After all these years it still amazes me how big a blunder this film is. The Buster Crabbe serials of the 30's were classics compared to this bust. Why did they camp it up? Why did the filmmakers forget that one of the pleasures of the serial was the cheap sets and effects? It's a big mistake trying to make this film funny but then spending millions in special effects that looked cheap but weren't meant to. Why not make it look cheap in a campy style? Have fun with it. Either do it one way or the other.<br /><br />The biggest problem with the film is the casting of the two leads. Sam J Jones and Melody Anderson as Flash and Dale Arden are both just awful. With all the money spent couldn't they have gotten two leads who could act? The only two performances worth noting are Topol as Dr. Zarkoff and Max Von Sydow, inspired casting, as Ming the Mercilles. Even the score by Queen is overdone. This film is a mess.