Rating: 
Summary: original camera negative has been given a THX-....
Review: FINALLY on DVD in the quality and style it deserves! Fans have been waiting a long time for this, and you're going to love this new 2-disc special edition from Blue Underground. To start with, the film looks wonderful here, in full anamorphic widescreen video. The original camera negative has been given a THX-certified, high-definition transfer. Frankly, I'm surprised at how good the film looks, given its spotty history of ownership over the years. The print is in very good condition. You'll see a little softness in spots, and there is moderate visible grain throughout the film. Despite that, detail is generally quite nice, and contrast and color are booth satisfactory as well. I'll tell you, I never expected to see the film looking this good on DVD. It's not going to win any awards for transfer quality, but I'm very happy.As good as the film looks, it sounds even better. You'll find remixed audio in both Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and DTS 6.1 ES flavors - no kidding. Both tracks are excellent, with nice dynamic range, adequate low frequency and very good creation of atmosphere. The surrounds really kick in during almost any scene with jet aircraft, and you'll hear plenty of panning and directionality in that scene with the F-14s and Zeros. Dialogue is always clean and clear, and the score for this film has never sounded so good. A nice job sonically. There aren't a LOT of extras on this special edition, but what you get is great - every last bit of it. First up, there's a good audio commentary track featuring Blue Underground producer David Gregory chatting with the film's director of photography, Victor J. Kemper. You can tell that he's very fond of this film and of his experience making it. He has some great behind-the-scenes stories to tell about what it was like to work with the Navy on the actual carrier, etc. Right off the bat, he tells a great story about the film's opening shot, in which you see an F-14 taking off. It seems that on the first take, they set the camera up too close to the fighter's engines, so that when it throttled up to full afterburners, both the camera and its operator were sent tumbling. The track probably hasn't got a lot of repeat value, but it's a good initial listen. Next up, you get a pair of documentary featurettes. In the first, which runs about 14 minutes and is (surprise!) anamorphic, Lloyd Kaufman dishes dirt about his experience as an associate producer on this film. He's got some funny stories to tell, both good and bad, as well as some fascinating comments on the various participants involved. His experience on The Final Countdown is what made him finally decide to work independently of Hollywood, so there's some good mileage to cover here. The second piece is a full half-hour in length, and is again anamorphic. It's a new interview with several of the retired F-14 Tomcat pilots who actually worked on the film, doing all of the aerial camerawork and stunt flying. Immediately, you can tell that they had a blast on the film and are very proud of it. They also have great chemistry together. There are some very funny stories told here about what it was like as Navy pilots to work on a film, and interact with the actors. They even muse on what they might have done if they'd been in the position of the characters, going back in time to December 6th, 1941. Enjoy
Rating:
Summary: Finally! Final Countdown gets the treatment it deserves
Review: I've always loved this movie but watching it on a dubbed videocassette that is 12 yrs old just wasn't cutting it. I know there might be some things about the Special Edition DVD that might not be up to standards with everyone but here's what I am looking forward to:
Improved Clearer Picture
Widescreen
Extras! DVD's that count an Interactive menu as a bonus just make me laugh. A couple featurettes, cast interviews and at least a trailer satisfy me. If you haven't seen this movie yet, it is definitely worth it. I'm sure with today's special effects itd be better but it's still a fun ride. This DVD can only make it better to watch.
Rating: 
Summary: Great for 1980, cheesy for 2004
Review: I saw this film at the theater as a kid and thought it was great, but when I watched it last night on DVD I was thinking how cheesy. The picture quality is outstanding, the acting is corny, the melodramic music that plays throughout the movie gets on your nerves, special affects going through the time warp hole whatever you call it looks like a bad night in a disco bar in the 1970's. Now for the good stuff, the aerial scenes and scenes on the flight deck I thought were very good, when they first come out of the time hole they don't realize what happened and trying to figure it out was good but then they lose it on the story line. My recommendation; rent it or borrow it, if you have to have it I'd buy a used copy at a good price.
