Some of the most iconic movies came out in the 1980s. Flight of the Navigator. Labyrinth. A Nightmare on Elm Street. RoboCop. Tron. The Thing.
One of classics of the era was of course Flash Gordon. An absolutely amazing movie… Ok, yes, it was cheesy looking back at it now but look at the heritage, it was based on the classic series that were shown at the cinemas back in the day which was based on the comic strips (yes, comic strips guys!) so Flash Gordon is a character with some serious classic heritage that deserves serious respect.
But there was a big falling out in the movie between lead actor Sam J Jones and Producer Dino DeLaurentiis which caused many issues for the fresh young actor and for years he was barely seen on the screen….and this story gets told in Life After Flash.
L I F E A F T E R F L A S H
The story of just a man, who starred in a brilliant movie as just a man with a man’s courage. GORDON’S ALIVE!
The documentary Life After Flash tells the story of Sam J Jones, the free fall and losses he suffered because of his issues with DeLaurentiis and the way he got back on his feet once more. There are also anecdotes and quotes from cast and crew about the movie, what they thought of Jones and how he was treated.
This has to be potentially Britain’s shoutiest man, the legend Brian Blessed, sharing some anecdotes about being on set and filming Flash Gordon.
I personally found it fascinating to watch as I saw more behind the scenes of one of my childhood movies and I love seeing that, and anything that has anecdotes from quite possibly the shoutiest man in Britain (Brian Blessed) is always a win…I always wonder how they got him to say “Gordon’s alive!” so quietly! They also talk to Queen lead guitarist Brian May in regards to the Soundtrack was great to hear about too.
Guitar legend, scientist, protector of badgers, poodle hair master, piano smasher and Queen lead guitarist Brian May discusses the band making the soundtrack.
If you love seeing documentaries about movies then this is a must-watch. You really have to check it out for movies good and bad moments, and if you buy it on physical formats please be aware that the DVD and Blu-Ray each have different extras, so to see all the different behind the scenes things you’ll need to buy both formats but if you’re not interested in the extras and just want to watch the documentary it is available in digital format.
And that whet my appetite for the next part of the double bill (not that I’d need an excuse anyway!!)…FLASH GORDON.
F L A S H G O R D O N
Yes, as soon as I saw the documentary I had to watch Flash Gordon right away! This movie is great fun and although not necessarily as comic strip/cartoon-like as Dino DeLaurentiis wanted it to be.
Flash Gordon (played by Sam J Jones) is an American football hero who gets skyjacked aboard Dr Hans Zarkov’s rocketship along with his girlfriend Dale Arden. The three of them are drawn into the influence of the planet Mongo which is ruled the dastardly Emperor Ming the Merciless. Emperor Ming is testing Earth with disasters and come to the conclusion that our world is a threat to his rule. He decides he wants to take Dale as his concubine, execute Flash and destroy the Earth. Flash has to avoid the amorous attentions of Princess Aura and unite the kingdoms of Mongo to rescue Dale and save the Earth. Can Flash, just a man with a man’s courage save the day?
This movie is a cult classic and sheer brilliance! I loved this movie when I first saw it, and I still love this movie every time I get the chance to see it. Sure you can compare it to action movies of today and it may well seem as cheesy as heck but the thing is it still has that drama and action that grabs you and it is still fun to watch, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The stars in it are pretty cool too…Brian Blessed, Timothy Dalton, Richard O’Brien…there are some good actors in this which helped bring this to life. The interesting thing was Sam J Jones, the leading actor…an ex-marine early in his acting career, things went sour during this movie, and part of his role was overdubbed (the person who did this was uncredited).
Now, this movie was set to be the first movie of a trilogy, but with the departure of Sam J Jones, this was not to be. Pity really, that could have been interesting if they would have attempted to continue without him (although I for one am glad they didn’t as Jones IS Flash plain and simple)….although who would have been Flash then?
The film is awesome…but the thing that really sets it off? The soundtrack. Queen was absolutely awesome and pulled a masterstroke. The individual members had their own projects within the albums (you can sense the individuality too), as well as the parts where they are all together….and the fans love that Brian May pretty much punched a piano for the soundtrack!!
This movie…it’s a must-watch for superhero, retro, and science fiction fans. It’s great fun, but serious in its own way too. If you haven’t seen it…correct this injustice NOW!!
LIFE AFTER FLASH is rated 15 and is available on Blu-Ray, DVD and VOD by going to the Life After Flash website.
FLASH GORDON is rated PG and is available on VHS, BetaMax, DiscoVision, Laserdisc, DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital Download.
GORDON’S ALIVE!