Spaceship to the Unknown 1966
6.5 / 10
Spaceship to the Unknown
A heavy condensation of the original serial compresses the original thirteen episodes into an efficient 97 minute feature. Disaster seems imminent when scientists discover that the planet Mongo is about to crash into Earth. Luckily, heroic young Flash Gordon is on hand to lead an investigative mission into outer space and onto the speedily approaching planet. There, he and his best girl, Dale, who is along for the ride, learn that Ming, the devious ruler of Mongo, has purposely put the planet on a collision course with Earth, and only Flash can stop him.
A heavy condensation of the original serial compresses the original thirteen episodes into an efficient 97 minute feature. Disaster seems imminent when scientists discover that the planet Mongo is about to crash into Earth. Luckily, heroic young Flash Gordon is on hand to lead an investigative mission into outer space and onto the speedily approaching planet. There, he and his best girl, Dale, who is along for the ride, learn that Ming, the devious ruler of Mongo, has purposely put the planet on a collision course with Earth, and only Flash can stop him.
Videos & Photos
All 0 Videos & 4 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... Flash Gordon (archive footage)
... Dale Arden (archive footage)
... Dr. Hans Zarkov (archive footage)
... Ming the Merciless (archive footage)
... Princess Aura (archive footage)
... Prince Barin (archive footage)
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews30 May 2022 by CinemaSerf
If you've seen the superbly hammy "Flash Gordon" remake from 1980, then you will recognise this as the base for most of that film. This version is a rather clunkily bolted together edit of the cracking 1936 serial and features the hunky Buster Crabbe in the title role, trying to keep his gal "Dale" (Jean Rogers) safe from the merciless "Ming" (Charles Middleton) whilst trying to keep himself safe from the preying eyes of Princess "Aura" (Priscilla Lawson). Although I did enjoy this, I much preferred the original serialisation. Each episode had that slight moment of peril at the end which we miss out on here, and the reduction from over 4 hours to just over 90 minutes does mean we lose quite a bit of the fun and drama of the story. Ever since I first saw these 40 years ago, I have wanted one of the rocket ships. They looked like flying irons with sparklers attached; but that was part of the charm. The acting was as wooden as the sets and the story was all about an wholesome derring-do with an inevitability to the ending that probably instilled in me my prevailing wish that the baddies should always win. (What did "Darth Vader" or "Jaws" do do deserve their comeuppance?). It's a great adventure film this, there is plenty of action and bearing in mind it is all but 90 years old, I really did find it flew by.
Genres:
Release Date:
Jan 01, 1966 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 37`
MMPA Rating:
NR
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
Spaceship to the Unknown
If you've seen the superbly hammy "Flash Gordon" remake from 1980, then you will recognise this as the base for most of that film. This version is a rather clunkily bolted together edit of the cracking 1936 serial and features the hunky Buster Crabbe in the title role, trying to keep his gal "Dale" (Jean Rogers) safe from the merciless "Ming" (Charles Middleton) whilst trying to keep himself safe from the preying eyes of Princess "Aura" (Priscilla Lawson). Although I did enjoy this, I much preferred the original serialisation. Each episode had that slight moment of peril at the end which we miss out on here, and the reduction from over 4 hours to just over 90 minutes does mean we lose quite a bit of the fun and drama of the story. Ever since I first saw these 40 years ago, I have wanted one of the rocket ships. They looked like flying irons with sparklers attached; but that was part of the charm. The acting was as wooden as the sets and the story was all about an wholesome derring-do with an inevitability to the ending that probably instilled in me my prevailing wish that the baddies should always win. (What did "Darth Vader" or "Jaws" do do deserve their comeuppance?). It's a great adventure film this, there is plenty of action and bearing in mind it is all but 90 years old, I really did find it flew by.
Cast & Crew of
Spaceship to the Unknown
Directors & Credit Writers
... Director
RT
Ray Taylor... Director
Cast
... Flash Gordon (archive footage)
... Dale Arden (archive footage)
... Dr. Hans Zarkov (archive footage)
... Ming the Merciless (archive footage)
... Princess Aura (archive footage)
... Prince Barin (archive footage)
... King Vultan (archive footage)
... Prince Thun (archive footage)
EA
Earl Askam... Officer Torch (archive footage)
... Prof. Gordon (archive footage)
... Prof. Henson (archive footage)
... The High Priest (archive footage)
... Atom Furnace supervisor (archive footage)
... Priest #2 (archive footage)
... (scenes deleted) (archive footage) (as Duke York Jr.)
... Transcontinental airplane pilot (archive footage) (uncredited)
... Telescreen monitor (archive footage) (uncredited)
... Robot / Ming soldier (archive footage) (uncredited)
... Monkey-Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
... Monkey-Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
Videos & Photos of
Spaceship to the Unknown
Photos ( 4 )
Related Movies To
Spaceship to the Unknown
The Amateur (2025)
0 /10
After his life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack, a brilliant but introverted CIA decoder takes matters into his own hands when his supervisors refuse to take action.
Run Time: 2hr 3` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 09 Apr 2025
Director: James Hawes , Svetlana Punte
Producer: Jonathan Hook , Dan Wilson , Rami Malek
Stars: Rami Malek , Rachel Brosnahan , Caitríona Balfe , Laurence Fishburne , Jon Bernthal , Holt McCallany
Lilo & Stitch (2025)
0 /10
The wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family.
