The Final Countdown (1980) User Reviews

Having served on the Nimitz....

[gold5 · 8/10 · 24 November 2003]

I saw this film before I joined the Navy and again before I served on Nimitz (CVN 68). Kind of a nice feather in my cap experiencing the world's largest 'time machine' in person!

On to the movie... A very interesting premise which should have merited a more detailed analysis! Executed well enough for 1980, but could be remade into one hell of a motion picture today! I'd love to see it.

One thing the story does well is get one thinking about the 'what-if' scenario having the most modern carrier in the today's fleet taking on the Japanese Navy almost 40 years prior... Hmm. What a mismatch that would be in much the same way that **** SPOILER ALERT **** Combat Air Patrol (CAP) Tomcats rendered the 'Zeroes ' splashed handily! But, the very nature of Paradoxes would have rendered intervention potentially destructive to Nimitz and all aboard! (Which would have made profound changes to MY naval career as well.) And that was the dilemma faced; Do we change history because we feel a conscious duty to tilt the war in our favor (At least in the short term.)? Or do we choose to let nature take its course knowing full well the outcome if nothing is done? 4 more years of war and millions of lives? Or win a decisive victory and save all of the agony yet to come at the possible expense of destroying the fabric of space/time... or at the very least causing the U.S. and the Allies to lose in the long run because the U.S. would have delayed entering the war? Thorny, eh? As it turns out, history in this film was changed in a minor way but then again... was it? Possible predestination paradox, meaning events were supposed to happen the way they did.

***SPOILER ALERT*** If the Nimitz had stayed to fight, logistically it would have been possible... for a short time. Without access to spare parts, jet fuel and other means of support, the ship would have been nearly useless. True, this vessel class can steam for over 20 years on a fresh set of plutonium rods, but jets can't fly without fuel or spare parts! And just imagine trying to provision that ship with its crew of 5000 plus with 1940's technology! This ignores what the U.S. Government would have done once they got their hands on Nimitz and her technology back then! The debriefing would never end for those people! And imagine the changes to history then! (Could be a whole other movie!)

All in all, I think it was a great piece of science fiction and a very enjoyable 'what if'... I recommend anyone see it who can! It has its flaws and is dated but the concept is still very valid. The movie's big strength is not so much what is said, but what is not. The important stuff is left to the viewer's imagination, and this is what makes it very entertaining and provocative!

This is the movie that made the USS Nimitz a household word and I am very proud to have served on a piece of science fiction history (no pun intended)! The ship is very distinguished and far more impressive 'in the steel' than she is on film.

I give this film a 7.9/10. Mostly for the powerful premise.

I really enjoyed it

[Idocamstuf · 8/10 · 8 January 2005]

This was a highly entertaining sleeper about a naval ship that happens to go through a time warp and end up at Pearl Harbor just hours before the attack in 1941. Realistic acting, special effects and air scenes really make this movie stand out from other similar movies. I'm really surprised that this film is not more popular, because this was a very unique and fascinating concept for a movie, especially back in 1980. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a good science-fiction film. I'm also surprised that it has such a low rating, I was expecting it to be rated at least a 7. Ill give it an 8 out of 10. Well worth viewing.

When the Propmaster is the Chief of Naval Operations

[lawprof · 8/10 · 15 April 2004]

Making a military movie without official cooperation can be difficult. If the story doesn't require major air or naval assets, a script disapproved of by the top brass can be convincingly brought to the screen. Two examples - both true stories that the Pentagon didn't want to support - are "Men of Honor" reflecting the epidemic racism of the not-that-long-ago Navy and "Sgt. Bilko," a film portraying what some noncoms do to earn extra income (trust me, it's a true story: a real Sgt. Bilko worked (officially but not actually) for me when I was an Army officer.

But when you need lots of planes and ships, you gotta have official help. And few movies have gotten more assistance than the producer, director and cast of "The Final Countdown," now available on DVD,a sci-fi recruiting spectacular that features - on loan at taxpayer expense - the huge carrier U.S.S. Nimitz complete with crew. Now that's cooperation!

Kirk Douglas skippers the supercarrier which is on Pacific Fleet maneuvers. On board as some sort of efficiency consultant is a young Martin Sheen, not yet ready for the West Wing. A mysterious and never explained weather phenomenon grips the mighty floating air base and to the unfolding amazement of captain, officers and crew dawns the realization that the Nimitz in sailing not that far from Pearl Harbor on 6 December 1941.

Meanwhile a U.S. senator, played by one of Hollywood's deservedly decorated war heroes, Charles Durning, is enjoying his yacht, also near Pearl, while dictating to his lovely secretary, Katharine Ross. A brace of Japanese Zeroes sink the yacht, killing two passengers which then prompts the carrier C.O. to order trailing F-14 Tomcats to "splash" the "enemy." Durning and Ross are rescued. Without a word, this talented actor's face does a comical double-take when introduced to the ship's executive officer who just happens to be black (in 1941 a black navy man could only serve as a steward in the officers mess. That was it. Period.)

The dilemma facing Douglas, of course, is a classic time-travel conundrum. To interfere with the course of history (the carrier's air wing can make instant teriyaki of the six Japanese carriers) or to let events take their known and disastrous course.

