Best movie of this year hands down!

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Not once, but twice in FLASH GORDON'S TRIP TO MARS he ends up being paralyzed pretty much BY HIMSELF: once, when the villains are literally knocking down the doors to get at him (when he urges Zarkov to test the "freeze-ray" on him) and, not long thereafter, when he turns the weapon on AND RUNS DIRECTLY INTO ITS BEAM. Punchy, perhaps, from his bout in SPACE SOLDIERS with the orangopoid, he seems less capable this time around. The sets are as spectacular as in the first serial, and the creepy Clay People are my favorite creatures in any of the FLASH GORDON serials, but his trip to the Angry Red Planet just doesn't measure up to his initial outing. Crabbe seemed to grow more relaxed on camera with each successive serial, but the writing was against him this time around.

The degree to which these episodes require of the viewer a super-human suspension of belief makes them, I believe, beyond all criticism and places them in a category that defies definition--"kitsch" and "camp" do not begin to do this cinematic production justice. I do have one criticism, however, of King Entertainment's editing of the DVD. They should have left in the original breaks in the story line which corresponded to the actual viewing experience of the original audiences in the movie houses of the 30s & 40s and TV of the 60s & 70s: namely those dramatic moments at the end of a chapter when Flash & company appeared to be finished for certain. The beginning of the next sequel revealed how they managed their astonishing, breath-taking escape from the gaping jaws of death.

This is perhaps the best of the three Flash Gordon serials due to the fact that it not only was action packed, but that it also included some humorous moments provided by the character of "Happy" Hapgood. The first one was exciting, but really wasn't as action packed as this one. The third serial was good, but they had different characters playing the characters of Dale, Barin and Aura (give me Jean Rogers as Dale anytime). Also, this is the first one in which Dale takes part in the action, especially in the scene where she bombs the Forest People's temple. If you want thrills, just look at this serial.

This direct sequel to the now classic "Flash Gordon" is quite good. Polished look helps. Acting is better. But it does drag a bit once you get to Chapter 9. The tracked musical score is great. Charles Middleton made a great Ming the Merciless. All in all, fun film but not as good as the first serial. Many believe this one to be the best.