarkov(Frank Shannon)is toned down from the sheer madness that he suffered in his appearance in newsprint. (by the way, ever wonder how Zar-KOV has a brogue?) Richard Alexander makes a fine, powerfully built Prince Barin, ever helpful and so noble.

Comic actor Jack "Tiny" Lipson is the surprise of the cast, stealing scene after scene as a lecherous, Henry VIII like scoundrel turned ally, King Vultan,ruler of the Hawkmen. Among the others, most notable is Jim Pierce as Prince Thun of the Lion Men. Pierce,like Crabbe, had also portrayed Tarzan in a film-but he later married Tarzan Creator, Edgar Rice Bourroughs' daughter, Joan.

FLASH GORDON and the two sequels, FLASH GORDON's TRIP TO MARS(1938) and FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE(1940), have been a staple juvenile fare for generations,first in the movie houses then in Television release. Like fine wine, they seen to get better with age.

We're all so glad that Mr.Crabbe was wrong.

Blast from the past with historic value

[max4movie · 5/10 · 1 March 2018]

Flash Gordon is a historically important science fiction serial, that helped to encourage others in bringing superhero and/or science fiction content to the big screen. It features a vibrant alien planet with great perils for its main protagonist and his friends. The technical aspects are dated, but still work within the context of the narrative. However, the characters are noticeably one-dimensional, which makes the viewing tedious - together with the many repetitions in editing, the score, and plot elements. Aspects like the imaginativeness and the thrilling pacing are very entertaining, but generally this serial does not hold up well, without taking on a nostalgic perspective.

Overall 5/10 Full review on movie-discourse.blogspot.de

The Good Old Days...

[Shield-3 · 1 August 2000]

Vintage science fiction doesn't always age well, but time has been kind to "Flash Gordon." It transcends, becomes its own little genre of almost Victorian space opera and historical epic with its own internal logic, where Roman soldiers can fly around in sputtering rocketships and a mandarin-robed Ming can plot to rule the universe.

One of the things I love about "Flash Gordon" are the actors. Buster Crabbe and Charles Middleton ARE Flash Gordon and Ming the Merciless, the perfect double image of selfless heroism and selfish villainy. We don't need to know about their inner demons or what makes them tick: it's enough to know that Ming exists to be evil and Flash exists to stop him. Crabbe and Middleton believe they are their characters, so we believe them, too.

Watching "Flash Gordon" is like slipping into a dream world, full of danger and adventure, with ruthless enemies and loyal friends. It's a quaint, fun ride, the same sort of magic George Lucas taps with his "Star Wars" movies, and a feeling you can never get enough of.