A chaste incipient romance between the nearly drowned damsel and the carrier's Commander Air Group competes with the white knuckle decision-making struggle of the C.O.

So much for the plot. What is on offer here is a demonstration of every aircraft type, fixed-wing and rotary, deployed on the vessel as well as demonstrations of shipboard activities ranging from retrieving a damaged jet to going to General Quarters to...you name it. The technical advisers knew they had a film crew pliant to every suggestion. The result is a genuinely exciting show- a great warship going through its paces. And, unlike "Tora Tora Tora" it doesn't appear that any genuine sailors were harmed in the making of the movie.

There's one big problem. A science fiction story is usually utterly improbable, indeed impossible, but its internal logic is vital: it must be consistent. Spielberg understands that very well. Watch the first couple of minutes when Sheen is greeted by his employer's lackey and the last minutes when he debarks from the Nimitz. Something is very, very off-kilter. Could the CEO of a great military-industrial conglomerate have used top secret technology to send the carrier back to 1941 for...

So what. This is a beautifully filmed adventure story, not a great film. The cast probably relished taking over the carrier for a while and the real captain, never shown, surely wished that the Navy hadn't banned hard spirits from our ships in World War I. But all emerge unscathed in a genuinely entertaining romp through time.

8/10

A Guilty Pleasure

[Tomzone · 5 December 2001]

There are great films ("Citizen Kane," eg), and there are "big films", like "ET" or "Star Wars." Then there are absolute crap films (eg, WAY too-many to list!). I propose another legitimate category: "Guilty Pleasure Films." These are movies that one can see over and over, through countless repetitions on cable and broadcast channels, and enjoy the experience every time.

For example, I have probably seen "Brighton Beach Memoirs" 40 times. I loved it during its first run, and I've loved it each of the 39 times I've seen it on the small screen. No, it's not a great movie, but it's one that brings me pleasure when I watch it. Same with (blush) "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure": the movie's stupid, but it just always entertains me!

Similarly, nobody is going to compare "The Final Countdown" to "2001: A Space Odyssey" as far as absolute quality, but "The Final Countdown" is a classic example of an unabashed "guilty pleasure" movie.

The story is intriguing--what would YOU do if you were commanding a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier full of supersonic jets, etc, when you were transferred through a time-warp (ref: a CHEESY looking laser and smoke effect storm!) to December 6, 1941?? Would you alter history, just to win a battle against those attacking Pearl Harbor? Or would you hold back because you'd change history if you did anything?

Interesting point! Kirk Douglas, as the ship's captain, looks like he's having a ball acting in this, and Martin Sheen does a great job as the "civilian consultant," Mr. Laskey.

No, this movie isn't an Oscar-winner, nor did it really deserve to be. But I'll put it this way. A local independant station showed "The Final Countdown" tonight at the same time TNN was showing "The Godfather 2" uncut.

I spent maybe five minutes on the Oscar-winning Godfather 2. Yes, it is an empirically great film, but I've seen it once before. But with American fighter jets dogfighting 1941 Japanese Zeros, I was FAR more entertained watching "The Final Countdown" for the 10th time!

A Good Film that Has not Aged

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 13 May 2012]

In 1980, the assistant of the Department of Defense Warren Lasky (Martin Sheen) is assigned by his mysterious chief Richard Tideman to visit the aircraft carrier USS Nimtz commanded by Capt. Matthew Yelland (Kirk Douglas) as an observer of the routines. Lasky finds that Wing Commander Richard T. Owens (James Farentino) has a great knowledge of history.

Out of the blue, the vessel faces a weird storm and they find that they have traveled back in time to the eve of the attack of Pearl Harbor on 06 December 1941. When the two Japanese Zeros attack the motorboat of Senator Samuel Chapman (Charles Durning), the crew of the Nimitz rescues the senator and his assistant Laurel Scott (Katharine Ross). But sooner Lasky learns that the senator had disappeared on that day and Capt. Matthew Yelland is planning to attack the Japanese. Will these actions create a time paradox?

Today I have seen "The Final Countdown" maybe for the fifth or sixth time, and it is impressive how this good film has not aged after more than thirty years. The story has time paradox but is engaging supported by a magnificent cast. The DVD released on Brazil by New Line distributor is excellent, with audio Dolby 5.1 and DTS 6.1 and a documentary with the unit production manager Lloyd Kaufaman (Troma) in the Extras. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Nimitz - De Volta ao Inferno" ("Nimitz – Back to Hell")

To watch, or be apart of history.

[lost-in-limbo · 7/10 · 25 February 2008]

The title of the movie might be that of a super-cheesy song, with that highly catchy chorus by the band Europe in the 80s. Forget it because this came first, nor does it submit to cheese/silliness in what could've been a nonsensical premise. Gladly it doesn't, however for a fantasy / Sci-fi film that's impressively ambitious, and grand in scope. Talk about a cop-out for an ending! Or was it? The novelty of the concept flourishes with intelligence and vision, but it felt like something you would find in an episode of "The Twilight Zone". Maybe it would've been better suited so. The story begins with a freak storm transporting a modern American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier back to 1941, just before the Japanese fleet bombed Pearl Harbour. Now the question is should they get involved, and fear changing the face of history. Tough call. Too bad the film doesn't really take up that challenging stance with much aplomb, and somewhat takes an easy way out.

