Flash Gordon

Flash Gordon is a delight spectacle of the highest order, with one of the catchiest Queen songs to boot (FLASH!...AH-AHHH…). When the demented alien emperor Ming the Merciless (Max von Sydow) sets his sights on destroying the planet, its fate rests in the hands of virtuous quarterback Flash Gordon (Sam Jones) cast across the universe alongside fellow earthling Dale (Melody Anderson) to save the day.

Colorful and campy even as it delivers first-rate action and visual ingenuity in droves, Flash Gordon was initially an attempt to cash in on the success of Star Wars with another interstellar adventure story. It became much more than that thanks to a playfully self-aware script by Lorenzo Semple Jr., who worked on the 1960s Batman series in addition to some of the best paranoid thrillers of the following decade (The Parallax View, Three Days of Condor).

The result is a divine exploration of pop culture exuberance taken to its most ecstatic extremes. While Star Wars came first, Flash Gordon endures as more than a cult classic. Its endearing blend of high-stakes fantasy grounded in relatable human characters anticipated Hollywood’s superhero craze decades later in everything from The Avengers to Guardians of the Galaxy. Forty-five years since its initial release, Flash Gordon is still a breezy and dazzling good time on the big screen.

You may also like the following events from Southampton Playhouse:

• This Friday, 18th July, 11:00 am, GEORGIA O’KEEFFE: THE BRIGHTNESS OF LIGHT Documentary · 1 hr 58 min in Southampton
• This Sunday, 20th July, 09:30 am, BABE - Part of our KIDS SUMMER MOVIE+CRAFT SERIES in Southampton
• Next Thursday, 24th July, 06:00 pm, THE FANTASTIC FOUR IN IMAX OPENING NIGHT FAN EVENT in Southampton

Also check out other Trips & Adventurous Activities in Southampton.