Flash Gordon (1980)
A professional football player fights against a galactic villain.
Genre
Characters/Groups
The Emperor Ming - Max von Sydow
Arborian Priest - John Osborne
Zogi, the High Priest - Philip Stone
Serving Girl - Suzanne Danielle
Vultan's Daughter - Adrienne Kronenberg
Airline Co-Pilot - Burnell Tucker
Man at Airfield - Robbie Coltrane
Hawk Woman 2 - Venetia Spicer
Wounded Hawkman - Francis Mugham
Klytus Observer No. 1 - Oliver MacGreevy
Klytus Observer No. 2 - John Hollis
Colonel of Battle Control Room - Leon Greene
Battle Room Controller - Graeme Crowther
Ming's Officer - Tony Scannell
Captain of Ming's Air Force - David Neal
Lieutenant of Ming's Air Force - Bogdan Kominowski
Prince of Ardentia - George Harris
Queen of Frigia - Doretta Dunkley
Queen of Azuria - Sally Nicholson
Princess Aura's Pet - Deep Roy
Special Movement - Michelle Mildwater, Marie Green, Imogen Claire, Kay Zimmerman, Fred Warder, Stephen Brigden, Lionel Guyett, Ken Robertson
Hawkmen - Andrew Bradford, Bertram Adams, Terry Forrestal, Mike Potter, John Sullivan, Eddie Stacey, John Lees, Roy Scammell
Sandmoon Girls - Kathy Marquis, Sophie, Kathy September, Glenna Forster Jones
Cytherian Girls - Rosanne Romine, Sneh, Magda, Shaka, Lindy, Viva, Beverly Andrews, Frances Ward, Kerry-Lou Baylis, Camella
Aquarian Girls - Lorraine Paul, Carolyn Evans, Celeste, Tina Thomas, Ruthie Barnett
Ardentian Men - Joe Iles, Trevor Ward, Alva Shelley, Nik Abraham, Leonard Hay, Glen Whitter
Serving Girls in Ming's Chamber - Jamalia, Jill Lamb, Sunanka, Karen Johnson
Exotic Girls in Ming's Bedchamber - Gina, Raquel, Fai
Dwarfs - Malcolm Dixon, Tiny Ross, Mike Edmonds, John Ghavan, Rusty Goffe, Richard Jones, Mike Cottrell, Peter Burrows, John Lummis, Kenny Baker
Azurian Men - Robert Goody, Daniel Venn, Peter St. James, Steven Payne, Max Alford, Stephen Calcutt, Anthony Olivier, Jim Carter, Stuart Blake, Nigel Jeffcoat
Ming's Brutes - Chris Webb, Les Crawford, Peter Brace, Terry Richards, John Gallant, Eddie Powell
Character thumbnails with links to profiles
Detailed Synopsis
The Emperor Ming tells Klytus that he is bored and Klytus offers Earth as his next plaything. Ming then causes a series of natural disasters to occur using a machine. At a small airport, hail begins to fall that steams the ground when it hits. A van arrives from Dark Harbor Inn and drops off Dale Arden. As she leaves the van she smiles at Flash Gordon who is parked next to the van and who she sees looking at her. Both Dale and Flash board a plane from Green Mountain Airways and after Man at Airfield secures the door, the plane lifts off. Ming causes air pressure to fluctuate and Flash goes up to the cockpit to ask Airline Pilot and Airline Co-Pilot if everything is okay and they tell him it is just air pressure. Flash introduces himself to Arden and tries to reassure her as the plane lifts and drops suddenly. At a lab, a piece of lava falls onto the bed of Munson waking him up and he wakes up Dr. Hans Zarkov and tells him the sun has been blotted out from the sky. A News Reporter goes on the air to say that NASA has claimed there is no cause for alarm for the sudden solar eclipse. Another piece of lava falls through the roof of the lab and Dr. Zarkov identifies it as a piece of moon rock and the moon is being subjected to an energy beam. Dr. Zarkov says that it is time to go into their rocket to counter-attack the attacking forces, and after Munson hesitates, Zarkov tries to force him to go by pointing a revolver at him and Munson runs away. All of a sudden Airline Pilot and Airline Co-Pilot vanish and Flash and Dale are forced to take over the airplane controls. Flash and Dale crash land into the lab of Dr. Zarkov and they are greeted by Zarkov. Dr. Zarkov tricks Flash and Dale into entering the rocket by telling them he has a phone in it that they can use. Zarkov points his revolver at Flash and Dale and tells them the moon will crash in ten days unless they do something and he needs their help. Flash and Zarkov struggle and the rocket takes off. The rocket crosses into a wormhole where they are detected by Klytus Observer No. 2 who informs Klytus and Klytus orders him to land the rocket safely on Ming's planet, Mongo.