On an ethical note, the question raised is do we really have the right to change what has already happened. The paradox brings up many interesting possibilities, and drums up unimaginable suspense. It's an anxious waiting game for the decision, and that's what its all about. After deciding, it suddenly changes and leaves you hanging there with what could've been. The final note to me, made it all the forgettable. The material might not have been wholly satisfying, but technically it mainly came off with dazzling results. What was spectacularly done was the work they managed to get while filming on the actual U.S.S Nimitz. It feels, and looks authentic… because it is. They filmed at sea on the boat, at certain intervals. The background features at times seemed to be more interesting, than the actual story. Watching the crew going through their manoeuvres was magnetically displayed. Also the aircraft scenes were remarkably done, and excitingly high powered. The special effects are dated, but managed to be atmospherically eerie and moodily colourful.

Figure heads Kirk Douglas (in a durably solid turn), Martin Sheen and at a lesser extent Charles Dunning give the film some stalwart class. Also showing up in the profound cast were Katherine Ross, James Farentino and Ron O'Neal. John Scott's heavy handed music score, was hit-and-miss, but Victor J. Kemper's expansive cinematography was professionally executed. Don Taylor's direction feels automatic, but breezy.

This boy's own adventure is an enjoyably, attention-grabbing "what if" predicament.

Entertaining and gripping, despite the implausibility of the central idea

[grantss · 7/10 · 5 August 2020]

1980. Aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is on a routine voyage off the coast of Hawaii when she travels through a strange storm. Upon clearing the storm she encounters some strange occurrences, all of which suggest she has travelled back in time in 1941. Moreover, it is 6 December 1941 and the Nimitz is in a position to prevent the disastrous outcome of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

I has low expectations for this film. The whole idea just seemed silly and merely a vehicle for that schoolboy fantasy of modern jet fighters taking on WW2 planes. However, it is far better than that.

Writers and director set the scene well. We see the everyday operation of an aircraft carrier, the different parts and people in the organisation and, of course, the machinery of war. Makes for interesting viewing, so much so that even if there was no plot the video footage could be used as a documentary.

The plot development is handled well too, to the point that the whole time-travel concept even becomes plausible. It is handled quite well, even touching on the implications of changing history.

After this great set up, the conclusion is a bit disappointing, being fairly low-key as the movie sort of fizzles out. The changing history scenario isn't fully explored and you feel that the writers missed a few opportunities to create a powerful ending.

Still, quite entertaining, especially if you like to see military aircraft in action and the workings of an aircraft carrier.

Intelligent addition to the sub-genre of time travel films

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 14 July 2016]

Intelligent science fiction films have a tendency to be few and far between - which is why it's refreshing to watch this thought-provoking time-slip drama which sees a naval warship from the '80s transported back in time to the day before the attack on Pearl Harbour! The film's conception was clearly inspired by one of my favourite movies - the Japanese classic G.I. SAMURAI, with Sonny Chiba and his troops transported back to samurai times. I was looking forward to see what this US-centric twist would add to the story, and I wasn't disappointed.

For a start, this isn't an action film. Aside from plenty of scenes of planes flying around and landing on the ship (via some cool elastic technology), this shows no battle scenes, so if you're looking for that kind of excitement I'd recommend going elsewhere. The crux of the film is the captain's moral dilemma as he has to choose whether to become involved in WW2 or not. Any action he takes is likely to have drastic consequences - leading to a nail-biting climax that poses the question "what if?". For some, this might be anticlimatic, and if you're looking for a pure modern-vs-historical war movie I'd go with G.I. SAMURAI instead.

The cast is pretty good, a mix of star names and character actors. Douglas is one of those old-time guys who seems great in any part, and I couldn't fault him here. Martin Sheen has something of an extraneous role, given that he doesn't actually do anything other than act as the audience's eyes and ears. James Farentino and Katharine Ross supply a low-key love affair and Charles Durning has fun as a ranting politician. I also enjoyed Soon-Tek Oh who appeared briefly as a menacing Japanese pilot - the stand-off involving his character is the film's best scene. Sure, this isn't the most exciting film in the world, and in terms of spectacle the special effects have dated somewhat. But I found it original and unpredictable, a fine addition to the spate of time-travel-paradox movies that never panders to the booms-n-bangs crowd.

All-timer great movie, fantastic flying, top acting, themes for men & women

[dc747 · 10/10 · 17 March 2000]

This film is one of the great ones. Having served on an aircraft carrier for 2.5 years, I'm familiar with aircraft carrier excitement. But the movie was more than just wonderful shots of the U.S. Nimitz. The cast was top drawer, and their acting was as good as it gets. Standing above all the great performances was a Japanese actor portraying a shot-down, highly competent, captured Japanese Zero pilot. While racism understandably raises its ugly head during wartime, with epithets and insults hurled in both directions, in fact this Japanese actor portrayed a Japanese warrior at his finest--someone whom Japanese viewers would be proud of. Played equally well were American military personnel, including some Marines. One of the candid themes of the movie is the tragedy of such fine people going to war against each other, whatever their race.

