Flash Gordon

Yikes, from reading the first couple of pages of comments on this, I thought I must have had the wrong entry in the IMDb. This new Flash Gordon really isn't so bad, in my opinion.

I guess I can see how die-hard fans of previous incarnations of the characters and story might be sorely disappointed. That happens all too often with any kind of modern-day remake. And I have to concede that this show reminds me a LOT of just about everything else I've seen on SciFi lately (except maybe Battlestar).

But I also thought from all the one star reviews on the first couple of pages here that there must be a lot of lemmings out there. The show isn't particularly great, but the acting really isn't that bad, and unlike some other commentators, I find the whole thing to be plenty cheesy--there's just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek. When I first started seeing previews with the old theme music, I was afraid they were going to try and take themselves too seriously, but I've been pleasantly surprised.

I also like the fact that there are a couple of hot women. :) But I have to say I'm not that impressed with Princess Aura. Then again, like most of the characters on this show, she has kind of grown on me a bit as the character develops.

All in all, this show really isn't too bad. I've been pleasantly surprised.

I don't have any knowledge of the Flash Gordon franchise beyond the fact that it exists and that earlier works are apparently very different from this new series, so my opinion of the new series is based solely on what's presented there and not on the body of knowledge from the Flash Gordon universe at large. This is important because I think it's unfair to judge what's essentially a reboot of the franchise by comparing it to the history of the original incarnation(s). Battlestar Galactica fans made the same mistake before realizing what a complete gem the new series is.

OK, so this is no Battlestar Galactica. It's low-budget and goofy, and it's not particularly intelligent or emotionally deep. There's no arguing that.

But, who said it had to be the next great sci-fi series? Flash Gordon seems to be intended as silly, escapist fun, and I can't find any way in which it doesn't fulfill that role. The simple story lines are executed well with a good (if predictable) mix of drama and humor, and the characters are developed well enough to keep at least a passing interest, not to mention being easy on the eyes.

Flash Gordon reminds me a lot of Doctor Who mixed with a dash of Baywatch. I suspect that most viewers will enjoy it if they allow themselves to. I definitely do.

Not that I'd admit it to anyone. :)

I've read some of the reviews at how this series's pilot got trashed by a lot of viewers. The acting here isn't on the Citizen Kane level, but I've seen the Sci-Fi channel come up with a lot worse.

The Flash Gordon for the 21st century is Canadian actor Eric Johnson who you might remember was in the first two seasons of Smallville as Whitney Fordman the boyfriend of Lana Lang. I was very sorry he was written out of that series and am glad he got something else.

There's been so much advance in science that stuff like Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers can't possibly sell today in its original form except as camp. The creators of this series obviously wanted to have the show grounded somewhat in reality.

What they did is ripoff the concepts from Stargate, both the film and the television series. Flash's father was killed allegedly in a lab explosion several years ago, but maybe not. What was created was some kind of portal and maybe he's gone through it.

Flash and Dale Arden, played by Gina Holden, who's an investigative reporter go through the portal and end up where no man, but Flash's dad has gone before. We've got eleven episodes already filmed to see what adventures they find.

I sincerely hope the show lasts and it was nice to get an explanation of where the name Flash came from, real name Steven.

I watched the pilot and, frankly, thought this series was plain bad. HOWEVER a funny thing happened over the months. Around October I tuned back in with a friend to show them how weak a show "Flash" was...turns out it was much better. Still not fantastic but watchable. Some of the characters were interesting, the plot was more action oriented and set on Mongo (rather than Flash's Mom's house). It made me re-evaluate it. Another few weeks passed and I tuned in again...turns out the show isn't that bad after all.

So the question begs itself, can you write off a show that starts poorly or should it be judged in its entirety? I think, all things considered, the show is better than it was and might well become a quality show. There are a few episodes left in the season so I'm adopting a wait and see attitude. But the most recent episodes are far better than previous ones and I think the show deserves a second season...assuming they up the budget and tweak the writing.

This show appeals to a certain type of audience - it's not particularly clever but it's enjoyable to watch if not taken so seriously.

This is one of those shows that will age well given time - it feels like the actors/writers haven't quite settled into the show yet. Buffy the Vampire Slayer had a disastrous first season with terrible, cheesy writing, low brow plot lines and terrible acting... yet it went on to have a huge cult following and seven seasons. I think this series deserves a chance.

The characters are endearing and it has a clear direction that I'm interested in. I hope we see a second season.