Rating:
Summary: Great Time Travel - Action/Adventure feature
Review: This is a classic film that is run on TNT/TCM periodically but I am looking forward to the Region 1 DVD release (to lose the commercials). This is not a masterpiece production but it has a great cast, an intriguing story line and one of the oldest dogs in (fictional) history. I was on board the USS Nimitz CVN-68 in 1978 and 1979 during the filming of this movie, which was a great experience. They kept most of the story accurate to a nuclear carrier of that time period and many of the cast non-speaking roles and ones with a few lines were performed by the actual ship's company and officers (particularly the CO's briefing of his department head officers). The flight deck Launch & Recovery scenes are very realistic and could have been a documentary of actual ship operations. This film and Top Gun are two great depictions of the incredible capabilities of the US Nuclear Air Craft Carriers equaled by no other Navy in the world. I hope with the current political situation, and the national interest in patriotism and the military, that the timetable to re-release this great film on DVD is imminent.
Rating:
Summary: Love the Movie ... Newer DVD is acceptable quality ...
Review: I have always liked this movie. Sure, the story never reaches its purported climax, but there's a lot of fun getting there ... Let me address the DVD issue right off: I have (apparently) a remastered version, widescreen, with chapter selection and promotional trailer included. The quality of this DVD is pretty good. I can't remember the exact cinematography but it seems like this is how the movie always appeared. Not top-notch but acceptable. The trailer is not as well preserved but is OK. (I noticed this on the Rambo: First Blood Part II DVD I just bought ... on that DVD, the trailer is so-so, however the picture on that movie is crisp and very well preserved). OK, back to the movie. A freak storm catches the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and transports her and her crew back to December 6, 1941 just off the coast of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The BIG question: Ignore or Intercept the Japanese Navy when it attacks on December 7? ... if you haven't seen the movie, I won't spoil it for you here. There are top-named actors like Martin Sheen, Kirk Douglas, James Farentino, Katharine Ross and Charles Durning. And there are a few real carrier personnel who weren't professional actors, obviously. But they got to be in the movie and who could blame them? Most people who like this film enjoy the time-travel, naval-combat aspect of it and overlook the occasional potholes in the storyline. Hey, just have fun! There are some great launch sequences of Naval fighter aircraft, recon birds, tankers and helicopters. And the inflight sequences are pretty good too. You get to see F-14 Tomcats, A-7 Corsairs, A-6 Intruders, EA-6B Prowlers, E-2C Hawkeyes, SH-53 Sikorsky's and more. Plus the carrier crew equip the aircraft with the Mach 4+ AIM-54A Phoenix missiles, AIM-9 Sidwinders and AIM-7 Sparrows for air combat. Great stuff! Overall the quality of the DVD movie is fairly decent and played well on my 55" big screen and my 27" small screen TV's. If you haven't seen the film, it's similar to "The Philadelphia Experiment" with Michael Pare and Nancy Allen. Enjoy!!
Rating:
Summary: This film has finally been given justice!
Review: Blue Underground has done a great job with this DVD and has finally given the film the high-definition transfer it has deserved after all these years. The color-correction done to the film makes most scenes look great even compared to today's movies. The soundtrack is flowing, emotional, and has some very memorable tunes. The flying sequences of the F-14s and other aircraft are TOP NOTCH and blow any other movie with jet aviation OUT OF THE WATER (this includes movies with a much larger budget such as Top Gun). Speaking of budget, the only vice of this movie is in the special effects. These are present during the storm sequence. It is mentioned in the commentary that the film crew was out of money at the time and it shows. This caveat will not spoil the film for people that watch a movie for more than special effects. The flying scenes are action-packed and the intriguing time-travel plot is tense. Due to the film's relative obscurity, it's a great movie to show to friends that have likely not seen it. It can be a hit even with people that have no special interest in time-travel nor aviation. The next time you have some friends over, show them this DVD and enjoy a great discussion about the possibilities that are presented in the movie. If anyone would like to further discuss the film, go here: http://finalcountdown.mine.nu/forums/
Rating:
Summary: Final countdown movie vs. book
Review: Twenty-four years ago I saw this movie while a member of the armed forces. As a fan of the old Irwin Allen Time Tunnel series I was intrigued with how the movie portrayed the situation with the Nimitz.
