Flash Gordon & Superman

Two Larger Than Life Heroes

Flash Gordon and Superman, two larger than life heroes that made their debut in the mid-1930s. Two characters that inspired millions through their portrayals in comics, television, and film. Both Flash Gordon and Superman take us to exotic worlds and show us that it is possible to defy the odds when facing intergalactic challenges.

You guys already know that Superman has been on my mind a lot lately. What I plan on doing below is give my thoughts on the new film. Flash Gordon, though? I’ve honestly wanted to write about him for over a year now. I figured we could team our heroes up and fight evil with this epic duo.

Flash Gordon

I vividly remember my mom having Flash Gordon recorded on VHS when I was a kid. I’ve been feeling a lot of nostalgia for VHS tapes lately. Fridays at the video rental joint (we preferred Hollywood Video over Blockbuster), organizing the Disney tapes that we owned, and making sure to hit pause when the commercials hit as you recorded the television broadcast of a movie. My mom must have seen the 1980’s Flash Gordon movie when she was a teenager and thought that her sci-fi obsessed son would’ve liked it. Let me tell you, she was RIGHT!

The color palette of Flash Gordon was incredible. Bright red, green, gold, and even some blue…Flash Gordon is a very visually pleasing film. It’s a B-movie, it’s corny, and the plot has holes as wide as the Pacific Ocean, but man, it is a fun way to spend a couple of hours. Earth gets attacked by this space alien named Ming. Ming is a despot. He squeezes multiple planets in his grip and Earth is next on his list. Flash and the love of his life, Dale Arden, find themselves in Ming’s clutches and they try to unite the different factions into overthrowing Ming and saving Earth.

Let’s talk about Flash and Dale’s love story. They talk on a private airplane for a total of ten minutes, but later on they express their love for each other and talk about their future children. It’s amazing. I love the 80’s.

Besides the expedited love story, the only thing in the movie that isn’t believable is that Flash Gordon is the star quarterback for the New York Jets. If you know anything about football, universe saviors and star quarterbacks don’t play for the Jets. Imagine Justin Fields or Aaron Rodgers or Chad Pennington trying to save humanity.

The Hawk Men! I sent my wife a picture of them and said that I found this year’s Halloween costume. Hell of a crew. Prince Vultan, played by Brian Blessed, is infectious with his joy and bravery.

The best part of the movie is OBVIOUSLY the theme song by Queen. I literally go about my day with this song playing in my head. It makes me feel like a hero. The intro of the movie with the song playing and shots of old Flash Gordon comics was very cool. FLASH! AAAAAAHHHHHH SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE!

Superman

Alright, now my thoughts on James Gunn’s Superman movie.

LOVED it! Both Calebs Films and From the Yard to the Arthouse wrote excellent reviews. I need another showing or two before I write a deep dive, but here are a few key feelings about the movie.

1. The Dark Knight is the standard for super hero movies. Superman is not The Dark Knight. It doesn’t need to be. It’s a great, light-hearted, and fun Superman movie.

2. There are two comic book movies that I feel drop you right in the middle of the comic. Into the Spider-Verse and now Superman. James Gunn really immerses you into this world.

3. The performances. David Corenswet is Superman for a new generation. Nicholas Hoult is chilling as Lex Luthor and Rachel Brosnahan is the best portrayal of Lois Lane that I’ve seen. My guy Skyler Gisondo CRUSHES it as Jimmy Olsen. I’m so glad that Jimmy got his moment on the big screen.

4. I’m so pumped for the future of DC Studios. See this movie, then go read Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow before next summer.

5. Last and most importantly, Clark Kent says something along the lines of “Being kind is punk rock.” Being punk rock is being rebellious and cool. In this day and age, kindness is the rebellious and cool thing to do. Where did Clark learn this kindness? How did Superman realize his greatest strength does not come from his powers, but his humanity? Martha and Jon Kent, his parents, also known as Ma and Pa Kent. The Kents play such a huge role in the kindness becoming a part of Superman’s identity. I love them in the comics and I love them in this movie.