The Final Countdown

Like the “Philadelphia Experiment” and the “Time Tunnel”, going back in time can be a tricky thing. There are paradoxes. There have been quite a few movies that try to represent it. Although Einstein’s Theory of Relativity does not rule it out, physics usually does. The two main categories of time travel paradoxes are the “Closed Casual Loops” and the “Consistency Paradoxes”. Examples of the Closed Casual Loops are the “Predestination Paradox” (someone goes back in time and trying to stop an action from happening actually causes it to happen.) and the “Bootstrap Paradox” (someone goes back in time and his actions creates something that in the future goes back in time and creates the same thing etc. etc. in a forever loop). Examples of the Consistency paradoxes are the “Grandfather Paradox” (you go back in time and kill your grandfather so how are ever born to go back in time and kill your grandfather?), the “Lets kill Hitler paradox” (if you go back in time to kill Hitler you erase the reason for you to go back in time) and “Polchinski’s Paradox” (something goes into a wormhole and emerges on the other side in the past in time to collide with it’s younger version and stop it from going into the wormhole in the first place). In “The Final Countdown” the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is overcome by a strange electrical storm and throws the ship back in time to December 6, 1941. The day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Captain Matthew Yelland (Kirk Douglas), defense department expert Warren Lasky (Martin Sheen) and Commander Richard Owens (James Farentino) are tasked with the decision on whether or not to allow the attack or interfere and change the course of history. Although the carrier is equipped to intervene and stop the attack on Pearl Harbor the question is should it. Not only is the movie a Science Fiction movie put also a discussion in Ethics. And from both sides. The Americans have their view and the Japanese pilot has his. Katharine Ross and Charles Durning also star in this little “what if?” movie. It’s a great Science Fiction story. With all those stars the acting is great. The action is there. The continuity is there. It’s all very well done. And it’s cool to watch. So do yourself a favor and leave all the “what ifs” behind. Don’t worry about the logistics of time travel or the accuracy of the physics. Just let it flow. It’ll be fun.

This was a TV movie -- a very good TV movie. A lot better than many big-budget theatrical films. The story is a good one. What would happen if the nuclear war ship, the USS Enterprise, existed just before the sneak attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor? Would history have been changed? Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, James Farentino, Charles Durning, Ron O'Neal, Katherine Ross, and Soon-Tek Oh all give believable performances. The film starts in the present day (when it was made) with Sheen boarding the Enterprise as an efficiency expert to observe and report his findings to his mysterious boss -- who sees him off from his limo -- Sheen has never met him, and doesn't meet him now. The ship soon enters an area of very strange weather where the instruments all get goofy, a strange circular hole appears -- through which the Enterprise goes -- and a weird noise permeates the ship enough so that everyone covers their ears in pain. The graphics are okay for the time in which the film was made -- and also because the producers were just about out of money by the time they needed to do the special effects -- so they did well under the circumstances. But this isn't a "special effects" film, anyway. It is story driven. All the characters are from the present, except for the Japanese pilot, a US Senator and his aid, who are discovered after the Enterprise goes back in time to 1941. Will the Enterprise prevent the attack on Pearl Harbor? Will it do nothing so as not to change history? Will it be stuck in 1941? Did it really go back in time? Is it all just an elaborate ruse -- perhaps by Sheen's boss to "study" what the crew will do? Or have the Russians -- this starts out during the cold war -- somehow fool the Enterprise -- but for what purpose? The story flows, the acting is good, the story is -- okay, maybe not "plausible" but it does "track." It has a nifty ending. This print -- the two-disc edition with the blue cover -- is excellent. Do not watch other lesser-quality copies. (At this writing, Amazon still lumps ALL reviews into one place -- no matter the source -- so beware inferior film prints.) Watch this TV movie -- which really was too good for TV.

