Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders

Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders is a 1990 science fiction comedy film that serves as a sequel to the 1974 cult classic, Flesh Gordon. This cheeky, campy sci-fi farce directed by Howard Ziehm stars Vince Murdocco, Robyn Kelly, and Tony Travis and brings you back into a wild, funky universe where sexuality is sky-high and puns are the universal language.

Our hero in this wacky adventure is none other than Flesh Gordon, a pitch-perfect spoof of the iconic 1930s Flash Gordon comic strip. Vince Murdocco imbues the character with equal parts brawn and hilarity, creating a lovable protagonist who is as thick as he is heroic. Flesh Gordon is a well-meaning yet somewhat naive space traveler, an alpha male archetype who inevitably finds himself in all manner of lurid and ludicrous predicaments.

The film also introduces audiences to the Cosmic Cheerleaders, an assembly of physically alluring and delectably bimbo-ish space dwellers, who become the central plot device of the movie. Robyn Kelly stars as one of the prominent cheerleaders, while Tony Travis puts on an excellent performance as the menacing Emperor Wang.

It all kicks off when Flesh Gordon, along with his girlfriend Dale Ardor (Maureen Webb) and eccentric Doctor Flexi Jerkoff (William Dennis Hunt), embarks on a sensational space voyage. They find themselves entangled in an outlandish plot, where the Cosmic Cheerleaders have been beset by a mysterious impotence curse by the conniving and evil Emperor Wang. This curse threatens the very future of the highly sexualized cheerleader species, whose survival depends largely on their ability to procreate.

In order to save the Cosmic Cheerleaders (and by extension, their unique civilizational traits) from the affects of the curse, Flesh and his team must embark on a perilous journey filled with alien dangers and unprecedented challenges. This backdrop allows for a series of bawdy and comic scenes, where Flesh must consistently wrestle with the advances of the hormonally charged Cheerleaders, as well as circumvent the nefarious traps set by Emperor Wang.

True to its title, Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders is riddled with sexually charged high jinks, comic nudity, and pun-laden humor designed to make audiences laugh, blush, and grimace, often at the same time. The spaceships unashamedly resemble human genitalia, the dialog is ripe with innuendo, and the sets have the erotic potency turned all the way up. However, beneath the irreverent innuendo, there’s a layer of self-awareness that lends the film a sense of permitted indulgence.

Everything in the film, from the pseudo-utopian space settings to the over-the-top characters is designed to serve as a caricature of the original Flash Gordon series, sexual mores, and the science fiction genre more broadly. It is also a playful critique of the conservative censorship that pervaded much of American film and television in the late 20th century.

Throughout the film, the special effects have an intentional cheap-and-cheerful feel that adds to its low-budget charm. This can be seen in the movie's creature designs, most notably a plethora of weird and wonderful alien lifeforms, whose strange appearances underline the movie's tongue-in-cheek approach to science fiction.

The performances across the board are suitably over the top. Vince Murdocco delivers his lines with an earnest conviction that brings a delightful absurdity to the character of Flesh Gordon. Robyn Kelly's performance diffuses sexy naïveté, while Tony Travis as Emperor Wang chews the scenery with an unabashed joy.

In summary, Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders is an audacious, saucy, and consistently hilarious tour-de-force. Despite its explicit content, the film refrains from being crass or obscene, primarily because of the lighthearted and unquestionably goofy manner in which it broaches its taboo subjects. Viewers will need to have a broad sense of humor to fully enjoy the movie, as it revels in its camp excess much in the same way that the original Flesh Gordon did. This outlandish sequel continues to satirize the classic Flash Gordon with unbridled enthusiasm, providing an entertainingly left-field cinematic experience.