Flash Gordon
An exuberantly campy space opera sends an ordinary American athlete into a colorful battle against a tyrannical alien emperor.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- campy
- witty
- irreverent
- retro sci fi night
- camp movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly recognize the film as energetic, colorful pulp science fiction whose affectionate camp and Max von Sydow's performance outweigh its thin writing and uneven humor.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film treats Ming's villainy, flamboyant costumes, comic performances, and pulp-style heroics with overtly playful exaggeration.
Its fast-moving structure and comic-strip sensibility consciously evoke the 1930s Flash Gordon serial tradition.
Emperor Ming's campaign against Earth and the conflicts among Mongo's royal figures structure the central adventure.
The alien planet, elaborate costumes, duels, and brightly stylized production designs foreground pulp fantasy over technological realism.
Films like Flash Gordon, and why
Barbarella
campy space opera, colorful villainy, heroic adventure, and knowingly theatrical tone
The Fifth Element
comic-strip science fiction, flamboyant production design, and playful interplanetary adventure
宇宙からのメッセージ
retro space opera, broad humor, eccentric worlds, and colorful fantasy spectacle
Star Wars
serialized pulp adventure, space travel, heroic rebels, and heightened visual style
Movie Details
- Director
- Mike Hodges
- Release Date
- 1980-12-05
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (1142)
Cast
- Sam J. Jones
- Melody Anderson
- Max von Sydow
- Chaim Topol
- Ornella Muti
- Timothy Dalton
- Brian Blessed
- Peter Wyngarde
- Mariangela Melato
- John Osborne
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Flash Gordon about?
- An exuberantly campy space opera sends an ordinary American athlete into a colorful battle against a tyrannical alien emperor.
- What is Flash Gordon like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Flash Gordon as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Flash Gordon violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Flash Gordon as mild.
- What did critics think of Flash Gordon?
- Critics broadly recognize the film as energetic, colorful pulp science fiction whose affectionate camp and Max von Sydow's performance outweigh its thin writing and uneven humor.
- Which films are like Flash Gordon?
- Films with a similar feel include Barbarella, The Fifth Element, 宇宙からのメッセージ, and Star Wars.
- How long is Flash Gordon?
- Flash Gordon runs 111 minutes.
- Where can I watch Flash Gordon?
- In United States, Flash Gordon is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
