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-   -   Flash Gordon is coming back! AHaa!!!!!! (http://www.colonialfleets.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7567)

August 5th, 2004 08:16 AM

Flash Gordon is coming back! AHaa!!!!!!
 
This might be a good thing or a bad thing. Stephen Somers of The Mummy and Van Helsing fame, ( or infamy depending on your point of view) has taken on Flash Gordon as his new project. I like Flash in all of his incarnations, (Buster Crabbe, Sam J. Jones and Filmation Masterpiece) and hope that Somers will remain true to Alex Raymond's classic character. I hope this will have lots of Buster Crabbe type conviction and not the over the top "more is more" approach that sank Van Helsing. I guess we will have to wait and see.

:cool:

Raymar3d August 5th, 2004 02:32 PM

I haven't seen Van Helsing yet, but it looks cool to me. I take it you've seen it and didn't care for it?

Ken

braxiss August 5th, 2004 03:58 PM

WHY??

August 5th, 2004 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raymar3d
I haven't seen Van Helsing yet, but it looks cool to me. I take it you've seen it and didn't care for it?

Ken


Well, lets put this way: I saw the movie but I couldn't tell you what it was about. Characterization and story were tossed out the window to make room for wall to wall CGI FX. After a while, it kind of numbs you and your mind starts to wander. You start to think about the fact that you are watching a movie rather than being drawn into the movie. In the end, you walk away wondering what was the point. I hope Somers learns from his mistakes and writes an entertaining script for Flash Gordon.

While it is true that Flash Gordon has never been about characterization, (Flash is the hero, Dale is the love interest and damsel in distress and Zarkov is the brains. Thats it) it would be a shame if Somers approaches Flash in the same manner as Van Helsing. Special Effects should support the story not be the story. Somers should watch the three Buster Crabbe serials to get the right tone for the movie. Sure the FX are crappy by today's standards, (They are 70 years old!) but the serials have a charm that all the CGI in the world can't buy. As for the 1980 Flash Gordon movie, it also has its charms and fans. They camped it up yet there was still enough Flash Gordon mojo to keep it a cult favorite today. The most important lesson to take away from the 1980 Flash is the importance of perfect casting. To sell the entire production to an audience the actors have to believe in the material. Buster Crabbe made you believe that a plywood control panel could propel a sparkler-powered rocketship across the solar system. Flash Gordon in 2005 needs the same conviction.

August 5th, 2004 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by braxiss
WHY??


Why what? Why are they making a new Flash Gordon Movie? Why is Stephen Somers in charge?

:confused:

amberstar August 5th, 2004 08:44 PM

I heard about this on the radio today!!! I'm soooooooo excited, I just hope they do justice to this Classic.

I loved the Movie Flash Gordon........

*not to mention he is my favorite super hero... Too bad they killed flash(Barry Allen) in the comics.*

Yea ..I am from the silver age :)

Raymar3d August 6th, 2004 06:34 AM

Uhm, Amberstar, I think you might have Flash Gordon mixed up with The Flash. :)

However, both are cool. Did you ever watch the tv series "The Flash"? It was well done for a TV superhero series. I wouldn't mind having that one on DVD.

The Flash Gordon movie was fun. Music by Queen, very campy. Had the girl from "Experiment in Terra" playing Dale Arden, too. And 'Barin' was non-other than Timothy Dalton, aka James Bond from a couple of films.

All in all, it was fun. Who can forget the evil Ming played by Max Von Sydow? He's a great villain.

Ken

August 6th, 2004 07:21 AM

Don't forget Brian Blessed as King Vultan. He has such a larger than life delivery style, a movie screen is almost too small for him. Blessed is always a treat to watch and always makes any production better. I haven't seen him do anything lately though. A pity.

Ornella Muti as Princess Aura was also very memorable. :naughty: I love her accent (This is a thoat amplifyer) and brings the right mix of sex kitten naughtyness and slyness to the part.

Peter Wyndgard as Klytus was also very memorable. We never saw his face since he spent the entire movie wearing a golden Dr. Doom mask, but what a great voice. Such villiany! It was a shame that he was killed off in the movie so uncerimoniously.

Max Von Sydow was great as Ming. Charles Middleton still owns the role but Von Sydow was equal to the task. You really believed that Ming saw himself as master of all he serveyed. It is a type of villainy that we don't see much of today. Regal, arragant and cold blooded, that's Ming.

The movie clearly was set up for a sequel. Sadly, this was not to be. It would have been great to see a trilogy of sorts with Flash and the gang battling Ming once again.

In some ways, the 1980 Flash Gordon has a similar flavor to Barbarella. They both have this decadent, vulgar atmosphere and mood that is hard to describe.

I hope Somers finds a way to please Fans of both the 1980 version and the original movie serials. (These are not nessessarily mutually exclusive groups. I enjoy both productions.)

martok2112 August 9th, 2004 06:10 PM

It will be interesting to see....
 
...a remake of Flash Gordon...especially on the big screen.

Hmmmm....let's see. How can we reimagine this? :devil:

Flash is an athlete on the road to redemption after his fall from grace with Alcohol addiction. He thinks that his (unshakable) cocky attitude is the way to win the ladies. He has an aspiration to be a great athlete yet again.

Dale is a late teenager who had to resort to prostitution to ford her way through life after her rebellious ways estranged her from her parents. She ends up on the same small jet with Flash during an effort to flee from her very abusive pimp. Despite her chosen profession, she rebuffs Flash's advances, unimpressed by his attitude.

