I have to admit that after seeing the 1980 movie for the first time, that I was rather excited for the Flash Gordon television series. The movie, (although it had it’s cheesy moments.) was a very fun action packed film, with great character development and some flashy costumes. In fact the overall production value for the movie was flashy and that’s what made the film so much fun. With the new television series not only was the story different, but I didn’t really care for the qualities that I so liked in the movie.
The new Flash Gordon series still has the same characters as the movie and comic strip does, however the story is a bit different than that of the latter. I was lucky enough to acquire a screener copy of episode one. I was expecting the series to start off as more of a revision of the story that the film portrays. But as I stated above it’s quite different in more ways than one.
Flash Gordon in the TV series is not the quarterback for the New York Jets but run’s a business restoring classic cars with his friend. Little does he know, he is about to be dragged into a situation to save Earth from Ming. Zarkov in the series tracks Flash down and we soon learn that he is Flash’s father old partner. Flash finds out that his Dad might not be dead but that he has created a instrument that he can travel between dimensions. Flash, now curious about his father’s whereabouts enlists his ex-girlfriend and local reporter Dale Arden to help him investigate. Together they learn that Flash’s father was indeed working on a top secret project for the government involving open rifts to other dimensions. Together they go out and find the truth and learn that their is a rift in which they can travel too other dimensions and their fight with Ming and the whole Flash Gordon adventure is reborn.
I’ll admit that the script for this premiere episode disappointed me a lot. I was really expecting the series to be similar to the movie. I liked the way that Flash and Dale’s character were written but I was not impressed at all with how Ming was written. I mean one of the signature things about the character of Ming is his bald head and goatee. But we get a blond hair guy who looks like your normal everyday high class business man. However beside my disappointment with some of the characters, I really didn’t think the story was that bad. It was not as great as the film, but the storyline was somewhat interesting, but it was also very confusing at times. One thing the movie did right was that it explained how Flash and company got to Mongo, in the television series it gets all technical and scientific, which to some viewers might be too much to take in.
The acting in the series is not half bad. I mean we are dealing with a series that the Sci-fi channel is producing, but at least they managed to get some good actors for the series. Eric Johnson of Smallville fame plays Flash Gordon, and he is actually perfect for the role, and has a more up to date look for the character. Gina Holden of Final Destination fame play the role of Dale Arden. she plays the part well and I must say I enjoyed her performance. John Ralston plays Ming, and while I’m not knocking his ability to act, I just didn’t think he fit the part of Ming. The rest of the cast was not half bad, some were better than others, but the overall performance of the cast as a whole was just alright.
The production value for the film was a bit weak. You figure that most of the budget for the series would go into giving the series more of a great look, with different locations and cool looking sets and such. What we get however looks like our characters just running though a forest and we’re expected to believe that they are on another planet. The costume design is pretty decent, but nothing compared to the movie. One thing they did do right though was bring in veteran director Rick Rosenthal to direct the first episode. This was a smart move as the direction is pretty decent, and Rosenthal might just have saved this first episode was being a stinker.
Overall, I have to say for the most part the premiere episode of Flash Gordon was a bit disappointing for me. I was really hoping that it would follow in the footsteps of the movie rather than becoming a whole different story. My hope is that it eventually will evolve into more of a story similar to that of the movie. I’m sure hardcore fans of the comic would enjoy it, but as for a fans of the just the movie like myself, I think you’ll be just as disappointed as I was.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
