Product Description

Complete and uncut: 15 episodes starring "Buster" Crabbe. Life on Earth is about to be destroyed! A mysterious beam of light emanating from Mars is sucking the nitrogen from the planet's atmosphere, and only Flash Gordon ("Buster" Crabbe) can stop it. Blasting off with Dale Arden (Jean Rogers) and Dr. Hans Zarkov (Frank Shannon), Flash and his intrepid band of adventurers quickly learn that Queen Azura (Beatrice Roberts), ruler of Mars, is stealing Earth's nitrogen to aid in her ongoing war with the Clay People, Martians whom Azura magically turned into living mud. A bigger surprise, however, is yet to come; working closely with the Queen is Flash's mortal enemy, Ming the Merciless (Charles Middleton), who--while posing as Azura's ally--is secretly plotting to overthrow the Queen and seize Mars for himself! Can Flash save the Earth, rescue the Clay People, bring Azura to her senses, and stop Ming's heinous scheme? The answers lie in "Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars"--15 thrilling episodes of sci-fi adventure at its very best.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86231 in DVD
• Brand: Image Entertainment
• Released on: 2000-03-28
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 299 minutes

Amazon.com
It's easy to point and guffaw at the Flash Gordon serials. In fact, in this day and age it's hard to believe that audiences of any era were ever expected to accept bulbous rocket ships that flatulently trail sparks and smoke; preposterous, shambling space creatures; and spaceship interiors that look as though they were assembled from a plumbing warehouse. Despite the primitive sets and effects, Flash Gordon serials are as much a part of the roots of modern sci-fi as Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, or Ray Bradbury.

This collection from Image Entertainment finds Flash battling a fiendish plot staged by Queen Azura of Mars, stealing the Earth's nitrogen to aid in the ongoing war against the Clay People. Flash soon discovers that Azura is in line with his mortal enemy, Ming the Merciless, who secretly is plotting to overthrow her and take over Mars himself. As usual, the hapless Professor Zarkov gets in predicaments from which Flash must rescue him, and Dale Arden is by Flash's side through all of it. Loaded with fisticuffs, sputtering, wobbly rocket ships, lasers, and, of course, the remarkable Clay People (Martians turned into animated mud), this is fast-paced sci-fi entertainment that was state of the art for 1938. The energy and raw enthusiasm of these serials are what make them so fun to watch, not to mention providing a downright quaint time-capsule look at what Depression-era audiences thought of as the future. --Jerry Renshaw

Customer Reviews

Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars
"Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars" is the second serial of theoriginal Flash Gordon films. The film picks up at the end of"Flash Gordon Space Solders." (Please note that each of the Flash Gordon films has been renamed and reedited numerous times.) The second series of chapters, 15 in all, are of a better quality then the first 12 chapters. The story picks up with the heroes returning from Mongo. The Earth is thrown into peril once again and Dr. Zarkoff. Flash and his friends must return to space once again to save the world. Ming is back as well. He some how managed to escape death at the end of the first serial and has moved his evil plans to Mars. I didn't really like the whole Mars thing. Knowing want we know about Mars today makes the whole story a little silly. But hay, this film was made at a time when the Red Planet still held a lot of mystery. So, we now know there are not any cities on Mars, you can still enjoy the movie. Buster Crabbe, who plays Flash, is much more secure in his acting. He speaks more, and is more proactive. I liked the character a lot better in this film. In the first serial Flash spent most of his him getting jumped on and being forced to defend himself. In this film, Flash plans attacks and fights when he know he has too. There is a lot of stock footage and a few flash backs to the first serial that pad out the film. This was a way to save money on the meager $175,000 budget, half of what they spent on the first serial. The return of all the same actors from the first film help the movie as well. For the third series the studio replaced Dale and Barin with new actors. The best part about this film and the previous one is the way that is displayed. This DVD has all 15 chapters just as they were shown in the theaters. Each as a title and introduction. They sum up the last chapter and then end with a cliffhanger. It is a lot of fun to watch a serial. The many other Flash Gordon titles are simply these same films recut as feature films. This DVD has all the footage as it was originally released. Larry "Buster" Crabbe played in many films, but really made the role of Flash Gordon special. He often can be found in westerns, and even played Tarzan in one film. He does a fine job on this film and pulls off the "All American Hero" better then anyone really should. I had not seen his work, but know I am a fan. Jean Rogers, who plays Dale, is a really cute girl next door. I have to say, I liked her blond hair in the first film, but the comic strip inspired hair change takes nothing away from her beauty. Dale does not have a lot to do in this serial, but she does manage to move a little away from the totally dependent Dale of the first films. Ming is even more evil as he should be. In the first film he sat around a lot and gave orders. In this film Ming is more active. He fights, shoots a ray gun, and even captures Flash Gordon by himself. Charles Middleton makes a great Ming and will have you plotting your own evil plans before the film is done. He makes the picture a lot of fun. You will notice a few bad spots in the film. The film is from 1938, so you have to chalk the flaws up to its age. Plus the flaws give the DVD character. The cheesy voice over will draw a laugh as well as the special effects. The "Bat Wings" are a great idea. The dolls that flew with them almost looked like.... well they looked like dolls. Buy this film and brush up on some film history as you enjoy some great science fiction!

Flash vs. Ming: Round Two
Though an entertaining serial, "Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars" (1938) occasionally falters due to obvious padding and unnecessary comic relief. Luckily, Buster Crabbe and Charles Middleton resume their intergalactic battle in the classic Saturday Matinee tradition - highlighted by the memorable presence of the Clay People. The action-packed finale has a rousing vitality not evident in the previous chapters. Worth seeing, but definitely the weakest of Universal's Flash Gordon trilogy.

Great family entertainment
When I was growing up I remember being glued to the set every Sunday morning watching the Flash Gordon serials on WGN in Chicago. These episodes were great sci-fi back then and I was thrilled to find them again on DVD. With a little trepidation I started showing the episodes to the kids, ages 9, 6, and 4. I have been amazed how much they enjoy it. We are watching two episodes every Saturday night. The kids line up on the couch, watch it with complete attention, and hate having to wait a whole week to see the next episode. It has really been fun for the kids. My wife and I really enjoy it, too. The special effects are dated, but really, the action and story carry you along and it is a lot of fun to watch. For us, watching the old fashioned special effects are a blast, and for the kids the simple effects are plenty of fun to watch.

One thing that has made the series fun to watch is that we have only been watching two episodes at a time. Each episode is full of action, and watching them all at once would probably be less enjoyable. These episodes were originally shown one episode a week back in the 1930's. Each episode ends at a cliffhanger, so you really want to see the next episode. It is interesting to imagine the millions of people that went each week to the movies to see each episode.

We have finished watching the first serial, Flash Gordon - Space soldiers, are enjoying this series now, and look forward to watching the following, Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe. At this rate, it will take almost a year of to watch the series. What a great way this is to enjoy time with the kids. I think it is great that a movie series over 60 years old stands up so well.

The only reason to give it 4 instead of 5 stars is that the print used has little specks and a few sound glitches that might have been cleaned up with modern digital techniques. By the way, to clear up any confusion from the reviews, this product ASIN=6305773904 contains all the original episodes. It is not an edited version.