Peril from the Planet Mongo

Original filmed in 1940 as a serial (short films shown before the main feature, with a new episode shown each week) and re-edited into one complete story. This film was chapters 7-12 of the serial "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe." This installment involved Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov returning to the planet Mongo to stop a disease unleashed upon earth by the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless. It's low budget, silly, and clearly aimed at children, but it's infectiously entertaining, packed with gloriously antiquated special effects, terrifically silly looking sets and costumes, and pretty much wall-to-wall space swashbuckling action. What's not to like? My first exposure to Flash Gordon was the Mike Hodges 1980s film version, which after watching this film seemed as if it was a pretty spot on as a full-color rendering of the original campy serial. What's funny is that the 1980s Flash Gordon was an attempt to capitalize off the popularity of "Star Wars," which itself owed quite a lot to these original Flash Gordon serials. But back to "Flash Gordon: Peril from the Planet Mongo," it's not exactly "The Day the Earth Stood Still," but if you're simply looking for rollicking good juvenile entertainment from the days of yore, this was pretty fun.