Bijou88

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.