Anyone attempting to take Flash Gordon (2007) seriously shall be flogged with a... "something like a light saber... but a whip... I guess you'd call it a... LASER WHIP" (says the poor park ranger who has already been smeared with extraterrestrial potato salad, attacked by an invisible girl, and tormented by a freaky caveman all in one afternoon).
If you didn't get the message from that example, I'll spell it out: Flash Gordon (2007) is the greatest sci-fi comedy since... well... Flash Gordon (1980). You see, the key to doing this story justice is that it has to be unapologetically absurd but without crossing over into silly. The original Flash Gordon was of course a comic book, about as believable as bazooka Joe, but it was full of action, thrills and spills. A faithful adaptation must bring those diametrically opposite elements together, and the creators of this version certainly pulled it off. The audience doesn't know that this is a comedy, but it's full of lols just the same.
They accomplished this by doing the unthinkable: making a parody of all the cheesy (but lovable) late 80s-early 90s action fantasy tv shows. Xena Warrior Princess, Knight Rider, Quantum Leap, Manimal... if you grew up on that stuff you'll be stupefied at how well they captured that vibe here. I swear I had to check twice to make sure this was actually the 2007 production and not some lost gem from 20 years prior.
I mean, come on, in the opening episodes a (hot) space bounty hunter comes to Earth to kill Flash Gordon, but the dimensional portal closes up stranding her here, so what does she do...? She becomes Flash's roommate. Oh, I should also mention that Flash lives with his mom. Pure 80s gold!
The writers were either total geniuses or totally high. Either way, I totally enjoyed this great production. Some of the plots are so bizarre you feel like you're watching a Coen Brothers flick (like episode 4 where Flash's best friend is dying from the venom of a 'joy bug' and the only way to keep him alive is to make him feel really miserable, and by the way this all happens at his brother's wedding LMAO). It also helps that all the women are smoking hot and often scantily clad, while beefcake Flash seems to unerringly lose his shirt, all within the confines of a strict G rating. More or less.
Eye candy aside, the acting was very human and personal which draws you in fast. Eric Johnson plays Flash as a sort of cross between James Dean, Peewee Herman and Ferris Buehler. Gina Holden plays Dale Arden in a way that oddly reminded me of Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City, that is, sassy & in control but just one bad hair day away from a nervous breakdown. Karen Cliche, the bounty hunter, steals the show with her quirky larger than life personality. Jody Racicot plays Dr Zarkoff as a lovably loony nerd (who refuses to use a cell phone because it increases the chances of brain cancer 12x). And Anna Van Hooft, though she had some big pumps to fill taking the role made infamous by the seductive Ornella Muti in 1980, brings us the "poor little rich girl" Princess Aura in a way that makes you really feel for her especially in the dramatic scenes.
I know it's tempting to compare this show to the remake of Battlestar Galactica, but don't even think of it. That's like comparing "Kick-Ass" with "The Dark Knight". Take Flash Gordon for what it is: a true one of a kind, a throwback to the 80s-90s and way ahead of its time.
