Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)

(On Cable TV, June 2020) With now more than a hundred years of film history to riffle through, there are several individual films that, while not worth watching by themselves, can be a useful representative of entire subgenres. For instance, I won’t recommend that you watch Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe for its intrinsic qualities—taken by itself, it’s cheaply conceived, badly written and ineptly executed. The cliché storm is of galactic proportions, the plot drivers are generic and the production values are threadbare. On the other hand, it’s a splendid illustration of early 1940s sci-fi serials (and goodness knows there weren’t that many non-serial Science Fiction movies in that decade) and it’s certainly interesting viewing for anyone who has previously seen the 1980 camp classic. What’s more, you can see here part of the inspiration that led to Star Wars, all the way to the scrolling summaries of past episodes. As such, Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe isn’t thrilling entertainment, but it is (alongside any of the films in the series) sort of mandatory viewing for SF cinema historians. You don’t have to see that specific film, but any one of them should do. Keep in mind, though, that I haven’t seen the end of it: The recording cut short in the last two or three minutes, and that didn’t bother me all that much. Does he actually conquer the universe? I’m confident he does. [April 2025: I finally looked it up, unable to tolerate the suspense any longer. Spoiler alert: he totally does.]