I’ve always loved this movie ever since I saw it as a kid and even allowing for viewing it through nostalgic-coloured glasses, I really think it holds up. It’s bold, comic book colours and expressionistic production design have aged very well. The script is tight and fairly races along, full of vivid characters, played by a very strong cast. Innocent eyed Sam Jones and Melody Anderson didn’t have the greatest careers but they are terrific as Flash and Dale, two innocents abroad in outer space – you totally understand why they fall in love pretty much during the first conversation, although both aren’t immune to the charms of other people. There was never a better mad scientist than Topol, a more imposing emperor than Max von Sydow, a sexier princess than Ornella Muti (you totally buy she’d defy her father for a bit of crumpet), a more dashing second heroic lead than Timothy Dalton, a more engaging general and leader than Brian Blessed (in the archetypal Brian Blessed role).
There’s so many bits about this movie I love: the opening comic book credits; the acid rain at the beginning; “Monson” running away from Zarkov; Queen’s beautiful score; the football game sequence; that buzzer thing that zaps people in Ming’s kingdom; the relationship between Muti and Von Sydow (both highly sexed and ruthless); Timothy Dalton kissing Muti and calling her a lying bitch with admiration; the scene on the tree planet where people put their hands into an old log; the way Flash seems to make friends with everyone straight away including that guy in the swamp prison; the duel between Dalton and Jones; Dalton becoming a passionate admirer of Jones in about five seconds ("where you go, I will follow..." - talk about bromance); the bit where Flash flies through the clouds and the hawk men are waiting; Dalton running around corridors shooting henchmen with a gun (when I was a kid I would have given anything to run around corridors shooting henchmen with a gun); Flash proposing to Dale; Dale dressed as a concubine; all the propaganda about how wonderful humans are; the memorable deaths of the baddies. Great, imaginative fun. I can't believe it wasn't a bigger hit at the time - maybe it was too campy.
NB Mike Hodges got the directing gig because he was friends with Nic Roeg, who was originally going to direct - and Dino de Laurentiis wanted to talk to Hodges to do the sequel. I think Roeg would have made a marvellous film - but it's still one of Hodges' best.
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