Life After Flash, 2017. Life After Movies.

Life After Flash is a documentary directed by Lisa Downs and was four years in the making. The film looks at the life of Sam J. Jones and his iconic role as Flash Gordon, and includes the falls and mistakes he made along the way. It’s also a celebration of the eighties Flash Gordon epic, taking us behind the scenes with those involved in the making of the film, and the fans that still adore it to this day. Gordon is very much alive. I have reviewed Flash Gordon before, so if you want to know my feelings about the film then click on the link below.

Flash Gordon, 1980.

Today’s review is going to be very short and sweet. I’ve only watched the documentary once and would have liked to dig deeper into it, but it is what it is, and I would like to leave interest in the documentary that you go and watch it yourself because it is worth the time. Let’s start with the star of the film, Sam J. Jones. I can’t remember when I watched Flash Gordon for the first time, but I know I was pretty young and it would have been at Christmas time in front of the television. I do have a very vivid memory though of thinking that man has it all. I know we all have a way of remembering the past through rose-tinted glasses, but life did feel so simple then. Fast forward thirty-five years, and you soon understand life is not that simple. In Sam’s case, it is hardly simple at all.

Sam was given the role of a lifetime as Flash Gordon. The movie was to be a big-budget blockbuster, which could have taken him to the next level in his career. I don’t think anyone involved in the making of the film ever thought it would become as successful as it did. I know the actors involved in Star Wars thought they were filming some goofy movie. Sam Jones had it all for the taking, but funnily enough, he felt unloved on the set and after a few furious bust-ups with producer Dino De Laurentiis he walked away and never returned. To add the icing on the cake he later had his voice dubbed in the film. Was this a result of inexperience, bad advice or was it just the actor’s ego that got in the way? Sam has had a pretty tragic childhood involving a drunken father and the loss of a brother at a young age, and that’s putting it mildly. He may have been given the role of a lifetime, but if your head is not in the right place mentally, it’s as good as lost. What follows is years of self-abuse, including drugs, alcohol and plenty of women. Sounds pretty good for the time but when the party’s over and the phone stops ringing, where else can you go? Luckily for Sam, he has now turned those negatives into positives and has found some joy in life again. Thanks to his wife Ramona, Flash Gordon and you guessed it, God. I’m happy when anyone can find some peace of mind in life, but I did find this part of the film to be a little too preachy, as he tells us about the book that helped rebuild his life. I’m not saying I believe in a higher power or not, it just felt like a commercial and made me a little uncomfortable, but if it works for him then fine.

Now back to the film, and it’s about to get crazy in Rochdale Town Hall in the UK. Peter Duncan aka Young Treeman is showing his valuable wood beast prop to visiting fans, and to be honest, it looks like a dead animal, but hey ho! Sam Jones is loved on these shores though, rubbing shoulders with Nasty Nick from Eastenders. I’m just teasing though as Sam does get to visit some more exotic conventions across the World and seems genuinely pleased to meet fans, taking time to talk to every one of them. I have never been to a comic book convention, but it looks pretty surreal. Like I said earlier, I have only watched this film once but you do get some real insights into the fanbase of this franchise. There are the prop collectors who passionately show off their treasures and amazing stories from the cast that help weave this wonderful production together.  Brian Blessed tells us his story and he really can steal the limelight in a few moments, I can listen to that man for hours. There is an appearance from Brain May who gives us a look into the soundtrack to the film, which is pretty special. I have barely scratched the surface of this documentary, but Lisa Downs has created something I want to watch again and I will buy the physical copy very soon. Not only that, she intends to create a whole bunch of these films, starting with Life After Navigator, which explores the life of Joey Cramer from the Motion Picture, Flight of the Navigator, 1986. Now that’s a story I would like to learn more about, and will try to support that in any way I possibly can. Sam J. Jones seems to have found some peace in life, which is good to see and all I can finish with is, Long Live Flash Gordon.

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