The film is undeniably top drawer, far more mature than than "Top Gun," with even better flying scenes. So I've often wondered why it isn't widely known and not kept in stock in widescreen format. Perhaps the answer is today's wimpy trend towards "politically correct" dialog. In one scene, Kirk Douglas refers to the captured Japanese pilot as a "yellow bastard." In the video version, this was sanitized. However, sanitized or not, the original racial comment, by itself, may have doomed the film from greater video distribution.

I saw the film when it came out in wide-screen format and saw it several times before it left town. Thereafter, the only other versions available in video were "fit-to-TV-screen" size. That was tragic! Though still exciting in "box" format, the widescreen original was breathtaking. I cannot imagine why producers haven't released this in DVD in original wide-screen format. It makes a huge difference with this film! (Aircraft carriers are huge!)

One interesting comment to add about the F-14 flying scenes. I was awed by one particular F-14 maneuver, which I didn't think airplanes were capable of doing. A couple of years later, I talked with a Navy fighter pilot and brought this up. He was very familiar with that scene and personally knew the pilot who flew the F-14 in the movie. He told me that the F-14 almost crashed in that scene, stalling while trying to fly too slow, diving for the ocean to pick up speed, and barely recovering just above the wave tops. This near-accident was caught on film and added immensely to the exhibition of flying skill. An exception had been granted to the Navy's policy of not allowing "dissimilar aircraft" to fly together in movie scenes. The result of that granted exception was almost the loss of an F-14.

This is an incredibly good drama. I found that the various twists and turns, and particularly the call-it-off ending, all contributed to the drama and moral dilemmas. This is a fine, great movie. Like others who commented here, it seems tragic that this film is not available in widescreen DVD format. Everyone I've shown it to loves it, male and female. Feminism and romance are included, along with a collie dog for the kids.

A blast!

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 29 May 2021]

Produced with the full cooperation of the United States Navy's naval aviation branch and the United States Department of Defense, The Final Countdown was set and filmed on board the USS Nimitz, capturing actual operations of the then-modern nuclear warship, which had been launched in the late 1970s. The Final Countdown was a moderate success at the box office.

Despite the films meager budget, producer Peter Vincent Douglas was able to get it made and get the military on board. While director Don Taylor turned in a workmanlike film - some claim this as to many of his movies, but hey, I love Damian: The Omen II and Escape from the Planet of the Apes - the second unit was able to work with the Navy to mount cameras directly onto the planes and get some astounding footage.

The SS Nimitz is departing Pearl Harbor for naval exercises in the mid-Pacific Ocean along with civilian observer Warren Lasky (Martin Sheen). He's working for the Defense Department as an efficiency expert, as well as for the man who built the ship, the mysterious Mr. Tideman. However, the ship soon goes through an electrical vortex and finds itself on the eve of Pearl Harbor, leaving the crew - under the command of Captain Yelland (Kirk Douglas) - unsure of what to do next. Do they stop one of World War II's most crippling defeats or allow history to proceed?

Things become more complicated when the Nimitz rescues survivors from a yacht under attack by two Japanese planes: U. S. Senator Samuel Chapman (Charles Durning) and his aide Laurel Scott (Katherine Ross), along with her dog Charlie and one of the Japanese pilots. One of the crew, Commander Owens (James Farentino), recognizes Chapman as a politician who would have been Franklin D. Roosevelt's running mate during his final re-election campaign had he not disappeared shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

I love the central issue of this film and have no idea what choice I would have made and equally adore the time travel twist at the end. I'd always pegged this as a lesser version of The Philadelphia Experiment, but now I realize that they tell a similar story from two very different angles (and vice versa in what direction they go in time).

There are some great small roles here as well, like Superfly actor Ron O'Neal as Cmdr. Dan Thurman, Soon-Tek Oh from Missing In Action 2: The Beginning as one of the Japanese pilots and Richard Liberty (Dr. Logan from Day of the Dead) as Lt. Cmdr. Moss. Plus, a total of forty-eight real life US Navy personnel from the actual USS Nimitz were involved with this movie as extras, background artists or actors, with some having speaking parts. I also learned that each ship in the Navy has something called breakway music that is played at the close of underway replenishment to motivate their crews. The Nimitz uses the music that was written for her in this film, John Scott's "Theme from The Final Countdown."

As for how the picture got the scenes of Pearl Harbor under budget, they're tinted scenes from Tora! Tora! Tora!

the final letdown

[HelloTexas11 · 3/10 · 16 March 2008]