Run Time: 1hr 48` . MMPA: PG . Release: 17 May 2025
Director: Aldric La'Auli Porter , Stephanie Tull , Dean Fleischer Camp
Producer: Louie Provost , Leigh Shanta , Jonathan Eirich
Stars: Chris Sanders , Maia Kealoha , Zach Galifianakis , Billy Magnussen , Sydney Agudong , Courtney B. Vance
House of Ga'a (2024)
0 /10
At the height of the Oyo Empire, the ferocious Bashorun Ga'a became more powerful than the kings he enthroned, only to be undone by his own blood.
Run Time: 2hr . MMPA: R . Release: 26 Jul 2024
Director: Bolanle Austen-Peters
Producer: Bolanle Austen-Peters
Stars: Femi Branch , Mike Afolarin , Funke Akindele , Toyin Abraham , Ibrahim Chatta , Femi Adebayo
How to Train Your Dragon (2025)
0 /10
On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup stands apart, defying centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.
Run Time: 2hr 5` . MMPA: PG . Release: 06 Jun 2025
Director: Lizzie Pritchard , Dean DeBlois , Fraser Fennell-Ball
Producer: Michael A. Connolly , Chris Sanders , Dean DeBlois
Stars: Mason Thames , Nico Parker , Gerard Butler , Nick Frost , Julian Dennison , Gabriel Howell
Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)
0 /10
While three of the fiercest warriors in human history—a Viking raider, a ninja in feudal Japan, and a WWII pilot—are killers in their own right, they are merely prey for their new opponent: the ultimate killer of killers.
Run Time: 1hr 25` . MMPA: R . Release: 05 Jun 2025
Director: Dan Trachtenberg , Joshua Wassung
Producer: John Thomas , Lawrence Gordon , Marc Toberoff
Stars: Lindsay LaVanchy , Louis Ozawa , Rick Gonzalez , Michael Biehn , Doug Cockle , Damien C. Haas
Diablo (2025)
0 /10
Ex-con Kris Chaney seizes the daughter of a Colombian gangster to fulfill a noble promise to the young girl's mother. When her father enlists both the criminal underworld and a psychotic killer to exact his revenge, Kris relies on everything he's ever learned to stay alive and keep his word.
Run Time: 1hr 31` . MMPA: R . Release: 13 Jun 2025
Director: Ernesto Díaz Espinoza
Producer: Jason Gurvitz , Grady Craig , Francisco Carrillo
Stars: Scott Adkins , Marko Zaror , María del Rosario , Diana Hoyos , Lucho Velasco , Alanna de la Rosa
Deep Cover (2025)
0 /10
Kat is an improv comedy teacher beginning to question if she’s missed her shot at success. When an undercover cop offers her the role of a lifetime, she recruits two of her students to infiltrate London’s gangland by impersonating dangerous criminals.
Run Time: 1hr 39` . MMPA: R . Release: 12 Jun 2025
Director: Tom Kingsley , Kelly Maracin Krieg
Producer: Stephanie Winter , Alex Johnson , Colin Trevorrow
Stars: Bryce Dallas Howard , Orlando Bloom , Sean Bean , Paddy Considine , Ian McShane , Nick Mohammed
Life After Fighting (2024)
0 /10
Retired martial arts world champion Alex Faulkner has settled into a simple life, when the disappearance of two of his students leads to an unthinkable discovery close to home. Just when all hope of finding the children is lost, he locates the imprisoned girls and unsurfaces an international child trafficking operation, which draws him back into the fight of his life against those behind it.
Run Time: 2hr 6` . MMPA: . Release: 07 Jun 2024
Director: Bren Foster
Producer: Chelsea Jean Foster , Bren Foster , Navid Bahadori
Stars: Bren Foster , Cassie Howarth , Luke Ford , Annabelle Stephenson , Anthony Nassif , Arielle Jean Foster
28 Years Later (2025)
0 /10
Twenty-eight years since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one member departs on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.
Run Time: 1hr 55` . MMPA: R . Release: 18 Jun 2025
Director: Sarah Mulberge , Lucy Hatherley , Danny Boyle
Producer: Rebecca Farhall , Cillian Murphy , Alex Garland
Stars: Cillian Murphy , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Jodie Comer , Charlie Hunnam , Jack O'Connell , Ralph Fiennes
Crypto Legacy (2020)
2.5 /10
Troy Morgan doesn't like his family's farm. The place creeps him out. After spotting some strange lights one evening, Troy and his little sister Carrie go to investigate the creepy barn.
Run Time: 1hr 11` . MMPA: . Release: 01 Oct 2020
Director: Charles Townsend
Producer: Charles Townsend
Stars: Sheri Gill Dixon , Brian Kunz , Brandon Young , Nathaniel Barton , Linzi Gray , Thalia Reynolds
A Minecraft Movie (2025)
0 /10
Four misfits find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they'll have to master this world while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve.
Run Time: 1hr 41` . MMPA: PG . Release: 31 Mar 2025
Director: Ben Bamford , Monique Knight , Nick Satriano
Producer: Vu Bui , Jay Ashenfelter , Pete Chiappetta
Stars: Jack Black , Jason Momoa , Matt Berry , Pauline Chalamet , Jennifer Coolidge , Danielle Brooks
The Twisters (2024)
0 /10
A deadly patchwork of destructive cyclones is on an apocalyptic path of convergence at a populated Midwest city center. There, the twisters will merge into one mega tornado that threatens to obliterate the cities for hundreds of miles around.
Run Time: 1hr 27` . MMPA: . Release: 28 Jun 2024
Director: Michael Su
Producer: James Mahoney , Brendan Petrizzo , Paul Bales
Stars: Kayla Fields , Mark Justice , Paul Logan , Curtis Strong , Tiffany , Sofia Riba