Dr. Hans Zarkov is a Prozac addicted nutball/genius who manages to impress (an old pirate term) Flash, and the very leggy Dale into complicity with him after he rages on about the impending doom of the Earth, and his suspicions of outside forces at work. (Come to think of it...'cept for the Prozac part, everything else is spot on with Zarkov).

Ming the Merciless now presents audiences (those who feel that we are sophisticated enough to demand a backstory) a reason for his mad pursuit of conquest of the universe. It is actually a pre-emptive strike against the whole universe...when we learn that an alien race killed his father (who was actually quite the just and fair monarch). After marshalling his forces as the new ruler of Mongo, Ming managed to subjugate the race of his father's assassins. However, vengeance was not enough. Wishing to ensure that no further tragedy befalls his family, he sets out to conquer everyone, and does so quite efficiently. That which he cannot conquer...he destroys! It is during this campaign of terror that we learn of his descent into madness, and of his beautiful daughter's efforts to restore the father she once knew...although his sins leave him with much to pay for. Ming is the tragic villain. Someone whom we inexplicably feel sympathy for, even though he wants to conquer our butts! (In the militaristic sense, not the --ummm-- other sense.)

The special effects are over the top, with capital ships that rival the splendor of those from other films like Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica.

The story is as much a character study as it is an all out epic sci-fi action flick.


Well....there's a partial "re-imagining". (Don't fear, folks, I have a feeling that Stphen Sommers will treat this movie with respect. Everything I just wrote was a perversion of my imagination, to make you laugh. As Colonial Storyteller, it is my duty to entertain all y'all. :D )

LOL


I remember vaguely the classic B/W episodes of Flash Gordon (as portrayed by Buster Crabbe). The ships on strings with sparklers for engines. The leotard costumes of the characters. I used to have the classic Gold Key comic in hardback.

I strongly remember the 1980 update. I loved the soundtrack, It was cool hearing Queen rock out the sci-fi genre. (Especially during the Hawkman assault on War Rocket Ajax.) As a kid, Flash Gordon the movie was cool (I also very much appreciated the beauties in Ornella Muti and Melody Anderson). General Kala was a definite butch who proably entertained "lesbian BDSM" activities when not working for Ming. (She was probably the only one who could get Ming to play a submissive to her domme. I could see Ming now: "Hit me again, General, and put some STANK on it!") :D Of course, Max Von Sydow as Ming the Merciless is nothing short of priceless genius as he chews up the role.

As an adult, the movie is very cheesy. (Visually, audibly --except for the soundtrack, and dialogue wise.) However, it is still a fun romp to view on occasion.

Brian Blessed as Vultan was also a high point of the movie. He is always a strong presence in any film, or show. (His latest appearance that I am aware of is the voice of Boss Nass in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.)

And I guess I am one of the few people who appreciates Timothy Dalton as an actor. (On the other hand, my late mother had a crush on him...LOL) He ultimately portrayed my favorite incarnation of James Bond....much to the chagrin of Bond purists.

And did I mention the beautiful Ornella Muti and Melody Anderson? GRROWWWLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, that's my descent into retro-madness for now,
Respectfully,
Martok2112 :salute:

julix August 9th, 2004 09:18 PM

Martok....................

:LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: about your remake
Queen and Sci Fi excellent! Party on!
The 1980 Flash is cheese but loved it at the time.......

Raymar3d August 9th, 2004 09:49 PM

Brian Blessed was great as Vultan!

I think he should play Thorin the Dwarf in "The Hobbit" if it's ever made. He has much in common with John Rhys Davies, the booming voice and the enthusiasm, I think that he'd be awesome.

He was also great in Space 1999.

Ken

P.S. Martok, your reimagining idea is pretty hilarious. I'm just glad you didn't have a darker reason why Mr. Gordon is named "Flash" like other writers might re-imagine....

martok2112 August 9th, 2004 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raymar3d
P.S. Martok, your reimagining idea is pretty hilarious. I'm just glad you didn't have a darker reason why Mr. Gordon is named "Flash" like other writers might re-imagine....


ROFLMAO!!!

Ya know, that never even occurred to me in all my brainstorming. Arghhh! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!! :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

Julix, that band I used to be in also covered "Tie Your Mother Down" by Queen. ;)
Long live 70's and 80's rock!

Glad you liked my re-imagining. :D

Catching my breath now,
Martok2112 :salute:

martok2112 August 9th, 2004 11:44 PM

Interesting....
 
I seemed to have put more thought into how I would reimagine Ming the Merciless. I think it almost sounds plausible. (Must consider this.) I guess it just proves that it's always more fun to write for the bad guys.

Respectfully, (and lusting over Wonder Woman videos)
Martok2112 :devil:

August 12th, 2004 11:17 AM

Here is the latest rumor about the Steven Somer's take on Flash Gordon. It seems he is keen on signing Ashton Kutcher for the title role. I hope he is willing to bleach his hair! I think Kutcher could do a decent job with the role. If he plays the part with conviction rather than a big joke he should do fine.

This begs the question, who will be cast for the other roles? Who could fill the imperial booties of Max Von Sydow? I think John Rys Davies could do a great job as Vultan.

martok2112 August 12th, 2004 06:06 PM

Ming
 
Ming the Merciless....Patrick Stewart! Or perhaps Tom Hardy , who played Shinzon in Nemesis. Maybe even Johnny Depp
Dale Arden....Eliza Dushku or Elisha Cuthbert
Vultan...agreed John Rhys Davies.
Prince Baron....Orlando Bloom, or Hugh Jackman
Prince Thun.....Michael Clarke Duncan! HANDS DOWN! Second place: Vin Diesel.
Princess Aura ....Asia Argento of XXX or Sophie Marceau

That's all I can think of.

Brain Strained,
Martok2112 :D


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