There are a few problems with 'The Final Countdown,' the main one being that it's too real. Let me explain. The film was shot almost entirely on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Nimitz with the Navy's full cooperation. Now one might think that was quite a coup for the filmmakers, but on viewing the finished product, it seems very constrictive. Sure, there is plenty of footage of navy jets taking off and landing that's fun to watch, in and of itself. But too often such footage seems to be at the expense of the movie itself, and its plot, and having anything really interesting happen. For instance, early on, one of the jets returning to the carrier reports trouble with its landing hook, which is supposed to grab a tether when it lands on deck. So the order is given to raise the emergency barrier to prevent the plane from going off the other end of the deck into the ocean. This is done and the jet lands safely. That's it. It has nothing to do with any part of the plot. In fact, it's like watching a training film for navy recruits. Far too much of 'The Final Countdown' IS like watching a navy training film, unfortunately. The actors and the film's story seem like intruders aboard the Nimitz. Many scenes are unambitiously cut short. The reality of the ship sinks the believability of the story. We never for one minute believe Kirk Douglas is really the captain of the Nimitz. It's obvious too, that many of the ship's crew were used as extras. Here the problem is just the opposite. They have zero screen presence. One of the reasons you hire professional actors for movies is they ARE professionals and have spent a great deal of time learning their skills at projecting a character and speaking lines of dialogue effectively. Whoever it is that says, "Captain on bridge," and "Captain off bridge" about thirty times has obviously never acted in his life. A shame too, since the story idea is a good one, albeit one straight out of Time Travel 101. What if a modern day aircraft carrier was somehow transported back in time to the day before the Pearl Harbor attack? Even though it's not a terribly original premise, there are so many ways one can have fun with the idea, so many possibilities. But all 'The Final Countdown' can do is nibble around the edges. The requisite questions are asked: What if I meet my own grandfather and he dies? Or, what if someone who was meant to die, survives? What if the captain warns Washington? What if the Nimitz attacks and defeats the Japanese fleet? Unfortunately, again, the questions as phrased above are about as far as 'The Final Countdown' gets in playing with any of the tantalizing might-have-beens. One begins wishing for even a long, drawn-out conversation between two of the characters about those various possibilities. But the screenwriters cannot so much as bring themselves to do that, and such scenes are cut short as well. The brutal truth is that nothing much of anything happens in this movie and at the end, one is left with a huge 'so what?' kind of feeling. 'The Final Countdown' should have been titled 'The Final Letdown.'

One of my old favorites!

[XJoey · 8/10 · 6 October 2004]

This movie deals with time-travel on a large scale... And like most sci-fi films, it is easy to pick their theories apart (especially after almost 25 years). I think that many of us have a tendency to over-analyze these types of movies, when, in fact, we should just sit back and enjoy the experience.

I first saw this movie at a drive-in (remember those?!?!), and during one scene in particular, the entire crowd actually cheered. This is not a reaction I'd expect from a large crowd during a "bad" movie. If you like sci-fi, aircraft, and time-travel movies, then ignore the nay-sayers and watch this movie! It's one of my all-time favorites.

Compelling

[safenoe · 7/10 · 10 January 2022]

I remember seeing this back in the 80s, and it was quite intriguing with time travel and WW2 which was 70 years ago. It was the Japanese, not Germans, in this film, and we appreciate the consequences of time travel.

Was their trip really worth it?

[tonysteermail · 3/10 · 5 March 2006]

An aircraft carrier, (in an unconvincingly contrived way), goes back in time to the day just before the Pearl Harbour attack and does.... Er very little really?

Other than a few people getting killed, (most of who nobody seems overly bothered about), one man from the future being left behind and a dog getting sent forward in time absolutely nothing of any consequence happens here at all.

Now a film, (or more usefully), a series, where the ship doesn't go home but instead stops the attack and then deals with a crew that has to come to terms with living in a past where their irrevocably rewriting history... now that would be worth watching.

Imagine the issues to deal with...

How would the Roosevelt Government come to terms with this new found asset on their doorstep.

What issues would it's Nuclear Arsenal have on both ending the war and effecting the balance of power afterwards.

What interaction would 1000 navy servicemen with a knowledge of a possible future have on the world their parents/grandparents are growing up in.

Altogether a far more interesting premise than the rather pointless one the film finally opts for.

I like it even more 18 years later

[bmcclain · 15 December 2000]

I first saw this film when I was right out of high school, and I wasn't surprised to see the lobby-card poster hanging in a Navy recruiter's office a few months later when I dropped by. And that's entirely appropriate; the film is, among other things, a love letter to the modern Navy. I mean that as high praise: Where lots of military movies (and plenty of recruiting commercials) overdo the martial aspects of their characters with a gung-ho Sergeant Rock style, the byplay in this movie provided glimpses of the the Navy (and the Marine Corps too, God bless 'em), honestly and simply, as people taking pride in a demanding, sacrificial profession.

To this day I wonder which, if any, sailors and Marines I saw were actual service people. If any were, Don Taylor and his second-unit directorial crew got excellent small performances from them. Here's an example: In a brief scene that probably barely survived the final cut, there's interaction among some sailors: "Christ, Chief, all we wanna know is what's going on," asserts one mildly exasperated rating. "If you need to know, you'll be told," replies the Chief Master-at-Arms curtly. The people who spoke this dialogue definitely weren't Screen Actors Guild types; they looked and sounded pretty much like sailors I've known. And that's a little detail that's done right so seldom that I hardly notice anymore that I'm deliberately overlooking it.

The aerial sequences set a standard that wouldn't be touched until /Top Gun/ hit the screen. To be sure, both movies relied to some extent on stock footage of naval-aviation ops, but as with /Top Gun/, this film's flying was spectacular -- and, in the last of the years before CGI took hold, REAL. (Compare this film's or /Top Gun/'s exteriors of aircraft with, say, /Air Force One/, and you'll see what I mean.

The "name-actor" ensemble of Kirk Douglas et al. performed, perhaps not brilliantly, but serviceably in a film that certainly was more plot-driven than character-focused. The story -- revealed by plenty of other comments here -- though implausible, is still capable of holding one's interest. But after you catch this flick on the tube for the second or third time, pay attention to the enlisted pukes doing their jobs -- to me, they're the real stars.

