Name: Peril from the Planet Mongo
Genre: Science Fiction
Released: 1966-12-12
Duration: 84 min
Rating: 7
Cast: Buster Crabbe, Carol Hughes, Charles Middleton, Anne Gwynne, Frank Shannon

Peril from the Planet Mongo

Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov return to the planet Mongo for an antidote to the Purple Death, which wreaking destruction on Earth. However, Ming the Merciless has other plans for them.

Science Fiction

DirectorsFord Beebe, Ray Taylor

WritersAlex Raymond, Basil Dickey, George H. Plympton, Barry Shipman

StatusReleased

LanguageEnglish

Release DateDecember 12, 1966

Runtime1h 24m

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

November 24, 20236/10

Though I always found them exasperating as a child when watching the serialisation, this edited feature (from the last half dozen episodes of the 1940 "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" series) really does miss the episodic ending "cliffhanger" scenes that helped generate a sense of peril. That said this is still quite a fun sci-fi adventure with Buster Crabbe's "Flash" out to thwart the evil "Emperor Ming" (Charles Middleton) from using his evil death ray and his even more deadly purple death dust to take over the universe. Luckily he has the doughty "Dale" (Carol Hughes) and "Prof. Zarkov" (Frank Shannon) to help him on his life or death quest. It's end-to-end stuff, with plenty of action and derring-do, and I just loved those spaceships powered by Halloween sparklers. This is the stuff of childhood nostalgia and for me I very much enjoyed it. Certainly the production is basic, the dialogue cheesy and no, I don't suppose their is much jeopardy despite me always wanting "Ming" to win...