Flesh Gordon is probably one of those films you have to see, just to say you've seen it.<br /><br />Apparently some versions of the movie are soft porn; the video release I saw certainly wasn't, and was just basic titillation. The film itself has better effects and direction than you'd probably expect, though for a sex comedy it's neither sexy nor funny, so fails in both its attempted genres.<br /><br />Some bits amuse, though there's a tastelessness that borders on the offensive. Okay, the crude homosexual jibes weren't that big a deal in the 70s, but surely cracks about rape were never acceptable? The film even goes one better by combining the two, and having lesbian rapists. A pre-credits narration - explaining how the film is a homage and there to cheer up people feeling depressed - makes the whole thing seem a little too full of its assumed self-importance.<br /><br />It's not all that bad, and William Hunt has his moments as Wang, though strangely for a nudist send-up of 30s serials it's also quite tedious. 4/10.