Flash Gordon Season One Discussion (1 Viewer)

[Mikel_Cooperman]

Horrible. Every contrivance in the book. Horrible script and bad acting.
Farscape did it much better.
Thanks Bonnie Hammer for giving us a poor substitute.

 

[BrandonJF]

I was actually looking forward to this. I guess mainly because I thought they were making a show based on the comic strip/serials/80s movie and not just dumping character names into some atrocious mistake.

I can't believe this ever got put on the air. The only appealing thing I can see for the network is that it had to be cheap. If it wasn't, this thing is even more of a train wreck than I originally thought.

Now, I love the 80s movie, probably out of nostalgia. But, the one thing I never thought I'd be saying is that 27 years later they managed to remake Flash Gordon with worse acting, worse writing, and while the effects may be "better", the movie actually went for and achieved more because Mongo actually looked like an alien planet instead of Canada.

The only one I don't blame is Eric Johnson. If he had a script to work off of, I think he could've pulled it off.

Now, when I hear "Flash! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" that "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" translates to agony.

 

[Michael Harris]

I can't believe how bad this show was. I was so bored by it, I spent more time reading HTF. I don't even know where to start. And SCI FI greenlighted this over "Caprica"? Wow!

I too am a fan of the 80's movie and consider it a camp classic. This show is trying to take itself too seriously. I'll give it one more episode since pilots are sometime slow paced because they have to introduce the characters but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Regulus]

From the sounds of things I didn't miss much. If it ran 90 Minutes you really had only 60 minutes of Show, you know what the rest was! :frowning:

 

[seanOhara]

How the bloody f*** can you have Flash Gordon without any freakin' space ships? And based on the previews, it looks like most of the show takes place on Earth. Do any the dimwits at SciFi understand what makes Flash Gordon cool?

 

[Brandon Gantt]

I really wasn't surprised at how horrible this was. The producers went to great length's to distance their product from the movie and the source material, when they really should have embraced the campiness and comic fun inherent in the character.

 

[TonyD]

yes, but somewone decided to use a sound alike or actual queen movie music in the preview

 

[Greg_S_H]

Michael's post has convinced me to give it one more try, but I was ready to rescind my series recording based on the pilot. The modern audience is just so sophisticated that there's no way they'd sit still for Mongo being on a collision course with Earth, and Flash being able to travel by rocket to another planet. Well, fine. But, the neanderthals watching serials in the '30s at least had *fun*. How about we get off our high horses and get back to that? I also agree that I can't really blame EJ. He tried. I was embarrassed for him during the whole "keep smiling" scene. I can't believe SciFi ordered an entire season before seeing a single frame. Boy, I bet they're kicking themselves over that one. Surely, they can back out of the deal. Otherwise, 21 more weeks of audience dropoff to come.

 

[Dave Mack]

Wait, wasn't earth's MOON on a collision course with earth in the 1980 film? I'm pretty sure it wasn't Mongo...

and I missed this but sure doesn't sound like I missed much

 

[Greg_S_H]

I'm referring to the serial. I haven't seen the '80 film in forever.

 

[seanOhara]

I've discovered a transcript of the Sci Fi Channel's development meeting for the series.

 

[alan halvorson]

According to an ad run during Flash Gordon, something involving BSG is starting in November. What might that be? I thought the series didn't start until next year?

 

[RickER]

Its a stand alone story about the Pegasus, before it met up with the Galactica. I dont think season 4 starts until Jan or Feb.

Sorry to derail the Flash Gordon talk with Galactica. Just tryin to class the place up.

 

[Francois Caron]

What's a "wristwatch"?

 

[Steve Berger]

SciFi must really figure it's going to be a success. I saw Best Buy advertising a DVD of the first two episodes going on sale Tuesday. You can watch episode two on DVD before the broadcast on Friday!

 

[BrianW]

I still have the pilot on my TiVo. After reading this discussion, I'm considering not watching it.

Dang. I was really hoping for the "50s Buick-Style" space ships and camp of the serial and movie. There are few things worse than a show that takes itself seriously, but doesn't have the wherewithal to do so.

 

[TonyD]

good stuff but sliders was good the first 2 seasons.

 

[Greg_S_H]

That Pegasus thing looks boring. Why would I want the backstory on that ship? Maybe it's because I became thoroughly disenchanted with BSG this year. At least I hear it will have the original Cylons.

 

[Zack Gibbs]

You mean when it was on FOX?

I didn't like Flash much but you guys are seriously coming down too hard on it. Yes, the premiere was slow and cheap, but it wasn't nearly so awful that the show doesn't have a chance. I'll check back in with it in a few weeks to see if they don't find their footing.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Well, damn. I was coming here to say I had changed my mind and was deleting the series recording after all, but now you've shamed me into giving it one more try. I just wish the stupid Motorola DVR was smarter than it is. I've had to delete three or four extraneous copies of the pilot so far. You can tell it to only save one episode, but then you have to have a copy on the hard drive, and it still records, but just deletes when done if it sees you already have one saved.