Flash Gordon

[Pyrex]

I think that people went in with rather high expectations, i stopped doing that many years ago ;-)

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect more than we're getting out of Flash Gordon from a new series; even a relatively low budget one.

Exhibit a) Eureka.

While I suspect that they do have a slightly higher effects bugdet, they have a strong cast who can act and compelling characters. Eureka is so much better than Flash Gordon it's hard to believe they're both being produced by the same network.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Flash Gordon doesn't need a big budget to have better pacing, a sense of fun, actual sex appeal and humor.

All of those, in fact, are free.

I mean, yeesh, the terrible 1980s movie looks like it was made for about $90, but at least it understood that the movie was supposed to be fun. This is the most dour, sad sack swashbuckling space hero I've ever seen.

 

[Fast Learner]

Well, a sense of fun and humor require better writers, better pacing require better writers, directors, and editors, and sex appeal requires better directing and actors. They may well be tapped out on all of those fronts, with the crap they have now being all they can afford.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Well, a sense of fun and humor require better writers, better pacing require better writers, directors, and editors, and sex appeal requires better directing and actors. They may well be tapped out on all of those fronts, with the crap they have now being all they can afford.

Better in these cases doesn't mean that the people required cost more.
Aren't there some kind of minimum wages for actors and writers?

 

[Brown Jenkin]

Better in these cases doesn't mean that the people required cost more.
Aren't there some kind of minimum wages for actors and writers?

I am sure I am paraphrasing but one saying goes: If there is one performance that stands above the others it is the sign of a good actor, If everyones acting rises above the norm it is the sign of a good director. I would hold a corollary that if if everones performace is subpar it is the sign of a bad director. The show has some decent actors that have shown they have some acting skill elsewhere and Karen Cliche has shown an occaisional ability to rise above the rest so I do not blame the actors for this mess.

I blame Sci-Fi for underfunding the show, the set director and special effects director for not being more creative with thier limited resources, the writers who have no imagination, and the director(s) who don't seem to care.

 

[trancejeremy]

I mean, yeesh, the terrible 1980s movie looks like it was made for about $90, but at least it understood that the movie was supposed to be fun. This is the most dour, sad sack swashbuckling space hero I've ever seen.

I hope you are kidding about that - the budget for the movie was around $30 million, and it showed. The special effects in the movie were quite good, there were lots of huge models and sets, tons of extras in specially designed costumes. Yeah, the special effects deliberately mimicked the style of the old serials, but they were much, much, much better and quite expensive.

 

[Villano]

I gave up on Flash two weeks ago, but I had to tune in last night once I saw those Hawkmen. Wow. That was...wow...

Top 5 moments on the show:

5.) Mongo. I know they're trying to do the show as cheaply as they can, but should you really farm out your FX work to the local 7th grade computer class?

4.) Hawkmen. We can't put wings on grown men; that would look silly. Now, take off your shirt, put on this cape, and dance! Don't forget, no matter what's going on in the scene, keep dancing!

3.) Apparently, they have rayguns on Mongo, but no one's ever seen a bottle before.

2.) Hawkmen flying. See No. 5.

And the No. 1 worst thing:

The unseen monster. Because nothing screams "quality production" quite like pretending there's a monster off screen because you can't afford to actually create one. Well, on the plus side, at least they didn't try to pull the old "it's an invisible monster" trick (they're saving that one for a future episode).

And an honorable mention goes to teaching us that you can hold off a horde of thugs by tying a belt from a rail to the doorknob. It won't matter that the door still opens almost halfway. No thug will be able to squeeze through. Or think of cutting the belt. Or shooting it with their rayguns.

 

[Swoop109]

Last nights episode was the final straw.
How anyone can take a concept like Hawkmen and turn them into such a weak lame visual is beyond me.
I've been deluding myself into thinking that somewhere along the line the series would start to get better and that what I've been watching was just the actors, writers, and directors settling into the series.
In truth it seems to be going the opposite way. What few moments of real acting and connection that do happen seem to occur more by accident then planning.

At least I have my collection of the old seriels and the 1980 film to remind me of what Flash Gordon is suppose to be. Maybe in 10 or 20 years another company will come up with a new version of Flash and get it right.

 

[Cergorach]

Writer: Oh!!! There are going to be a couple of really cool space battles.
Producer: Nope, we don't have the funding for that.
Writer: Some cool near humans on an alien planet...
Producer: Nope, no funding...
Writer: Some cool outfits?
Producer: You can have five. For the whole season.
Writer: Some actors?
Producer: Maybe...

;-)

 

[Villano]

I was looking around the old interweb for any reviews of this episode. I didn't find any, but I did stumble upon a couple of old reviews that brought about an epiphany.

We all know the new characterization of Ming is, to say the least, off. A lot of people describe him as an accountant, but two reviews really nailed it for me. One described him as a "mean boss" and joked, "Oh, I just know Ming is going to make me work late today."

The second, a review on the IMDB, described him as Bill Lumbergh from Office Space.

Oh.

My.

God.

That's it! That's the character! Can't you picture it? Flash is strapped to a table, being tourtured. The door opens. Ming enters, cup of coffee in hand.

"What's happening?"

"What do you want, Ming?!"

"What did you do with those TPS Reports?"

"You'll never get them! I'd rather die than give them to you!"

"Mmmm, yeah, well, here's the thing. I'm going to need those reports Monday, so, I'm gonna need you to stay here over the weekend and retype them for me. That'd be great."

"You monster! I'll never...hey, wait, that's my stapler...!"