Atom’s Antics

Sci-Fi Channel aired the first episode of its re-imagined Flash Gordon series and to cut to the chase, it’s pretty lame. Whether you’re familiar with the original Alex Raymond Comic strip, the Buster Crabbe serials or the exquisite 1980 movie; they are all vastly superior to this 2007 incarnation.

A friend and I watched it together and we had completely called every plot twist 15 minutes into the show and the 90 minute Pilot felt like it dragged on for far, far longer.

Flash and Dale seem to be appropriately cast and if these two actors had been given a good script with a good Producer on board, they would make a GREAT Flash and Dale. Everyone else is just off. Dr. Zarkov comes across as a reject from a bad hacker movie and not the brilliant scientist the character is supposed to be. Ming is a whiny, greedy, power-hungry, water merchant (what the …?) and not the cruel tyrant/dictator/warlord Ming “The Merciless” is supposed to be.

I don’t think it’s the actors fault however, this one falls squarely on the shoulders of the Producers and Writers and I will remember their names and be sure to avoid anything they do like the plague. These folks are given FLASH GORDON, a MAJOR license, a FANTASTIC license, a darn cool Universe to play in creatively I’d imagine and THIS is the drivel you have given us? The show bares no resemblance whatsoever to the original comic strip(the original source material), movie serial, 1980 film or even the 80’s cartoon and should have been called something else, anything else would have been better. The name “Horse Shit” comes to mind.

Flash Gordon is supposed to be a swashbuckling space opera set in an over the top universe that is bold and adventurous that had Flash, Dale and Dr. Zarkof hurling themselves into space to save the Earth from impending destruction, instead what we got was a flat, one dimensional, unimaginative, no budget remake of Sliders meets the WB and I really question whoever was responsible for green lighting it. I can not fathom how someone saw the Pilot and thought “I need to see more of this steaming pile of Horse Shit.”

Don’t even get me going about the Mongo Trooper (That looked exactly like a Star Trek Borg) they sent to the bowling alley………. I can’t go there, I will get violent. I will smash things and it will hurt.

Don’t believe it could be all that bad and want to see the “Horse Shit” for yourself? You can catch it on Sci-Fi, Fridays at 900pm though I’m thinking, not for long.

Better yet, do yourself a favor and go buy the new Universal release of the 1980 version of Flash Gordon and just forget Sci-Fi Channel ever tried. Trust me it’s a far better investment of time and money, I mean that from the bottom of my Heart.