Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders

"Howard Ziehm wanted to launch a Flesh Gordon sequel back in the seventies, with a story in which a mysterious disc jockey from outer space called Captain God seduced Earth’s youth with the sounds of rock’n’roll – but in fact the project never materialised. It was not until 15 years after the release of the first instalment that this belated sequel followed; it was made with an almost completely new cast (only Wang actor William Dennis Hunt returned). Ziehm had already retired from film in 1981 and had thrown himself into other projects – including the production of audiotapes to improve people’s vocabulary. The film was shot in Vancouver in 1989 under the direction of producer Maurice Smith (Screwballs), and the title role was played by kickboxing champion Vince Murdocco. In contrast to the box-office success of the first instalment, the sequel flopped and received (thoroughly undeserved) scathing reviews. It was to be Ziehm’s last film.

Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders is an almost unbelievable ‘midnight movie’ conjuring a Russ Meyer film directed by John Waters (or vice versa). The spectacle reveals clearly why Ziehm called his subsequent autobiography Take Your Shame and Shove It – his almost reckless insouciance allows him to drag everything onto the screen that could cause shame in relation to our bodies, including a comprehensive spectrum of bodily functions. Behind the raunchy, irreverent humour, this shrill sequel satirises well-known cinema icons and superhero stories – and takes a pot at male fixation on the female anatomy as well."

Christian Genzel