This 1980 film was a family driven production of Kirk Douglas (his grandson produced it) and the US Navy. The film preceded 'Top Gun' ny seven years and in many respects surpasses that box office epic. The pre CGI age means all of the air scenes are real. Boy, are they. The film's director lost control early on when he couldn't really conceive how to create the necessary aircraft demonstrations, so the second unit became the carrier pilots themselves. The dogfight between the two Japanese Zeros and the F-14 Tomcats may be the best ever put on film. The story is terrific as are the performances. Some clunky dialogue does show itself, and the movie seems to be missing maybe 15 or 20 minutes. That said, it is provocative, well reasoned and plays out very well. A huge hit worldwide it did serve as the model for the song 'The Final Countdown' by the band Europe. The score by John Scott is terrific as well, and to this day the carrier Nimitz uses it as it's 'breakaway music' when it receives supplies at sea from another ship. When they break apart they play the score on the carrier's speaker system. Real Navy and Marines are among the actors as they shot almost all of the film on board. This Blu Ray transfer is superb. The 1980 film stock is all that holds it back, some grainy shots are just what they are. However, much of it is crisp and sharp. Stereo remix excellent as well. It is not a 'great' movie but it is a very good, and hugely underrated one. It's 'coolness' factor is off the charts. James Farentino and Katherine Ross are excellent together. Martin Sheen, fresh off of 'Apocalypse Now' has a largely thankless role but still makes it interesting, as does Ron O'Neal. And Kirk Douglas? Well, he is classic Kirk in this. Just a star like always. It was his last film role before a massive stroke sidelined him. He still lived ANOTHER 40 years after this. What a legend. Totally worth owning...

Blue Underground released on both 4K UHD and Blu-ray this 3-disc, fondly remembered sleeper sci-fi hit from 1980 directed by Don Taylor and starring Kirk Douglas as the Commander of the U.S.S Nimitz, an Aircraft Carrier deployed in the Pacific Ocean that encounters strange weather and enters a mysterious electrical storm that sends the ship and crew back in time to December 6, 1941, one day before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and their efforts to deal with the historical ramifications of this, and of course the attempts to get back to their time, if they can. Co-stars Martin Sheen, James Farentino, Charles Durning and Katherine Ross. Looking stunning in HD, a big upgrade from the 2004 DVD, porting over those extras, and now including a CD of its soundtrack that runs 55 minutes. I cannot at this time judge the UHD disc but will update when that changes. Like that DVD, this comes in a lenticular slipcover depicting the Nimitz appearing and disappearing into the tunnel. First-rate film may be just an expanded "Twilight Zone" episode but was filmed on real Naval locations using actual aircraft, giving it a huge boost of authenticity, with an interesting story and characters leading to an intriguing and most satisfying conclusion. A must have.

I've seen Final Countdown a few times in the past, and I have always been intrigued by concept of alternative history/out of time events in movies and stories. Final Countdown's premise is very cool - a "modern" nuclear aircraft carrier with crew and full complements of aircraft transported to the past via mysterious means and facing the prospects of not only figuring out when they are, how to deal with innevitable panic and confusion, what do do, and whether/how much to interfere. The concept is extremely exciting and could easily serve as the basis for some very exciting shows/movies, but unfortunately Final Countdown fails to deliver. Just as some real actions are about to be taken, the writers undo everything essentially, and that I think was an unforgivable move on their part - as in why did they even make the movie at all?!? The ending of this movie leaves a lot to be desired - and in my opinion this movie is worthy of a pretty awesome remake (as in re-write the story so that the time travel aspect actually has substantial meaning) - but the Final Countdown is just disappointing. So - in my opinion Final Countdown is worth a watch if only to appreciate what it could have been, and that is why I give it four stars instead of three, but this is definitely one of those "if only they had done X it would have been so awesome" types of movies. Along with a properly re-written version of Final Countdown I'd love to see an adaptation of the Nantucket series, preferably as a show. Alternative history is a really awesome and yet so poorly explored genre in the film industry.

Nice movie seen it many time in bits and pieces.

A good time travel movie exploring the theory of what could happen if we could travel back in time and what effects that might have. The bonus in this film is of course the F-14 Tomcat fighter jet, one of the most appealing fighter jets ever made, for me at least.

Arrived quickly and in good shape. Love this movie. Great plot (I'm a sucker for a good time travel story) and I love the soundtrack.