Official Synopsis:
Flash Gordon — The Complete Series follows the adventures of the heroic Earthman Flash Gordon, who travels with the lovely Dale Arden and scientist Hans Zarkov to the distant planet of Mongo. There, they must team up with Thun, savage leader of the Lion Men, dashing Prince Barin, leader of Arboria, and Vultan, King of the Hawkmen, as they battle the ruthless and evil Emperor Ming the Merciless, ruler of Mongo. Complicating matters is the alluring Princess Aura, who often plays both sides against each other. On the exotic Mongo, Ming’s army of robots aren’t the only menace, as dinosaurs, witch women, amphibious Gillmen, rock creatures and two-headed Tsaks also imperil the heroes!
Our Take:
I love BCI Eclipse's commitment to bringing obscure animated properties to DVD. The Flash Gordon cartoon is one of those properties that I only have vague recollections of, but it's completely understandable why people would want this show on DVD. I mean, yes, it does have that late-70's/early-80's animation aesthetic to it; but Flash Gordon is one of the first great science fiction/action heroes. He's arguably one of the more important fictional characters of the 20th century. Even if this cartoon is a little hokey at times, it's still a lot of fun and Flash deserves to have his adventures preserved.
Released under BCI's Ink & Paint banner, Flash Gordon: The Complete Series is another fantastic DVD set. This four-disc release is loaded with extra features, including:
* Commentaries - Three episodes include commentary tracks by producer Lou Scheimer, animator Darrel McNeil, story editor/writer Tom Ruegger, and writer Michael Reeves.
* Blasting Off With Flash Gordon (21 minutes) - A solid making-of documentary with new interviews with historians and show creators.
* Storyboards (3 minutes) - See two action scenes in storyboard format.
* Bonus Episode (22 minutes) - The first episode of Defenders of the Earth, a cartoon that featured Flash Gordon, the Phantom, and Mandrake the Magician.
* Flash Gordon Chronicles - A comprehensive text encyclopedia for all the characters, aliens, and settings in the cartoon.
* DVD-ROM Content - The DVD-ROM material includes scripts, storyboards, and The Flash Gordon Bible.
* Art Cards - Two 4x6 art cards are included, featuring Flash Gordon art by comic book superstars Frank Cho and Gene Ha.
For some reason, when I was a kid, I had an action figure from this cartoon. But I didn't have Flash Gordon or one of the hot chicks like Dale Arden or Princess Aura, or even the cool bad guy, Ming the Merciless. No, I had the fat doctor. God knows why; and all I can remember is never having anything cool for him to do, most likely because he was the fat doctor. What does this have to do with the cartoon? Very little, but it's these kinds of nostalgic memories that DVD releases like this can bring back. And that alone is worth the price of admission.
Overall Picture:
Show: B
DVD: A
- Mike Spring
Editor
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