Gordon's Alive!!!

[Alex]

Flash! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! He's the saviour of the Universe!

And according to Ain't It Cool News, the Sci-fi channel have decided to make a new Flash Gordon series, with the man behind Relic Hunter and Charmed writing it. (http://www.aintitcool.com/?q=node/32257). This doesn't exactly fill me with confidence, but well, hopefully it'll be good - Sci-fi's vs. of Battlestar Galactica's been brilliant imo, so that gives me some optimism. I just hope they don't try and make it too dark or too serious like the new BSG is, mainly because I love the 80's version to pieces, I remember seeing it with my Grandad in a cinema in Sutton in 1980 and coming out incredibly overly excited.

What I really love about it is that it's a film which despite looking ludicrous has never really aged, it's as much fun now as it is then. I think they got the tone of it almost perfect, a mix of high camp and fun action, and of course the cast were wonderful - even Sam Jones, who maybe wooden as hell, but there's just something so lovable about his Flash. Ornella Muti's incredibly sexy too, check out her official site for some great pics - http://www.ornellamuti.it/

So, who else is a fan of this eighties classic? And what do you think of the idea of a new series based around Mr Gordon?

[Jon Masters]

He's just a man, with a man's courage. You know he's nothing but a man who can never fail.

Love the film, and yep for once it sounds like it might be a good new seires, but only if they make it on the right side of camp and don't try the gritty realism route. They should just carry on from where the movie left off with Ming's Ring (as it were ....)

Diiiiiiiiiiiive my Hawkmen !

[Martin Penny]

I don't think Flash would really benefit from a more gritty/darker update like Galactica has, but I can see it working if it's something Joss Whedon esque maybe.

I'm all for it anyway! I love the movie, sheer lunacy most of the time but it looks great.

[Logo Polish]

The film came out about the same time that I was watching the 30s serials in the children's television slot, so I've fairly nostalgic memories of both. I think the campiness is probably inbuilt when it comes to something like Flash Gordon.

[Carol Baynes]

The 1980 version was a deliberatly over camp version of the 1930s and '40s serials, which weren't entirely serious to begin with. They even kept the '30s Art Deco designs for the 1980 film, which I adore. The most striking thing about the film is that it was directed by the same bloke who directed "Get Carter".

And, Timothy Dalton is wonderfully funny. I'm sure he actually gets to say "Freeze yer bloody bastards!" in what is essentially a kids film.

[Alex]

And, Timothy Dalton is wonderfully funny. I'm sure he actually gets to say "Freeze yer bloody bastards!" in what is essentially a kids film.

I vaguely remembered that, so thought I'd check and you're absolutely right - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080745/quotes - thinking about it, as I was six at the time there's a good chance that that was the first ever swear word I ever heard!

[Dave Tudor]

Dalton swears twice, doesn't he? When Barin is fighting Flash on that platform with the spikes, he calls Prince Vultan (Brian Blessed) a 'bastard'. Such a potty mouth!

This was the first film I ever saw at the cinema, at the Cannon in Allerton, Liverpool, when I was five, and despite the fact that I know that it's awful in so many ways, I still LOVE it - it's so much fun, and it's quite simply one of my favourite films of all time. The colours and the visuals are wonderful, the Queen soundtrack is fantastic, and even though Sam J Jones is so bad that all his dialogue was re-dubbed (incredibly, though, he's still acting regularly on television to this day!) and Melody Anderson is not much better as Dale Arden, it's got great actors like Dalton, Max Von Sydow (brilliant as Ming), Topol, and, of course, Brian Blessed. Even the playwright John Osborne makes an appearance!!

I agree that a dark version of Flash Gordon would work. In fact, when a new movie version was mooted a couple of years back, I was sceptical about that, too - the 1980 film is so definitive, we don't need another Flash!

[Ralph]

I was never into Flash Gordon - the 1920s original series with Buster Crabbe looked just as appealing. Just more of Star Wars to me...

[Paul Monk]

I had a talking book once called Flash Gordon: The Lion Men of Mongo and it was a lot darker and frankly pretty bloomin brilliant so it could work as something a bit grittier.

[Simon R]

Let's hope for more leather shorts in the new version.

Sam Jones (not the BBC book's character) used to get his wongle out for Playgirl.

He's not naturally blonde.