Flash Gordon (1980) staring, Sam J. Jones as Flash Gordon, and Melody Anderson as the beautiful Dale Arden, is a remake or updated version of the 1930's comic strip Flash Gordon. The film starts out flashing filmed images of a man-made scientific piece of equipment designed to create catastrophic events like Hurricanes, Tornados and Floods. The theme of the movie is focused on saving Earth, from being destroyed, but we are initially led to believe it is from a mad scientist known as Dr. Hans Zarkov played by Topol. Zarkov is viewed as threat by the terrible Emperor Ming ( Max Von Skydow) who lives on another planet in the galaxy. Ming skyjacks the air bus that Flash and Dale are operating, along with capturing them in the accompaniment of Zarkov and here is where the film takes on its major animation.
While still focusing on saving Earth, now from Enperor Ming, Zarkov, befriends Flash and together they set in motion the idea of saving the planet Earth from his plan of destruction. Emperor Ming views Dr. Zarkov as a threat to his kingdom, and wants his memory wiped clean back to his birth, but he manages to manipulate the process to keep his own thoughts safeguarded. This is your typical hero type of movie that saves the day, where Flash Gordon is the hero, originated from a comic strip just as Superman or Spiderman are turned into superhuman form in film, so is Flash Gordon.
Maintaining the theme it becomes a battle of who will rule the galaxy, as the beings from Emperor Mings galaxy begin to lose ground against the three humans who eventually gain the trust of some of Ming's own people. Ming's galaxy is still divided by the different class of citizens, like the winged citizens, versus the others. Each battles for their own identity within the kingdom to begin with, and now you throw humans into the mix. None are quick to take sides with the humans to overthrow the terrible Emperor Ming but in the end, this is exactly what happens. Earth is saved from Ming's destruction, and Ming's kingdom is turned over to his daughter and her husband, after the destruction of Emperor Ming.
The hero is none other than Flash Gordon, as is emphasized in the end, with a human gesture of saying Thanks. The hero saves the day, galaxy and Earth. Not bad for a days work!
While still focusing on saving Earth, now from Enperor Ming, Zarkov, befriends Flash and together they set in motion the idea of saving the planet Earth from his plan of destruction. Emperor Ming views Dr. Zarkov as a threat to his kingdom, and wants his memory wiped clean back to his birth, but he manages to manipulate the process to keep his own thoughts safeguarded. This is your typical hero type of movie that saves the day, where Flash Gordon is the hero, originated from a comic strip just as Superman or Spiderman are turned into superhuman form in film, so is Flash Gordon.
Maintaining the theme it becomes a battle of who will rule the galaxy, as the beings from Emperor Mings galaxy begin to lose ground against the three humans who eventually gain the trust of some of Ming's own people. Ming's galaxy is still divided by the different class of citizens, like the winged citizens, versus the others. Each battles for their own identity within the kingdom to begin with, and now you throw humans into the mix. None are quick to take sides with the humans to overthrow the terrible Emperor Ming but in the end, this is exactly what happens. Earth is saved from Ming's destruction, and Ming's kingdom is turned over to his daughter and her husband, after the destruction of Emperor Ming.
The hero is none other than Flash Gordon, as is emphasized in the end, with a human gesture of saying Thanks. The hero saves the day, galaxy and Earth. Not bad for a days work!