If it's on the shelf, rent it. If it's on TV again, watch it. At the least, it's an entertaining story. At its best, it's a good study in style and pacing.

Could We Or Should We Change History?

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 15 July 2007]

Only a Timelord might know the answer to that and The Final Countdown bears no small resemblance to a big budget version of a Doctor Who episode. All that was needed was the TARDIS and one of the Doctors Who to provide an explanation for what was going on.

Kirk Douglas heads the cast in his own Bryna films production of The Final Countdown. He's the captain of the U.S.S Nimitz, finest nuclear powered aircraft carrier in the fleet and on this cruise they've got a VIP aboard, Martin Sheen who works for a mysterious Howard Hughes hermit like defense contractor named Tideman.

Once out of port they encounter a storm unlike any other in history and though they're slow to comprehend it, the U.S.S. Nimitz and crew are transported back in time, precisely to December 6, 1941.

What to do? The mind boggles with the possibilities. Complicating things even further the Nimitz rescues United States Senator Charles Durning and his girl Friday Katharine Ross who are the only survivors of a cabin cruiser that got shot up by Japanese planes. Oh. and they also rescue the pilot of one of the Japanese zeroes that sunk the cabin cruiser, Soon Teck Oh.

The Final Countdown is a good science fiction film that raises some interesting conundrum like questions. Would you kill Adolph Hitler or Joseph Stalin as a child if you got the chance? Should the Nimitz with the firepower it has go wreak some havoc on the Japanese fleet before they strike?

Other good performances in the film besides those mentioned are James Farentino as the air group commander and amateur historian and Ron O'Neal as the Executive officer of the Nimitz. My favorite in the film however is Soon Teck Oh. He speaks only Japanese in the film and he manages to invoke both menace and fright in his performance of a man, also not knowing what's happening but knowing he's with the American enemy.

You'll be scratching your head for days after seeing The Final Countdown. I won't say what happens to the Nimitz and its crew, but Martin Sheen gets the biggest surprise of all at the very end of the film.

Thoughtful & Exciting.

[AaronCapenBanner · 7/10 · 31 August 2013]

What if a modern day naval carrier found itself(through a mysterious time-portal on the sea) back on that fateful day of Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor, killing scores of soldiers and civilians, and plunging the U.S.A. into World War II? That is the question this intriguing science fiction yarn presents, in a highly imaginative, engaging, and intelligent way. Story sounds like it could have been on "The Twilight Zone", and something like it was, but this authentic looking film(made on a real carrier with real aircraft) can stand nicely on its own. Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, James Farantino, Charles Durning, and Katharine Ross also star, and all are well cast.

Twist at the end is most clever, logical, and satisfying. A winner.

The guy who accidently spilled jp5 all over pier 12 during filming

[aff-01465 · 6/10 · 29 December 2023]

I was aboard during the making of this movie even had a small part in it (the mess deck scene) we were done with lunch but as we were sitting there they were setting up the cameras and asked who wanted to be in a scene ,if you look all the trays are empty as we had just finished eating and were about to leave. We rehearsed the scene and then they played on a cheap cassette player the sound that was to hurt our ears, as it played we threw our trays and grabbed our heads creating the scene you see in the montages. A few days later while in V4 fuels division I was doing a recirc test while in port of the JP5 fuel system ,this involved pumping fuel to the flight deck and then recirculating it back to the pump room .long story short I opened a valve that was not supposed to be open and ended up spraying fuel all over the camera equipment and other movie related items stored in a semi trailer on the pier and drenching two limo's parked on the pier . In an investigation afterwards it was found that I was not fully at fault because the valve I opened should have been tagged "Do not open in port" my claim to fame LOL I am now retired after 23 years EM2.

The U.S.S Nimitz carrier trapped in a time warp goes back just time before the bombing Pearl Harbor

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 8 March 2011]

Fantastic film about a weird , powerful storm winds up throwing USS Nimitz into past world during WW2 . Caught outside the boundaries of time and space, all mission , 102 aircraft, 6,000 men , are transported back to 1941. On December 7, 1980 the nuclear carrier USS Nimitz disappeared in the Pacific and reappeared December 7, 1941 ,the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour . The events go wrong , causing an USS naval battleship to disappear in Pacific Ocean by means of a warp time. The motley crew as Wing Commander Richard Owens (James Farentino) , Lasky (Martin Sheen), Cmdr. Dan (Ron O'Neal) commanded by Captain Matthew Yelland (Kirk Douglas) find themselves thrown into a temporary hole . Then they find in the past world of 1941 and they can change the course of history but also to generate a cataclysm that threatens to destroy it.

