Rating: 
Summary: Buyer Beware - and Have Patience
Review: This is and has been one of my favorite movies since I saw it in the theater back in '80. It has a good mix of science fiction and military realism that just isn't found in similar movies of the same genre... The movie begins eerily with the departure of the largest nuclear powered aircraft carrier from the Naval dock at Pearl Harbor. Shortly thereafter, the ship and crew encounter an electrical storm that paralyzes the operations on board the ship. Once passed through, they find themselves, (through process of elimination), on the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Captain, (convincingly played by Kirk Douglas), and senior officers have to decide to make a decision as to whether to attack the Japanese fleet or let history run its course- -that is all I will say-notwithstanding a well chosen twist ending however. As far as my opinion of the acting is concerned, I disagree with the previous reviews that Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen played down their respective roles- -anything otherwise would have resulted in the typical sci-fi OVERacting that plagues many of the same type of movies save for the special effects of the day; which in any era, quickly become outdated. (Luckily, this movie was made before the rampant overuse of CGI.)
All of that said, their inflection and dialog is dead on: Captain Yelland's humorous dismay of "two WHAT?!" when he receives a report of the two Japanese Zeros seen by the ships recon. F-14's...very fitting.
On to the DVD: It is the worst transfer for public sale I have seen to date-period. In my technical opinion, it is a dupe from ANOTHER REGION DVD (PAL to NTSC). Trust me, this did NOT come from a Laserdisc. LD's are capable of nearly the same picture quality as a DVD and in some cases actually better- -The Final Countdown is no exception in both image and sound quality (which is in two track digital). The only benefit this DVD has is letterboxing-(there was never a letterboxed LD.) This Region 1 DVD is awful in every respect.
If you want a high quality version (DVD wise), wait for a real studio to master this very entertaining movie...
Rating: 
Summary: The Final Countdown
Review: The Final Countdown is the best movie I've ever seen! The idea of a nuclear powered modern aircraft carrier going back in time to Dec. 7, 1941 is sheer sci-fi genius. Martin Sheen and Kirk Douglas with the help of the actual crew of the Nimitz make a great team. I am a forward deployed sailor in Yokosuka, Japan and I speak for my entire Division when I say, "This is an awesome Navy flick!"
Rating:
Summary: The Final Countdown by Pacific Family entertainment
Review: This DVD release Of a classic time travel film is of poor quality. It is nothing more than a video capture of the video tape.There are multiple pauses as it plays. There are no Chapters. It is a continous play DVD from start to finish. I bought two and tried to send them back but they refused. Don`t throw your money away on this poor quality DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than nothing.
Review: I concur with the other reviewer, The Final Countdown is one of the most underrated military dramas. It combines a terrific cast (Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, Charles Durning, Katherine Ross, James Farentino & the entire actual crew of the U.S.S. Nimitiz), tight, fast-paced action, an eerie score, great science fiction and a twisted ending. Only 93 minutes long, but every moment counts.Sadly, this DVD appears to be nothing more than a transfer from the long-since out-of-production laserdisc. And a poor transfer at that! I wouldn't be surprised if it was done with either home or the most basic professional equipment. The transfer is dull and uninspired as is the sound. Since they presumedly transferred from the LD, at least the 2.35:1 screen ratio was preserved. They certainly did not go back to any original source. That being said, it's the only choice you've got and is superior to the VHS copies floating around and more convenient than the scattered LD versions. Also, the people at Pacific Family Entertainment (who own the rights to the film) sent out a copy in very quick fashion. My guess is that someone at PFE was a big Final Countdown fan and decided to make the DVD happen even if they couldn't do it properly. Hopefully, in the future, a major studio will come to it's rescue, but for now, after a 21 year wait, I'll take what I can get.
Rating:
Summary: The most riviting science fiction movie of all time
Review: This movie is non-stop excitement. In the world of science fiction there is no match. Imagine going back in time, almost able to change history, and to be snatched back with history again repeating her same mistakes.
Rating: 
Summary: The Final Countdown Dvd
Review: First I'd like to say that I have had this movie on vhs tape from vestron video for years, wore the tape out, then finally found out that Pacific Family Entertainment in California was releasing it. I was very excited as this is one of my favorite movies of all time. This company had alot of release date problems. The one time I emailed the company for information I never received a reply and most of the time could never get through on the phone for which they only had one representative. As far as the dvd itself, well thats another story, the dvd boosts scene selection, and a trailer. There is no scene selection, in fact only one chapter. I'm happy that the movie was released in widescreen, in fact, it has the approx screen ratio as "Ben Hur" which I enjoyed. My only downfall for the dvd is the lack of all the special features I have come accustomed to with dvd's. The picture is somewhat grainy and unsharp, like it had been mastered from a vhs tape or laserdisc master. On the other hand, after adjusting television settings, I was able to clean the picture up. Overall, I'd rather have the dvd version then not have it at all. I commend Pacific Family Entertainment for releasing the movie, however, feel that this media based company could have done a better job.
Rating:
Summary: DVD VERSION IS PATHETIC
Review: I completely agree with the other viewers of the DVD that the version from Pacific Family Entertainment is a ridiculous farce. The picture is grainy, it has embedded lines and the frame freezes about once every 10 seconds or so. The sound quality is poor and overall the DVD appears to have been copied from another [perhaps non-digital] source. The studio was 5-6 months late is issuing this DVD and now that this pathetic version is out, they will not issue me a refund. They claim the problem is with my DVD player. Buyer's beware...
Rating:
Summary: Even pirates have higher quality assurance.
Review: The DVD for region 1 players is out. Some advice; don't buy it. It's utter [junk]. A VHS copy of this film, or a region 2 or 4 DVD is what you really want. The region 1 DVD is available from a company whose name I will not mention. They promised the DVD, and they came through with their promise in the same way a student on the verge of flunking out of school comes through with a massive cram session the night before the final exam. The film itself is very entertaining. And the score by John Scott is some of the finest music ever to grace a movie. To cap it off the film boasts an all star cast, and delivers with Douglas, Sheen, Durning and one or two other familiar faces. It's a what if film that shows that one doesn't need fancy (and unconvincing) CGI effects to make a great sci-fi flick. If you must see this movie, then do yourself a favor and buy a used VHS or a region 2 or 4 DVD.
Rating:
Summary: DVD version is a piece of junk
Review: ...The transfer looks like it was done from a VHS tape; PFE should be ashamed for this atrocity. There are no scene selections, but the box says there are. $[money] for the disc and another $[money] for shipping. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. PFE, please do this GEM of a film justice, make a worthy DVD. I AM EXTREMELY UPSET WITH the DVD and PFE should take care of it's paying customers by producing a quality product...
Rating:
Summary: The Final Countdown
Review: DO NOT ORDER THE DVD from Pacific Family Entertainment! It is the worse reproduction DVD I have ever seen. Video resolution is poor. It skips, freezes and the audio does not match the lip movement. Letter-box (small) format only. They will not answer phone calls or emails. Very poor Customer Service or satisfaction.
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