Flash Gordon was released on December 5, 1980. While the opening scenes modernized Flash Gordon (Sam J Jones) to 1980 and changed him from a polo player to a football player, once he and Dale Arden (Melody Anderson) met with scientist and inventor Dr Hans Zarkov (Topol), the costumes, sets, props, and characters took on the look of the Alex Raymond comic strip from the mid 1930's to the early 1940's. As with the comic strip, Flash, Dale, and Zarkov left our world to go to space to confront the man who was threatening the Earth, Ming the Merciless (Max von Sydow). Aiding the earthlings, were Prince Barin (Timothy Dalton) and Prince Vultan (Brian Blessed). Ming also had his own alies in his daughter Princess Aura (Ornella Muti), and evil henchmen Klytus (Peter Wyngarde) and General Kala (Mariangela Melato). The movie was famous for the powerful score and soundtrack by the rock band Queen. ("Flash Gordon", Film, Event)
