Flash Gordon: Ming Strikes Back! (Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe) by Billy Batson
Yes, kids, and you thought Emperor Ming was no more! Ha! The would be ruler of the universe attacks Earth again! This time with mysterious purple dust that kills people dead. Luckily for the sake of humankind, Flash and Doctor Zarkov still know a thing about fighting evil.
The 12 chapter cliffhanger runs three and a half hours, Billy has cut this to a little over two hours.
Video - 640 X 480p AVC. My player did a nice job improving this, but it cannot compensate for what is, at best, a mediocre print. Editing is solid. All intros and recaps, gone. Several transitions seem abrupt, perhaps those just before the “NEXT WEEK!” banner launches. Much as I dislike fade to black, that might have solved that.
Audio - 128 kbps AAC 2 Channel stereo. Specs may indicate stereo, but this is mono.
I have not watched the original serial lately, and had forgotten just how much action this boasts. Being a Universal production, this is not on a par with the Republic cliffhangers, but the production values were first rate back then.
Anyway, this edit really moves, though it gets jumpy at times, as Flash and Zarkov dash from one crisis to another across Mongo.
In 1966, Universal Television recut the serial into the hour and a half “Purple Death From Outer Space.”
Avoid that, Billy’s edit is far superior! That said, serials were never meant to be binged. Recaps and previews can exhaust even the most patient. Billy’s version, I watched over two nights which is what I would suggest.