Flash Gordon, Season 1
(NBC, 1979-1980)
Insufferably trite, 16-episode peril-per-minute space opera adventure serial, notable for: less-than-cut-price animation; objectified though strong-willed, powerful women; zero changes of wardrobe; and the endless gung-ho optimism of thick-necked, bull-at-the-gate hero Flash Gordon. Worthwhile only for its memorable SF backdrops and vehicle designs.
Hood’s Army: Earth Invaded
by Nathan Elliott (Dragon Books, 1986)
Uncomplicated and fast-moving, this first book of Elliott’s middle-grade SF trilogy recalls the action machismo of Flash Gordon (with touches of Robin Hood). There’s nothing subtle about the invasion narrative or male-minded response. The robot AMOS, however, offers a point of uniqueness.
Flash Gordon
dir. Mike Hodges (1980)
Terribly scripted and more kinky than camp, with lavish costumes, cut-price model work, Queen’s SF rock soundtrack, and a bizarre mixture of quality actors and utter hams, tongue-in-cheek space opera Flash Gordon makes history as the most expensive B movie ever made.