Gene didn't like Flash? After he saved every one of us?! What an ingrate. . .

When I went to this in the theater, I expected very little. I came out loving it. For all the talk about comic book movies, this may be one of the best. The the colors, the corny dialogue, the over the top story line, and their tongue was always in their cheek. And, those things allowed them to pull this off. For those who degrade this film, get your knickers out of a bunch and enjoy it for what it is, escapist off the wall fun.

Watched this episode of Siskel and Ebert because we didnt have cable yet,not till 1983. I was 8 in 1980 and Flash Gordon was awesome.

Don't care what they or anyone has to say......it's my favorite movie of all time! Long Live Flash!!!!!

THIS flick is actually a lot more similar in style to BARBARELLA than frigging Star Wars! .. . with the camp humor, psychedelic imagery, sexual innuendo, quirky sensibility, . . and which is, coincidentally, by the SAME PRODUCER (Dino Delaurentis) and also has a comic-strip origin. If you need another flick to compare this one too, then THAT would really be a much more apt and intelligent choice than frigging star wars!

"Who are you?" "Flash Gordon, quarterback New York Jets." -All you need to know really.

Don't get why Ebert is raging on the special effects. The effects techniques in THIS flick are just the SAME KIND that were used in every other science fiction flick of THIS SAME ERA, including none other than big-britched high and mighty Star Wars - things like blue screens, mattes, miniature models, rotoscoping (for the lasers). Besides, I LIKE the whole visual look of this flick! The quirky and eccentric design of the spacecrafts sets & costumes, the vibrant multi-colored alien sky, the psychedelic space whirlpool that transports the earthling protagonists to the alien galaxy, the very spectacular and motley lasers, and a very neat and striking title & opening credits sequence which pays tribute to the old comic strip by using actual illustrations from it. The visuals in this flick have a lot of STYLE and are highly ORIGINAL! . .. and I dig'em!

I love this movie. The costume and set design are just awesome. They really went for it. It's like a live action comic book. No other film looks like Flash Gordon.

These clips are pure gold! Please keep uploading!

Every time this movie was on cable, I watched every minute of it.

Star Wars is serious lol?? I remember loving this movie when it came out. Still do. Also....Queen

Gordon’s alive!?!?

How could anyone thumb-down this silly and fun movie? Perhaps because it's aged better than when it first came out. My favorite things about it are how colorful the sets and photography are, and or course von Sydow's performance as MING THE MERCILESS. I think one the greatest movie villains, just perfectly portrayed.

Ridiculous and cheesy as hell, but this is an enjoyable and fun movie.

Ming’s daughter is worth the price of admission

I don't remember thinking that Gene had a big stick in his rear end back then, but it sure seems that way now. He couldn't adjust his expectations based on what the moviemakers were trying to do.

I hate how they compare every film back then to Star Wars. I mean can't a film stand on its own merits and be judged independently instead of being compared to Star Wars all the time. Star Wars and this movie are completely different. Flash Gordon is not Star Wars, and I'm okay with that.

I actually really like this movie & the 2 main women were super hot!

I saw this film when I was 9-10 years old. I also watched it countless times on television, vhs, and later on DVD. To me, Flash Gordon is what it is...one of the all-time cheesy classics. Jones and Anderson weren't the greatest actors, but Sydow, Blessed, Dalton, Wyngarde, and Topol were pretty good (despite the script). The screenplay was written by Lorenzo Semple Jr. of 1960's Batman fame. That explains the campy dialogue. A couple of other fun facts include the fact that Sam Jones had gotten into trouble while on a break. As a result, half or more of Flash's dialogue was overdubbed by a voice actor. Also, William Hootkins (Porkins from Star Wars) portrayed Zarkhov's assistant,,Munson. Hootkins would go on to appear in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Batman (1989), and Blackadder II.

You can see where the Guardians of Galaxy took its inspiration

I saw Flash Gordon when it came out in 1980 because the music was by Queen. I was 22 at the time. I thought it a bit silly, but then he did save every one of us. :)

I think I saw Flash at the movies late 1980 and thought it was pretty bad. However, I do remember it being on HBO or Cinemax ALL THE TIME in early 1982 and grew to love it. Two extremely attractive women, Max Von Sydow, and Queen WOW!

While I do think the 1980 version of Flash Gordon is a fun movie, I actually prefer the Buster Crabbe serials more. I think it's because they're longer and explore more of the world and characters or because of the classic earnest adventure sort of vibe that it shares with other 30s movies like the Adventures of Robin Hood and would inspire in movies like Star Wars, whereas the 1980 Flash Gordon goes for pure camp. Not saying that's a bad thing. Just a difference in taste and preference I guess. I do agree Brian Blessed is a national treasure though. I could see him and John Rhys-Davies playing brothers in an adventure film as well.

“Come along, Fellini” hahahahaha best burn of all time I just love this movie

It was a huge hit in the UK but didn't do well in the US. Allegedly.

This fun movie is the cinematic equivalent of cotton candy FLASH..AA-AAH!!

I'm with Roger on this one. I have a soft spot for Flash Gordon that other people may not have. I'll defend it to a point but it's certainly not a hill worth dying on lol.

I love the film.. I viewed the movie at 10 years old . That evening two movies where shown at the movie theater , Star Wars and Flash Gordon . A double feature 😄Flash Gordon is a fun movie . A well loved classic

I’ve always been a fan of this movie. Everyone trashed it until Ted.