Flash, Dale and Zarkov wake up and Flash greets Ming's Brutes and one of them shoots him with a stun hand. They are forced to follow Ming's Eyebot, who evaporates a Lizardman who is trying to escape. They are brought into a large hall where different groups of people are gathered including Princess Aura and Princess Aura's Pet, Special Movement, King of Frigia, Queen of Frigia and a Frigian Girl, Queen of Azuria and the Azurian Men, Sandmoon Girls, Cytherian Girls, Aquarian Girls, and Dwarfs. Ming enters the hall and all those gathered hail Ming. The first to give tribute to Ming is Prince Vultan of the Hawkmen who tries to offer the ice jewel, but is stopped by Prince Barin of the Arborians, who accuses the Hawkmen of stealing it. Vultan and Barin are about to duel when Klytus orders them to stop. Vultan tries to continue to fight Barin, and Klytus threatens that if he doesn't obey then he will lose his daughter. The next to offer tribute are the Ardentian Men. The Prince of Ardentia tells Ming that he cannot offer anything but his loyalty this year due to the destruction Ming has brought to their kingdom. Ming orders the Prince of Ardentia to fall on his sword and after acting like he is about to, the Prince of Ardentia declares death to Ming and is frozen in place by Ming's Eyebot. Ming takes the Prince of Ardentia's sword and stabs him in the stomach, killing him. Flash calls Ming a psycho and he, Dale and Zarkov are brought before Ming. Ming uses his ring to force Dale to come to him. Dale is ordered to be taken away and after Flash tries to stop her, he is attacked by some of Ming's Brutes. Flash is initially winning by using his football skills, but is knocked unconscious when Zarkov accidentally hits him in the head with an egg shaped object. Kala declares over an intercom that Flash is ordered to be publicly executed that night. For his final wish he asks to see Dale, who has been made Ming's concubine and they talk about how they must be dreaming. Flash is tied to a chair and a Mongon Doctor injects him in the arm. Gas is poured into the room and Flash stops moving. Princess Aura and the Mongon Doctor enter the room with Flash Gordon's coffin and after the doctor injects him again, Flash regains consciousness. Flash puts on a uniform and he and Aura escape in a rocket to the moon Arboria.
Ming tells Zarkov, who is strapped to a bed, that every thousand years he tests a star system by causing a series of natural disasters to strike the star system. If the star system thinks it is natural events, he spares the system, but if the star system figures out they are under attack, he considers it a threat and destroys it in the name of his god Dyzan. Ming leaves and Klytus and Kala enter and they tell him that they are going to drain his memories including the death of his wife, World War II and his birth. After his memories are erased, Kala has Battle Room Controller reprogram Zarkov's brain. Dale is brought to Ming's chamber where she is surrounded by Serving Girls in Ming's Chamber. Hedonia gives Dale a drink from the Galaxy of Pleasure that will make her time with Ming more enjoyable. Flash uses telepathy he was taught from Aura to speak with Dale. A Serving Girl enters the room and Dale and Flash stop speaking to each other. Dale convinces Serving Girl to drink with her and Serving Girl gets drunk. Klytus and Kala speak to Zarkov who has been made agent 21003 of the Imperial Anti-Insurgent Espionage Group. Ming enters his bedchamber and finds Serving Girl in his bed and Dale missing. Klytus Observer No. 2 tells Klytus that he has spotted Dale and Klytus has Kala send Zarkov after her. Zarkov finds Dale and she tells him that Flash is still alive and he went to Arboria. An Arborian Priest leads the initiation of Young Treeman. During the initiation, the Young Treeman sticks his hand in the stump of a tree and is stung by the Woodbeast inside of the stump. Prince Barin walks over to Young Treeman and stabs him through the chest in an act of mercy before the poison causes Young Treeman to go crazy. Aura goes to Barin and asks him to keep Flash for her. Zarkov tells Dale that the reprogramming didn't work due to him reciting Shakespeare and any other great things he could remember and shortly afterward they are captured by Hawkmen. Barin has Flash, Wounded Hawkman and two Lizard People lowered into the swamp inside of a large cage. Aura is captured and tortured by Kala and Klytus who question her on how Flash escaped. Barin tells Fico that he is going to kill Flash. In the cage, Wounded Hawkman tells Flash he can no longer stay above the water, but Flash gives him hope. Fico is called a traitor and dumped into the cage and he tells Flash he stole a key to the cage. Ming orders Aura banished to Frigia the day after his wedding for one year. Dale and Zarkov are brought to the palace of the Hawkmen. Luro tells Prince Vultan, Brave Blue has caught someone. Zarkov and Dale tell Vultan that he should fight against Ming. Fico brings Flash into the Treeman initiation site and a group of Arborians emerge including Barin and Arborian Priest revealing it to be a trap. Flash and Barin take turns sticking their hands in the initiation stump and during the back and forth Flash tricks Barin into thinking Flash has been stung by the Woodbeast and begs him to end his life. As Barin pulls out his sword to stab Flash, Flash steals the sword and runs away after later discarding the sword. Barin is about to kill Flash after saving him from a Swamp Creature when a group of Hawkmen surround Barin and Flash.
