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

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

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Call it high camp, middlebrow, or simply low rent, but this entry in theFlash Gordon series is at least reasonably entertaining. An edited version ofthe 1938 serial Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, it finds Flash (BusterCrabbe) and friends traveling to Mars to battle archenemy Ming the Merciless(and arch is certainly the word for Charles Middleton's performance) and thedeath ray he's using to suck the very life out of Earth. Sure, the action issilly, the effects for the most part laughable, the "science" absurd, and theacting consistently over-the-top; and tedium will likely set in halfway throughthe feature's 96 minutes. But how can you not chuckle along with (or perhaps at)such deathless dialogue as "Kneel, Earth man" and "Gee whiz, King"? And so whatif there are no DVD bonus features? Flash Gordon has no need for cheap frills tokeep us the edge of our seats! --Sam Graham ... Read more

Reviews (7)

not even Crabbe on the cover!
I'll leave the discussion of the film to other reviewers, but let me point out that the DVD cover pictured isn't even Buster Crabbe in Tarzan the Fearless 1933. It's Gordon Scott as Tarzan from Tarzan's Greatest Adventure 1959! What does this say about the people putting out this product--forewarned is forearmed!

Buster Crabbe, the ultimate Tarzan
Buster Crabbe is the sexiest actor ever to play the loin clothed Tarzan. The movie though made in 1933, still remains entertaining 68 years later. This entry was originally made as a serial, but spliced together as a movie as well, so it could pit against Jonny Weismuller who was playing Tarzan for MGM at the time. Buster Crabbe reveals his sexy butt in this movie, no actor since has revealed so much! The movie is very straight forward, and has a quaint sense of innocence to it from an era of movies, that has long since gone. The picture is jumpy in parts, but this is to be expected as the movie is 68 years old. The images are sharp, a consistant and steady black and white throughout. Buster Crabbe gives a compelling performance as Tarzan, he makes the character more believable than any actor that has played him since. The original theatrical trailer is also included. So if you're into Tarzan, buy this, as you won't be disappointed. If your curious to see a vintage hunk reveal just a little more than you thought was allowed in those days, then this is for you. Hail Buster Crabbe!!! We love you!!

Tarzan the Fearless (1933)
Don't buy this DVD! The quality of the transfer is really bad. I have a VHS copy of this feature with MUCH more clarity. Wait for someone to do the job right. I really wish Tarzan fans could be afforded the respect of QUALITY DVDs from film producers(this is a not-so-subtle hint to all those producers of future releases).

I Hope They Paid Him Well...
...They couldn't pay him enough.

In a role that fits him about as well as a central casting loin cloth, Buster Crabbe cavorts among the trees as one of the worst Tarzans ever. To be fair Mr. Crabbe does what he can with a poorly conceived mishmash of a film. His co-star, Miss Wells, while probably considered sexy at the time, is no Jean Rogers and offers very little in the way of interest, romantic or otherwise. The finest moment that this movie offers is the sight of Buster Crabbe sitting astride a tree limb, giving new meaning to the phrase, "spanking the monkey."

Don't waste your money!
This is just about the worst quality edition of this fun serial-feature that I have seen yet. Portions of the film are out of focus, the picture jumps, there is a large blue horizonatal video line that appears on the picture at times and the sound quality is simply awful. This company should be ashamed to release this copy. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

This video should not be sold
The picture quality and sound on this video are beyond words to describe how bad a dvd can be. It looks like a poor transfer of a six hour mode tape. There is no attempt to digitally clean up the picture or audio. Avoid this one like the plague.

Poor!!
The DVD is not very good quality print. Even the serial isn't that good. I got it because it was rare and had Bela Lugosi in it but I am sorry to say that it's not worth getting. Some of the actors are supposed to be of Oriental caucasion but it is obvious they were not in some cases. They could have called the serial "The Death" I am a fan of Bela lugosi but this DVD isn't worth it.

The Shadow Creeps
I can't even give this 2 stars as another reviewer did. This is another slap together dvd by Whirlwind Media who are only concerned with making money. The transfer is from a 16mm print off, most likely, a Sinister Cinema VHS tape. The only reason I even bought this is because it's one of those incredibly rare serials. The sound is pretty much muddied throughout the dvd and the print itself isn't much better. I had high hopes at first as the opening title sequence, although not crisp and clean, was viewable. After that, it becomes a hit and miss affair even more than their release of The Phantom Creeps. I wish Whirlwind would put some effort into cleaning up the video and sound--it isn't that difficult to do as one can see from the efforts of the Doctor Who Restoration Team. Again, as I stated in my Phantom Creeps review, STAY AWAY FROM WHIRLWIND MEDIA!!!

Horrible Horror Transfer to DVD
When I heard of this Bela Lugosi serial, and that it was on DVD, I
placed an order without hesitation. Well, as they say, fools jump
in...

The packaging of the two-disc set is very nice, with vintage
artwork on the cover and inside on the paper chapter list insert (the
only reason for my 2-star rating here).

However, this is quite
possibly one of the worst transfers I have ever had the misfortune to
be a purchaser of, and I readily warn any other unsuspecting victim to
avoid this one.

The sound is garbled, warbles, and is painful to
listen to. Worse yet, Whirlwind has chosen to "mat" the
image in such a way as to cut off all four sides of the
image. Basically, it looks like they "zoomed in" on the
image, giving it a blurry and distorted appearance throughout all
fifteen chapters.

Obviously transferred from an inferior video
source (in one chapter, there was a slight tracking error at the top
of the frame!), this disc is less than stellar, and not fit even for
the bargain bin at a department store.

As for the serial itself, it
has the feel of a low budget effort from 1931, rather than 1936. The
editing is fairly weak, and the whole chapter-play is very
"stagey", like early talkies were in '31-'34.

In one later
chapter, you can even hear the director yelling for a passing car to
"Come on! COME ON!" Victory Pictures was not exactly
Republic, which is why no one today has ever heard of them. This DVD
is partly why.

The hero "Martin Andrews" is laughably
bad. His Asian houseboy is sure to draw the ire of the PC crowd, and
most of the cast is populated by non-entities.

The love interest and
girl reporter Joan is actually entertaining, but several opportunities
for her to expand the character were wasted by poor
editing/directing. The evil villianess who teams up with Lugosi to
ruin Chinatown (and then... the world!), is beautiful. She plays the
villianess very well, but is overpowered by Lugosi. She also was a
victim of the poor editing/directing that are the hallmark of this
serial.

Lugosi has the mad scientist/inventor thing down. His
character can also hypnotize people and bend them to his will. He can
even affect a victim through his television viewer!

There are
potentially great moments; sneaky traps for the heroes, at least one
good street explosion, Lugosi's inventions, and some fair fight
scenes. The cliffhangers range from really good (a bomb designed to
drop a chandelier on the hero when he enters his own foyer), to
rediculous (the hero is knocked out and placed under a hanging glass
fishbowl so he can be killed by the "focused rays of the
sun").

Billed as one of "the longest serials ever
made," with the help of this poor transfer it lives up to its
press... even if it isn't the longest, it sure FELT like the longest
when I was sitting through it.

I suppose my impression of the serial
has been somewhat shaded by the slapdash transfer, but this is no
"S.O.S. Coast Guard", that's for sure.

If nothing else, I
think Lugosi fans should seek an alternate source for this serial, and
avoid this DVD as if it were a mad scientist's plot to capture the
world.
... Read more