This is a far-fetching but acceptable story about an U.S nuclear-powered aircraft carrier traveling forward in time to just to discover famous incidents and change the world. It is developed with intrigue, suspense , thrills and noisy action with interesting screenplay by Thomas Hunter. Familiar but satisfying and agreeable Sci-Fi yarn , including a surprisingly final . Just amusement enough to cover production gaps and some flaws. Fine special effects by the time and liking acting by the leads manage to keep this one afloat. Nice performance of Kirk Douglas as Captain Matthew who must face the ultimate decision , leave history intact or stop the known events . Good support cast as Charles Durning as the Senator, Soon-Tek Oh as a Japanese pilot , Ron O'Neal , among others and early appearance of Lloyd Kaufman , subsequently producer of B films with Troma Productions. Colorful cinematography by Victor J. Kemper and atmospheric , spectacular musical score by John Scott. The picture achieved big success at Box office and had ripoffs and imitations , being followed by ¨Philadelphia experiment¨ and inferior sequel titled ¨Philadelphia experiment II . The motion picture is professionally directed by Don Taylor. He was an actor and director as TV as cinema and an expert on adventures genre as ¨Adventures of Tom Sawyer¨ , Terror as ¨Damien : Omen 2¨ and science fiction as ¨Island of Dr. Moreau¨, ¨Escape from Planet of Apes¨, and of course ¨The final of countdown¨. Rating : 6,5 . Acceptable and passable fantasy fare although better viewed in big screen .

Great fantasy war drama

[RNMorton · 10/10 · 28 August 2004]

I love this movie. Every time I hit it channel-surfing I think I'll watch it for just a minute and I end up watching the whole damn thing. Some of the best movies take one or two freak things and then play them out absolutely straight (e.g., Big, Back to the Future, Groundhog Day). Modern aircraft carrier encounters bizarre storm and finds itself between the Japanese fleet and Pearl Harbor a day before the infamous attack. What to do, what to do... What happens (which isn't actually much) takes a back seat to 1) an Oscar-caliber performance by Kirk Douglas as ship captain, and also fine performances by Sheen, Durning and others; and 2) the wonder of tactical operations on a modern carrier. For war buffs just the idea of the U.S.S. Nimitz prowling near the Jap fleet with Douglas at the helm is enough. Enchanting musical score and satisfying wrap. 10 out of 10

Plot fascinating, performances less so

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 4 August 2021]

The USS Nimitz in 1980 runs into a vortex at sea; the captain initially suspects war, although he's picking up Jack Benny on the air! Time-transport adventure sends the officers and crew back to Pearl Harbor in 1941, just prior to the attack by the Japanese. Intriguing science-fiction premise from four screenwriters (David Ambrose, Gerry Davis, Thomas Hunter and Peter Powell) makes for a fascinating if awesomely-extended B-budget epic. Director Don Taylor keeps the action rousing but doesn't pay enough attention to the performances, which are mostly dull. **1/2 from ****

An interesting yet ridiculous movie

[RMS1949 · 3/10 · 6 April 2012]

Starts off as an interesting sci-fi concept to contemplate but then quickly turns it into an insult to any intelligent person.

First off it's okay to interfere with history by saving a couple of people on a yacht but it's not okay to save over a thousand lives at Pearl Harbor ??

The character of the carrier's Captain ( Kirk Douglas )was almost mind numbing. Even after the time travel happened, he just walks around most of the time smiling.

The storyline seemed to have wanted to present us a real modern moral dilemma but instead gave us some silly 1980's made for TV drama. The scene where they put an dangerous POW to interrogate right next to a civilian and the Americans they did rescue, was one of the dumbest movie scenes ever. Talk about a lack of any common sense. LOL

Another example of an extremely Underrated film, still holds up!!!

[joiningjt · 9/10 · 2 April 2021]

This film is so fun to watch here it is over 40 years later and I still enjoy it. Phenomenal cast and crew and being a navy man that served on the cv64 constellation it brought back memories of seeing those tomcats taking off and landing so incredible to watch!! Ah back when our navy fleet was second to none, now its china . Hopefully we will never see either back in action!! Also was fortunate to see the rare 3d bluray version!!!

The Final Countdown

[phubbs · 7/10 · 24 February 2015]

A movie that bears a similar resemblance to the legend of the USS Eldridge and the Philadelphia Experiment flick of 1984, in some aspects. That movie saw an experiment on board the US warship to try and make it invisible to radar. Of course it goes wrong and two crew members are sent into the future of 1984. In this time travel adventure the USS Nimitz is on training operations in the Pacific when a mysterious storm comes out of nowhere and sends the ship back to 1941.

The casting is impressive with this old sci-fi, Martin Sheen is a civilian observer, a systems analyst who is on board for reasons unknown frankly. Charles Durning plays a fictitious senator back in 1941 and the epic Kirk Douglas is the USS Nimitz Commander. All three of these actors add much needed impetus to the project as lets be honest...this is total B-movie fluff. Although I still can't for the life of me work out why Sheen's character is required, and here lies one of the plot issues.

In this movie the USS Nimitz was designed by an aged Mr. Tideman who we don't see. Now this chap has made sure that Sheen's character gets on board the Nimitz for its training run. The reason being because what happens on board the ship and in the past (when the ship gets there) will effect the future. You assume Sheen's character will obviously somehow effect someone or something that will cause a time ripple, but he doesn't as far as I could see. Sheen doesn't really do anything throughout the whole movie accept stand around and offer the odd bit of advice. The only thing I can think of is the fact that the Nimitz was delayed by two days waiting for Sheen's character to arrive and board (according to Douglas' character the Commander), by order of the mysterious Mr. Tideman. So maybe that delay was required so all the following events would be set in motion at the right time.