Klytus' Pilot tells him that they have spotted a group of Hawkmen carrying Flash and Barin and Klytus tells him to wake him when they get closer to Vultan's kingdom. Flash and Barin are brought before Vultan and Barin invokes article 17 of Ming's Law and demands trial by combat with Flash. Dale and Zarkov walk into the central room and after Flash and Dale embrace, Flash proposes to Dale and she accepts. He and Barin then engage in combat on a moving circular disc. Flash wins and saves Barin's life and afterwards Barin promises to follow Flash. Klytus arrives at Vultan's palace and orders Zarkov killed and Flash and Barin given to him. Barin grabs Klytus and Flash throws him onto the circular disc impaling and killing Klytus on one of the disc's spikes. Vultan orders the evacuation of his palace versus fighting against Ming and orders his people to flee. Ming's ship arrives and Ming's Officer asks Ming if he should destroy them and Ming orders a ship sent down to get Zarkov, Dale and Barin and to leave Flash in the palace. After the three are taken away, Ming lands at the palace and offers Flash a kingdom, Earth to rule under the flag of Ming. Flash refuses and Ming leaves him to die. As the palace is being destroyed, Flash finds a rocket cycle and flies away. As Luro is urging Vultan to fight Ming, Flash uses the communication device on the rocket cycle to contact Vultan and Vultan tells him they are on the planet Arboria.
Dale is again brought to Ming's chamber where she fights with Aura in front of Exotic Girls in Ming's Bedchamber. Aura tells Dale that she is to be exiled and gives Dale poison to put inside of Ming's power potion. Hedonia enter the room and gets Dale to prepare her for her wedding to Ming. Colonel of Battle Control Room spots Flash and informs Kala that Flash is approaching and Kala orders Flash shot down. As Flash is escaping Kala orders War Rocket Ajax sent after Flash. War Rocket Ajax with Captain of Ming's Air Force and Lieutenant of Ming's Air Force follows Flash into a trap. The Hawkmen charge the rocket and Biro manages to place a bomb onto the rocket before he is shot by a Ming Brute. Flash goes to help Biro and he detonates the bomb causing a large amount of damage to the rocket. Kala announces the marriage of Ming and the execution of Zarkov and Barin. Aura frees Barin and Zarkov and Barin proposes to Aura. Colonel of Battle Control Room tells Kala that Rocket Ajax has returned and after she suspects something she orders it shot down. Barin and Zarkov break into the control room and Barin steals a visor from Klytus Observer No. 1, killing all of the Observers. Kala shoots at Zarkov and she is in turn shot dead by Barin. Ming's marriage begins and Zogi, the High Priest officiates the wedding. Barin breaks into the Battle Control Room and orders the lightening field disabled after killing Colonel of Battle Control Room. Flash crashes Rocket Ajax into the throne room, impaling Ming in the process. Ming dissolves into goop and the attack on Earth ends. Ming's Eyebot says long live Flash and declares Earth saved. Barin is declared the rightful heir of the kingdom and Vultan is declared the general of the armies. A group of Hawkmen spell out "Thanks Flash" and a mysterious hand takes Ming's ring.