Flash Gordon

Flash Gordon (1980) channels the campy spirit of 1930s serials through its tale of a strapping football player and his companions who find themselves on the planet Mongo, battling the despotic Ming the Merciless to safeguard Earth. Director Mike Hodges wields vibrant visuals and pulpy dialogue to render a spectacle that thrives on its over-the-top performances and flamboyant design, even as it occasionally wavers under the weight of its own excess.