zombie84 said:
SilverWook said:
I don't know what serials you've been watching, zombie84, but the Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers serials were well made

Uh, when you can see the strings holding up the models I don't count that as well made. The serials were twenty minute Ed Wood films. Terrible acting and writing, most of the sets were cheap, bad special effect cutaway and formulaic plotting. The Flash Gordon series had a few cool sets because they re-used the stages from The Mummy and Phantom of the Opera, so that series has some acceptable production design there, but theres really little well-made about them. They were crude and cheap, especially the typical ones.

One might as well complain about all the visible matte lines and other FX byproducts in the original versions of the films this site is devoted to preserving. ;)

Many of the Republic Pictures serials feature superlative model work done by the Lydecker Brothers. Those shots hold up very well today.

One of the highlights of my first visit to Universal Studios in the early 80's was seeing a recreation of the Flash Gordon rocketship effects rig. It was way more sophisticated than anything Ed Wood was using.

I'm not above chuckling at the poorer quality serials MST3K poked fun at. And J-Men Forever! is one of my favorite comedy movies. But to lump them all in the same basket seems a bit unfair.

If not for many of these matinee serials, enjoyed by young and old alike, we would have no Star Wars and no Indy! And then what would we complain about?