FLASH GORDON’S TRIP TO MARS (1938 serial)

We pick up the story of Flash Gordon, Dale Arden, and Prof. Zarkov where the first Flash Gordon serial ended, with their return to Earth from battling Ming the Merciless on the planet Mongo. After celebratory headlines and ticker-tape parades, however, Earth is again menaced from space—this time, a powerful ray directed at our planet from Mars begins siphoning all the nitron out of our atmosphere, leading to more natural catastrophes and the concern that eventually all life on Earth will die. Flash, Dale and Zarkov take off once again to investigate, this time with a stowaway reporter named Happy Hapgood, and find that Ming, thought dead, is back with a vengeance, getting help from Azura, Queen of Mars. She also calls herself the Queen of Magic because, with the help of her White Sapphire, she can teleport across long distances in a flash. She's taken to using the Sapphire to transform her enemies into Clay People (with lumpy clay faces) who are forced to live underground, periodically melding into the walls of the caves where they live. Our Foursome vows to help the Clay People as they also attempt to sabotage the Nitron Lamp which is harming Earth. They head to the land of the Forest People, a brutish race who live in a dried-up forest of dead trees and worship a god called Kalu, to get the Black Sapphire of Kalu, which can block Azura's magic. In the forest, Flash meets up with Prince Barin, his ally from Mongo, who is being held captive by the Forest People. Barin joins Flash's group, and Dale is subjected to the Incense of Forgetfulness (aka letheium) which causes her to worship Kalu and stab Flash in the back (literally) before being given an antidote. Back at Azura's royal city, Flash is able to put the Nitron Lamp out of commission temporarily but must somehow convince Azura that 1) she should free the Clay People, and 2) she can't trust Ming who has gone batshit crazy with his "lust to destroy," in the words of his chief assistant.

This is a very long serial (fifteen chapters over five hours) and, though it takes about three chapters to build momentum, it becomes involving and exciting. The first serial was a hit, but the budget for this was lower, though it doesn't really show. The sets and costumes are impressive, even if the shots of rocket ships flying and landing are used over and over again. The Queen's rockets are called stratosleds and the Martians wear bat-wing capes that function as small parachutes (pretty cool). There's a Healing Vapors room, a Paralyzing Ray, a Disintegrating Room, an underground vacuum tube which shuttles folks around, and nifty Light Bridges, rays of solid light which shoot out between buildings, giving people passage at great heights. At various times, Flash has to work with Ming and/or Azura to accomplish his goals, and Azura does end up realizing she's been used by Ming and frees the Clay People. You may notice I barely mentioned Happy, the reporter—he has very little of substance to do except get in trouble now and then, and provide mild comic relief. We meet some Clay and Forest people, but the only side character to get much traction is a Martian bomber pilot who goes over to Flash's side in the last three chapters and provides a fair amount of help.

Buster Crabbe, who was very good as Flash in the first film, is just as good here, being heroic but vulnerable (though sometimes he runs like Phoebe on Friends). Jean Rogers, returning as Dale, is more proactive here and does less screaming and more lending a hand. Charles Middleton, whom I found disappointing as Ming the first time around, is much improved, giving a fairly full-blooded performance. He has at least two great line readings, the first as the unconscious Flash is in great danger: "Nothing can save Flash Gordon now!" and the second as Azura wants to discuss her plans for the captured Flash: "Other plans? Our plan is to conquer the universe!" Richard Alexander is just fine returning as Barin. Frank Shannon, also back as Zarkov, is a little more active, and even gets to kick a little ass. Donald Kerr as Happy mostly just stays out of the way. Kane Richmond, later a serials star (SPY SMASHER is probably his best), is handsome and heroic as the bomber pilot. Beatrice Roberts as Azura is bland as she mostly strikes royal poses and vanishes in puffs of smoke. I like that the chapter recaps are presented as comic book panels. I had my doubts about this for a couple of chapters, but this is a rare case of a sequel being just about as good as the original. At top right: Shannon, Crabbe and Alexander. At left: Kane Richmond and Crabbe. [DVD]