Today, Camp remains King, but Starling Film's Flash Gordon bombed when it debuted back in December 1980, a sci-fi treat that couldn't compete with the expectations set the summer before when The Empire Strikes Back. A big helping hand (voice?) from Freddie Mercury and the progressive love for 'Retro' (not to mention the evolving sophistication of movie audiences and an aging Generation X) have transformed Flash Gordon 
into a cult fave and a yet-enduring testament to Alex Raymond's comic strip creation.
into a cult fave and a yet-enduring testament to Alex Raymond's comic strip creation. If sticking around for the new wave of classic sci-fi revamps is good enough for Buck Rogers and Dan Dare, then don't count Flash out, either. Sony Pictures and director Breck Eisner (Michael Eisner's kid) have epic plans for the space jockey, promising 3-D but no Queen when the character returns to the silver screen. Whether we'll see Flash in tight leather -- which would be soft-core porn in 3-D, not such a bad thing at the box office -- is debatable, but definitely not out of the question.
Though Eisner's made it quite clear his Flash won't be another Clash of the Titans disaster, his flick is still searching for its script and its tentative 2012 release will likely be rescheduled. That would put Flash Gordon in a place more dangerous and far more competitive than Mongo -- Earth, early 21st century, where it's not camp but costumed superhero cinema that reigns supreme. If Flash gets clad in ass-less chaps, few people will probably even notice.
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