What I haven't seen mentioned is the book by Martin Caidin that added details to the movie that the producers didn't think about. I think that any serious fan of the movie should read the book and then watch the new DVD. I will add one incident from the book where the Japanese pilot's reactions to the F-14s initial onslaught are recorded. He talks about this being the first time he has ever heard the engine of another aircraft inside his aircraft.
Hopefully if this movie is ever remade with modern CGI they can include something similar. I think it would be incredibly effective considering that the movie pilot of the "Zero" had an interesting mishap when the film was shot.
This is a movie that would really benefit from additional scenes, additional comments and even added dialogue. I noted that the trailers that are included with the new release have some additional dialogue that could have been used.
Overall, this is much better than the original theatrical release and infinitely better than the VHS that I bought for eighty dollars eighteen years ago from a video store.
One negative comment I will make regarding the actors is primarily aimed at Catherine Ross. As an old Star Trek fan I found her endless repeated "Charlie, Charlie, Charlie," to be reminiscent of the worst Star Trek Episode "Spock's Brain," Brain, Brain what is Brain. This is a plot where the female role could be expanded to a female pilot - we are in the 21st century now. It would have been interesting to see if a female pilot had waxed the zero or been his rescuer.
As many people have stated technically this is a very well done DVD and for that Blue Underground should get recognition. I just hope that in its next incarnation Final Countdown or a movie like it takes the incredible reality of the Nimitz, her crew and the hardware and puts a personal side on it.
On a last note, I liked the former F-14 pilots joking about what they would have really done. It added a nice element, but one thing I thought was missing. They all talked about how Navy men would have loved to have wiped out the Nimitz and how could they have accepted a recall. The question I would have asked them is would all ninety pilots have accepted the recall? Imagine if just one pilot lost a relative during Pearl Harbor. Would that pilot have accepted the recall?
Rating: 
Summary: Save Your Money on the DVD
Review: I love this move. When I saw it was coming out on DVD in wide screen format I couldn't wait. Upon reviewing the DVD I was greatly disappointed. Color bleed was terrible. The picture quality was no better, if not worse, than the VHS tape I have. The DVD paused in places too. The only thing I liked about it was the wide screen format. It's too bad that they did not put the quality into the DVD. It's a great science fiction movie. Hopefully one day they will do it better.
Rating:
Summary: A fun alternative history/time travel flick
Review: After many years, "The Final Countdown" sees a deserved DVD release, and unexpectedly in a collector's edition with lots of extras. TFC is a popcorn "what-if" fantasy in which the US aircraft carrier Nimitz travels back in time/space to the day before the Pearl Harbor attack. Once they realize where and when they are, the crew faces the philosophical decision of whether or not to interfere. It's a thought-provoking discussion, but this film doesn't tie itself up in ethical knots. All the better to enjoy the reasonably good special effects and military action. (There is a dogfight between and F-14 and a Japanese fighter that really doesn't qualify as a "fight"). Kirk Douglas is good as always - in fact, I can't immediately recall him in a later film. Martin Sheen is convincing as an civilian reporter on board, and James Farentino performs as the XO with a destiny. Katherine Ross...well, let's just say that Katherine Ross is in this film. It's not Citizen Kane - there are more than its fair share of continuity errors, cliches, anachronisms, and leaps in logic. Perhaps the worst flaw is Soon-Tek Oh portraying yet another sinister psychotic Asian villain. (You would think that at least a Japanese actor would be cast as a Japanese pilot). But on balance there is nothing that can't be ignored if one is already sitting through a time travel flick. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: WOW!! This is better than it was in the theather! Dolby 5.1, extras and much more. If your a fan of this film, this is the quality you have been waiting for. If your a former Nimitz crew member I strongly suggest you consider this. The extra's with stills of the Nimitz and ship patches is well worth having.
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