Hey everybody, elsewhere on the Internet I saw something about a new Flash Gordon movie that somebody was supposed to be working on, due out sometime in 2006. Unfortunately, (A) they wanted, of all people, Ashton Kutcher to play Flash; and (B) the latest posting that I could find on the subject was dated sometime around August 2004. Does anybody else out there know anything about this?
Here's the IMDB entry for it.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421201/
Well, according to that brief plot summary, once again they're portraying Flash as, of all things, a football player. Which means that they're paying entirely too much attention to the 1981 film, which convinced me that Dino DeLaurentis screws up everything he touches. And since they're basing this new film on a screwed up version . . .
to quote several characters from an excellent film series, done by a completely different producer, who actually understood what "Flash Gordon" movies are supposed to be all about . . .
"I've got a baaad feeling about this".
Isn't Stephan Summers the director of the new Mummy Movies and Van Helsing. Flash Gordon will probably be impressive effects wise, but Summers does overwhelm his films with effects. A little less effects, and better characters and plot please.
Sommers needs to stop writing his own movies. He needs to get some good writers to come in and help with the characters and dialogue and than he can do what he does best.
In one DVD review, it is questioned whether it was appropriate for director Mike Hodges to include jabs at President Bush in the DVD commentary for the 1980 film. My answer is yes. I think it represents a triumph of conscience to criticise Bush in DVD commentaries. It shows how the film is relevant to today's political climate.
In 1980, nobody knew who would be President today. In 1980, nobody knew that there would ever be a President named Bush, let alone 2 of them. The commentary for any film should not contain matters that have absolute zero to do with that film.
IMO, it is impossible to do a good job with anything about Flash Gordon, UNLESS it's going to be 6 hours long, MINIMUM. Or, unless they decide that they're going to do a new Flash Gordon film every year or two.
In the mid 1970s George Lucas wanted to do at least 1 film based on Flash Gordon, but couldn't get the rights so he came up with Star Wars instead.
They should just revive the serial format itself!
You know I think that would be cool but I don't think the theaters would go for it. Now for TV it could be really cool though, think HBO.
You know what the problem is? Back in the day, most of the films were family-friendly, or at the very least quite tame by today's standards. You could do a serial on movie A, and be fairly sure that there would be a movie B next week that the whole family could also attend. These days, if you put a serial on a G or PG movie, you could wait months for another one to come out! And honestly, any serial for the PG-13 or R crowd probably wouldn't be in classic serial teritory any more. Maybe it's kind of an idea that was lost when cinematic innosence was... but if there was anywhere to reasonably revive it, I agree that TV would probably be the best way... although if you could do it in the theaters, that would be neat. Maybe if select theaters started doing movie marathons, or if a studio releasing a series did it... IE, a Disney or PIXAR?
On a side note, I think it's some of that cinematic innosence and general chessiness, steryotypical characters and archetypes, and over-all mood that made Flash Gordon a sucess- trying to 'update' it kind of takes away what made it good in the first place.
back in the day? What are you an old geezer or something? Geez kid.
Darn right... young whipersnappers these days don't know how good they had it way back when... mumble grumble...
Nah, just a youngster who appreciates the classics... anyone remember I Love Lucy? :-)
Yes. I work with a mechanic named Lou and it drives him nuts whenever I come back into the garage after doing something and yell out LOOOSSIIEE I'm Home!
And if you ever need him to explain something to you do you say in your best faux Cuban accent, "Looosie, you got some 'splainin' to do"? ;)
Yeah I have. Its a good thing he has a sense of humor.
One other thing I have done requires me to explain his looks: He stands about 6'02 and weighs about 300 pounds. So he is a bit of a big guy. But he also has a zztop long beard and long hair down his back he wears in a ponytail (yes he is a biker). One day we had to go get a car or something and I shouted out Come Gimli! Fortunately he has a great sense of humor so when I explained what I meant by that (he had no clue) he thought it was funny as heck.
I think the makers of the film should learn the main lesson of the 1980 Flash Gordon- Please tone down the camp! A real opportunity exists to remake a film which shows an appreciation and respect for a classic character. A good example of a camp disaster would be 'Batman and Robin'. Please, not another campfest like that. The new 'Flash' should be more in the serious Star Wars style of storytelling.
Here we are, 2 and a half years later, and this film is still "in development," with a projected screen date of 2010.