You can call 20th Century Fox by whatever name you want after the reboot of the "Fantastic Four" was released last summer. You may want to think of more insults after reading the reviews on "X-Men: Apocalypse". This movie studio has too many plans, prompting some to wonder if Marvel Studios must come to the rescue. But not Flash Gordon. Let's recall 1980 in film.
Dino De Laurentiis thought of producing a live-action version of "Flash Gordon". It would be a remake, as Universal Pictures released a film serial in 1936. (Basil Dickey played the titular role.) Mike Hodges, whose past films included "Get Carter", would direct it. This was the juicy part, where the Briton wasn't the first choice to helm this space opera. De Laurentiis, who brought Italian Cinema to the Italian scene, wanted Federico Fellini. Four of his films won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and his (directing) style could give Alex Raymond's creation a fresh look. For some reasons, Fellini was unable to join production. George Lucas wanted to do it, but he was unsuccessful in acquiring the rights from De Laurentiis. He ended up with "Star Wars" instead.
Hodges's "Flash Gordon" cost $20 million, which was a huge amount back then. It received favorable reviews, even grossed more than $20 million in the box office. But it was a puny figure compared to "Star Wars". It cost $11 million, yet it gross more than half a billion dollars. (It would be $775.4 million after some adjustments were made.) North America turned out to be Flash Gordon's Waterloo, which was an irony. After all, he was an American comic hero.
Fox produced "Star Wars", and they happened to be interested in remaking "Flash Gordon" one more time. Matthew Vaughn was being considered for the directorial chair. (He did a find job in "Kingsman: The Secret Service".) De Laurentiis produced an international production, which might have resulted to a different reaction among American viewers. Time would be a fair judge, as "Flash Gordon" gained a cult following. If you're one of those people who haven't heard of Flash, then this is the right time to look for a DVD copy of the film. Here are the reasons:
Hodges didn't make an effort to impress moviegoers. As a matter of fact, the special effects of "Flash Gordon" looked cheesy compared to what James Cameron had done in "Avatar". The planet Mongo might be an idea of a freshman high school student, while the galaxy (where Mongo was found) could be done by a grade schooler. It might be quite a turn off during its initial release, but it looked quite amazing thirty years later.
Alex Raymond created an unlikely hero. Earth was at the mercy of Ming the Merciless. (Quite a rhyme, don't you think?) The universe would be next. A WASP-er would be their savior. Come to think of it, De Laurentiis could have considered Robert Redford for the titular tole. (The Oscar-winning actor/director might have been taking himself too seriously.) Unlike Clark Kent, Flash Gordon wasn't a wallflower. And grief didn't turn him into a different person. (Think of Bruce Wayne.) He was simply perfect. If you don't fancy him, then you might have a problem.
Max von Sydow played Ming the Merciless. The Swedish actor was hardly recognizable as the main antagonist in this campy space opera. In fact, he would be the main reason to see this movie again (and again). Poor Sam. J. Jones, who played Flash Gordon. This would be one of those few instances when the villain would end up leading the pack. Tim Burton might have seen this film before he thought of "Batman".
Freddie Mercury. Viewers might least expect the Queen in the soundtrack, but their music provided the edginess that would counter the campy features in the movie. In fact, the opening scene featured Freddie Mercury's voice, hypnotizing the viewers under Ming's spell. It might be the best part of the movie, which was followed by the end of the world. Almost.
Mariangela Melato. The native of Milan would be remembered for her starring roles in Lina Wertmuller's provocative pictures, where she was often cast as an unsympathetic woman (who was romantically linked to a working-class fellow). As General Kala, she would be ruthless. (There couldn't be a better adjective to describe her.) It was hard to tell if she took the role too seriously or had fits of laughter between takes.
Let's not forget Timothy Dalton, who played Prince Barin. But the Welsh actor might not recall this particular episode of his stellar career.
