Or so the Queen soundtrack goes over the comic-book enriched title credits (something Spiderman 2 would later borrow). It serves to get the audience's toes immediately tapping in anticipation for the film to begin outright and, for some bizarre reason, coupled with the spandex pants, phallic shaped spaceships, an over-developed sense for bright, garish colours and Brian Blessed shouting "DIVE" to his birdman hordes whenever he gets the chance, Flash Gordon comes across as a deliriously brilliant, camp piece of outrageous space opera cinematics. Indeed, with these hallmarks, it's impossible to imagine a movie that's more innocently entertaining (only Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure seems to usurp Flash Gordon to such a title).

It's testament to both director Mike Hodges and producer Dino De Laurentiis that they contrived to create such a simple plot, harking back to the original comic book designs of the 1930's, to ensure the film remains endlessly entertaining. Goodies to cheer for, bad guys to boo, half-naked princesses to gawp at (step forward the lovely Ornella Muti), a large climatic and grandiose battle - everything is in its natural place. Whilst sci-fi often degenerates into pompous intellectualising or faux epic pretentiousness, Hodges and De Laurentiis set out to simply provide everyone with a work of enjoyable sci-fi hokum. There are many better films within the genre, but as a piece of interstellar campery populated with wonderfully over the top characters and featuring a host of cheerfully barmy delights, there's little to touch Flash Gordon.

The wonderful colour-drenched production design owes a lot to the above (and the Wizard of Oz for its Technicolor triumph) allowing such scenes to merge into the world's of Mungo with such unquestioning ease. And then there are scenes of such quality that they begin to transcend the movie itself. The Arborial initiation ceremony and the battle of wits that entails between Flash and Barin are strung out in an eloquent display of tension building. Flash and Barin's fight to the death on the moving circular platform, with homoerotic whipping and spikes waiting to impale either, is a much overlooked entry into the bloke on bloke punch up. And, most famously of all, there's the birdman assault on an imperial craft (shaped like a penis, naturally), with Voltan's war-cries of "Dive!" accompanying the chaos of laser blasts and explosions, whilst Queen's rock bombast effortlessly plays in the background.

The cast, generally, are on top form. Whilst Jones doesn't have the acting pedigree (his voice was dubbed at the last minute) he certainly has the look of our hero. All wavy, blonde hair, big muscles and a physical presence that would make Dr Frank-N-Furter's jaw drop. Dalton deals with clunky dialogue ("Freeze, you bloody bastards") with great gusto and displays the action-adventure calibre which would later see him as the most violent of the Bond's. Both Topol and Sydow have appeared in far more auspicious roles but both seem to be having a great time in the silliness occurring around them, especially Sydow who provides Ming a deliciously dark and sinister edge. Both seem to relish delivering their dialogue in a brilliantly melodramatic way. When Zarkov implores, "Why are you attacking the Earth?" Ming replies with a devilish "Why Not?" Yet everyone is outdone by the magnificent Brian Blessed. Few roles are as memorable as his loveably, roguish birdman leader. Without him (and Queen's massively popular rock anthem) the final attack would be severely lacking and less definitive. All hail Blessed!!

Overall - "Just a man, With a man's courage. He knows nothing but a man, But he can never fail. No one but the pure in heart, May find the golden grail, Oh oh - oh oh." The Queen lyrics say it all. Camp, daft, lunacy of the highest order, that's endlessly entertaining in its quirkiness and adroit sense of fun. This is majestic eighties genius and along with Evil Dead 2, The Princess Bride, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and Big Trouble in Little China, you'll be hard pushed to find anything more relentlessly enjoyable. Don't listen to its po-faced detractors - for sheer cinema fun Flash Gordon can't be beaten.

Director - Mike Hodges (Get Carter, Croupier)

Cast -