Klytus, I'm bored. What play thing can you offer me today?
-The Emperor Ming

The opening title sequence with Queen's Flash Theme is worth at least a full star rating on it's own. At a time when people were still amazed by the realistic special effects from the likes of Star Wars and Alien, two very serious sci-fi films, Dino De Laurentis decided to bring us the campy sci-fi space rock opera Flash Gordon.

The film isn't ridiculous by accident, it was meant to be camp before the first word of the script was typed. It's an updated version of a 1930s comic strip. The plot features the quarterback of the New York Jets trying to save the Earth from…

Five stars? For Flash Gordon? Are you insane?

Yes. Yes. And quite possibly yes. But no film has ever made me grin like the Cheshire Cat than Flash Gordon. Whether its Queens soundtrack, Max von Sydow and Peter Wyngarde moustache twirling with the best of them, Sam Jones perfectly coiffured hair, Timothy Dalton calling the enemy "Yer bloody bastards!", the hotness of Princess Aura or the mere presence of the force of nature that is Brian Blessed, there is plenty to love. So much so that I can easily overlook the flaws.
And the dialogue. Wow. Just wow. Here are a few of the gems offered up by the film:
Vultan, "GORDON'S ALIVE?!"

Dale Arden,"Keeping our word is one of…

I've loved this film from seeing it as a child, and never have gotten bored of it. Years pass and suddenly my interest is peaked again with recent debate about ouor favourite non-Bond Timothy Dalton film, and this is mine of his as the hard-as-nails Prince Barin, loyal subject of Ming The Merciless, but turns hero towards the final rebellion!

Filled with hammy performances from all involved which clearly shows a production full of passion, humour and enjoyment, including Sam J Jones, Topol, Brian Blessed, Max von Sydow, Melody Anderson and Richard O'Brian to name a few, this is a film full of outrageous costumes, over-the-top acting, cheap sets, obvious minature work, loud pomp rock music and a wonderfully easy…

I always have a problem with rating films that are so bad that they are good. This is one of those.

Let's start with racism. The hero looks like a poster boy for the Aryan race while the evil people look Chinese or speak with a Russian accent. Even the hero alien race is winged vikings! One could almost believe that Hitler and McCarthy wrote the script together.

Flash looks like he showers every hour and is polished in some mystery wax. Max von Sydow, who plays the evil Ming is in a film of his own. Probably thought this was a Shakespeare play. And you have unbelievable lines like:

Kala: We're going to empty your memory as we might…