Loved the movie as a kid and my brother and I got the soundtrack on cassette.

1980's Flash Gordon is a way more entertaining film than Indiana Jones: The Dial of Destiny from 2023 and I never agree more with Roger Ebert that Flash Gordon is a pretty good sci-fi film. I loved the performances of Max von Sydow as Emperor Ming and Topol as Dr. Hans Zarkov, the Queen theme song for Flash Gordon is absolutely stellar, and the football fight scene was awesome.

The set and costume design in Flash Gordon was the best!

The movie is essentially a spoof of the comic strip and the subsequent movie serials. It's supposed to be goofy. Some trivia-The "Flight of the Hawkmen" theme was used in the 80's video game "Vanguard".

Gene and Roger are both right on this one.

"It doesn't just remind you of those manatee serials that Buster Crab used to make; it's practically a remake of them." Um, that's EXACTLY what it is.

This movie was so corny I loved it! You could see how Thor Ragnarok took a lot of inspiration from this movie with all the colors. It's really a Space Opera and Thor Ragnarok follows it's footsteps.

and years later ebert complained on how dark was the theatre watching mortal kombat whilst gene high priased it ironic or what .

I noticed how Roger was better able to get into the spirit of the movie rather than Gene.

The screenwriter said it was a big mistake that they went for comedy with the film because the original movie serials were never intended to be humorous. I have to agree with him. I think this kind of material works better when you take it seriously. I'd be very interested in seeing a modern Flash Gordon movie that took everything seriously and made it as realistic as possible. There's no reason the material couldn't evolve the way that Batman did from the 1960s into the modern era.

Roger was always so much more willing to give a movie a chance compared to Gene.....

It sounds like Sam J. Jones' pre-dubbed voice in the rocket ship scene.

Saw this movie at the All-Night Drive-in on LSD...what a trip!

Airplane? Airplane? Airplane is slapstick comedy. This movie is not slapstick comedy. This movie is cheese. I swear Gene Siskel doesn't know what the heck he's talking about. I really appreciate the critics we have these days such as Chris stuckmann and Jeremy jahns.

If the humor of this movie is anything like the pure camp in Batman (1966), I'll probably watch it.

Dale wasn't his girlfriend; they meet on a plane to Zarkoff's lab. Kind of easy to remember.

This is a good escape movie. It wasn't meant to be taken seriously. Its just meant to be fun..

Saw this on opening weekend at 42nd.theatre was empty lol

The comic book magic of this film went over Gene's head like a rocket ship.

I'm surprised that Roger liked this, but not Battlestar Galactica, considering it was a lot better than this.

Gene: "Doesn't try hard" That's fighting words. Do you have any idea how much work went into those costumes? Those weren't just cheesy effects somebody knocked out in a weekend when half drunk/hung over. Somebody, probably a team of somebodies, spent a lot of time and work to replicate the look of those old serials, but with modern (at the time) cameras that would catch all the little cheats that the original fx crews could get away with on older film/cameras. Flash gordon isn't a parody of the old serials, its just as much as an homage as Star Wars was... only it tried to replicate the look of them, where as Star Wars was made to look like a Kurasawa film.

Wasn't impressed with the film originally -- the casting (except for Max von Sydow as Ming, who REALLY gives this film more than it deserves) isn't that strong, and it's pretty silly even taking into account how the old serials come across these days. But, I've grown to appreciate it a lot more than I used to. It's fun, a little goofy, the music is interesting, and it does capture the spirit of the old serials. And it's got Brian Blessed playing ... um, Brian Blessed. With wings. "GORDON'S ALIVE!!" :-) But I still prefer Buster Crabbe.

Gene is a fool! This movie is awesome!

Don't feel bad Flash, neither one of them liked Blade Runner the first time they reviewed it. At least you got Ebert.

Simply put this isn't Gene Siskel type of movie.

I think this movie was supposed to be kitsch Typical film critics

Perfect film!

Big 👍 from me. Pure fun

Max Von Sydow is an absolute scene stealer

Does Gene Siskel just not get that movies are very often to be enjoyed as pure escapism? He should have reviewed books or theater, not movies.

I far prefer Flash Gordon to Star Wars.

Before Space Balls.

These two did make some rather harsh criticisms on very good films.

this movie was fun and campy and had fun space battles. these critics overanalyze.

I have a long list of films that I enjoyed, that Gene gave a thumbs 👎. This is one of them.

and 42 years ther were wrong its a classic big suprise lol

Hi Camp

You cant compare Flash GOrdon with Airplane!

Slice of cheese,anyone?

I'm with Gene. I don't like the intentionally campy style. It's no fun to laugh at a movie that's trying to be bad. I like laughing at bad movies that try to be good. "What I object to is you're rewarding a film that doesn't try hard for not trying hard." Hit the nail on the head.

I didn't like the actress that played Dale. Brian Blessed steals it!

😎fun movie

Mings daughter ...OMG delicious.

Aah-aaaah!

The film was a big success in the U.K. and the rest of Europe, In the USA it didn’t go well , obviously your country didn’t get it !

I'll go with insipid cartoon.

🍪⚽️great

Gene Siskel was a humorless git.

This might be the worst film that I have ever tried to watch. I really think that it was the model for the phony film depicted in Ben Affleck's ARGO. I mean, would ANYONE have seriously made this film thinking that it would be appreciated.