Naturally time travel paradoxes may arise in a story like this and I'm pretty sure the main twist in the tale here doesn't work. Basically it turns out one of the officers on board the Nimitz is a younger Mr. Tideman who gets stranded back in 1941. Tideman helped design the Nimitz because he served on board her as an officer up until the point he gets stuck back in time. So it was the older Tideman back in 1980 who wanted Sheen's character to travel on the Nimitz for her training ops...although I don't get why as I already said Sheen does nothing.

So here is my issue. Young Tideman goes back in time and gets stranded (in 1941), he then must pretty much relive his life through to the present of 1980. Thing is in the present of 1980 with Tideman now an old man, at some point many years earlier, another younger version of Tideman must be born so he can join the Navy, join the Nimitz and eventually go on the training ops mission back in time. So this would surely mean there would be two versions of Tideman living in the same time, is that possible? I'm sure the older version would know not to try and meet his younger self so maybe it would be OK?

There is much that isn't really explained in the movie, whether that's because its left up to your own imagination or not I don't know. The mysterious storm is never explained, the fact it seems to be aware at one point because it tracks or homes in on the Nimitz when they try to outmaneuver it. The whole event is simply written off as a mystery or freak of nature. Also I noticed that when the Nimitz goes through the time portal, even jets that aren't on board her go through too. At the end there is an entire strike force of jets up in the air and nowhere near the Nimitz when the storm time portal thing catches the ship and they go back through to 1980. So even if these jets aren't on the ship and not even close to either the ship or the portal...they still go through? Is that because the ship goes through and they just materialise along with it? maybe they are foreign objects in time and time knows they don't belong there?

Admittedly most of the run time is taken up by military prowess and military hardware porn, put it this way if you like big guns, jets, aircraft carriers, warships, old planes, helicopters, flybys etc...you're gonna have a field day. Its basically a US Navy recruitment campaign combined with a training video showing you all the cool fun stuff, life on a carrier and errr...all the cool fun stuff. You could also say it was a long homage and love letter to one of the USA's best supercarriers, one of the biggest warships around. A day in the life of the Navy at sea and how it runs. I can't deny it all looked very impressive though, very slick, very cool, it gives 'Top Gun' a good run for its money...and this was 1979! imagine what they're like today.

Anyway back to the movie, it was fun, an enjoyable little Twilight Zone-esque escapade which I find agreeable on most days. I knew there would be problems along the way with this, you can kinda tell, but it doesn't detract from the fun too much. Very well put together, nice effects for the time, cool aerial camera work on various military toys and it keeps you thinking.

7/10

Uninspiring time travel yarn as modern-day aircraft carrier goes back to Pearl Harbor, does virtually nothing and turns back

[Turfseer · 4/10 · 6 May 2022]

I asked people in my Twilight Zone Facebook group to mention any movie they thought could have been used as a plot for a good Twilight Zone episode. The Final Countdown came back as a highly recommended entry. After watching it I had to disagree with many of these Twilight Zone aficionados as I believe the film is not up to the standards of the iconic television series and would not have served as an inspiration for one of its stories.

The Final Countdown was filmed with the significant help of the US Navy who granted permission to utilize the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier The USS Nimitz where the main part of the drama takes place.

The narrative features a plot like a number of Twilight Zone episodes (the "Odyssey of Flight 33" is the time travel episode which immediately comes to mind). A convenient storm somehow takes the ship back to December 6, 1941, the day before the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and there is no rhyme or reason why the ship is brought back to that particular date (except perhaps to allow for all the ensuing histrionics).

In such a scenario, the interesting approach would be for the modern-day ship to take on the massive Japanese naval and air armada and using all the advanced technology, prevent the disaster from taking place. The interference in the timeline might have resulted in a highly interesting peek at a transformed future world.

This is what looks like is going to happen until Captain Yelland (Kirk Douglas) decides at the last minute (due to the approach of the same storm that could potentially bring back the ship to the present time) to abort the mission and recall his jetfighters back to the aircraft carrier.

Instead, a number of perfunctory action scenes are utilized including the downing of two Japanese zeroes by jet aircraft, the rescue of US Senator Samuel Chapman (Charles Durning) and his assistant Laurel Scott (Katherine Ross) after their yacht is destroyed by the Zeroes, the rescue of a downed Japanese pilot who ends up killing some seamen aboard the Nimitz and the explanation for the subsequent disappearance of Senator Chapman (he's killed when he attempts to commandeer a helicopter and a shot he fires inside goes awry).

If Douglas has little to do traipsing around the ship, Martin Sheen as Warren Lasky, a special consultant for "Tideman Industries"-involved in the design and creation of the Nimitz-ends up with a virtual non-part. The captain and the consultant are involved in an imbroglio toward the climax over whether it's a good idea to change history by destroying the Japanese fleet.

The insignificant twist at the end of the film involves James Farentino as Commander Owens who ends up stranded on an island near Pearl Harbor with Laurel. The two show up in the present time as Mr. And Mrs. Tideman. Somehow the naval commander used his limited present-day technical knowledge in the past to eventually become the mysterious mogul we're introduced to at the denouement.

The Final Countdown only wins points highlighting the operations of a modern-day nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The narrative (particularly the sci-fi aspect) is a huge disappointment featuring a premise that remains undeveloped.