The Final Countdown (Widescreen Edition)

Rating:
Summary: CAPTAIN KIRK AND CREW
Review: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN has a very intriguing premise and because of an expert cast and a sense of patriotic gusto, it is quite good in spite of its plot holes.
A mysterious storm (similar to the one in Philadelphia Experiment) transports the USS Nimitz back in time to the eve of the attack of Pearl Harbor. Should the Nimitz interfere with history of should they let things go? The ramifications are quite obvious. Kirk Douglas is staunch and as always dependable in his role; James Farentino is quite good as his flight commander; a young Martin Sheen is an appropriate civilian interference; Charles Durning is purely dislikeable as the Senator rescued by the Nimitz; and Katharine Ross has never looked lovelier as Durning's personal assistant. The film maintains a quite suspense and the scene with Soon Taik Oh as the captured Japanese pilot is very intense and frightening.
Any movie that deals with time travel will leave unanswered questions, but THE FINAL COUNTDOWN offers good, mind-intriguing entertainment.

Rating:
Summary: No, not the album by "Europe"
Review: I first saw this on ABC as a kid, and loved it. Seeing it again now, at 31, I don't find it nearly as interesting but still think it's a fine film. Check out how much young Martin Sheen looks like Charlie Sheen! Watch James Farentino, the TV version of Roy Scheider! And don't miss the surprise ending!

Rating:
Summary: Cinematic experience that will stand its ground...
Review: The USS Nimitz, a nuclear aircraft carrier, is on a routine assignment when the civilian systems specialist Warren Lasky (Martin Sheen) is flown to the aircraft carrier. Lasky's job is to evaluate the efficiency of the commander and crew as he should make recommendations in regards to what changes can be done to save tax dollars. Soon after Lasky's arrival Captain Matthew Yelland (Kirk Douglas) is put in a difficult position as the USS Nimitz is pulled into an outlandish electrical storm that relocates the warship in time. Captain Yelland is unsure about what truly has happened, but when they discover that they are in between the Japanese Naval Force that is about to strike at Pearl Harbor on December 6, 1941 they realize they might have a chance to undo history. Final Countdown is an interesting science fiction film that offers some room for thinking, yet it is entertaining as it displays the incredible event of time traveling. An appealing idea together with entertainment, Final Countdown offers a decent cinematic experience, which will stand its ground.

Rating:
Summary: Whatta Geek!
Review: This is a wonderful movie despite some holes in the plot that are bigger than the storm the Nimitz went through. This is a thought provoking flick where you inevitably find yourself asking, what would I do? And not just for the whole scenario, but for each major character, because they all face certain demons and inner dialogues that comes with each their respective chosen occupations. Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen are at the top of their game for this flick and the supporting cast is top notch. The film's a bit dated, but it still holds up very well. The upgrade on the DVD is spectacular, particularly in the visual department, but they could have thinned the extras, used only one disk and trimmed the price a bit. Let's face it, on most DVD's, you might watch all the extras once and then probably never again. For a movie that clocks in at barely over an hour and a half and also has appeared on television too many times to count, the need for two disks seems a bit much, especially for the asking price. However, if you're like me and enjoy watching this thought provoking film at least once a year, then I highly recommend that you purchase this new and vastly improved DVD upgrade. You might want to also grab the somewhat related "The Philidelphia Experiment" for a really rousing double-feature.

For those of you panning this flick because there's no showdown between the Tomcats and Zeroes (and there shouldn't be one), I'm afraid you've missed the point of the whole movie. Just go rent Top Gun, you big geek!

Rating:
Summary: Get the Blue Underground Version!
Review: I thought the Platinum Edition of the VHS was a good version, watching it on TV. But the 2-disc Limited Edition by Blue Underground is amazing in the transfer. First, I have not watched it on TV, but on my computer DVD player. Everything comes out crsytal clear, and just shines in its presentation. In the movie, you can relate to Captain Yellen (Kirk Douglas) of the U.S.S. Nimitz Aircraft Carrier. (I am a Navy Officer and I follow Navy procedures, even though I have no idea who I am working for as of now -- and as System Analyst (Martin Sheen) presents you with your alternative Commander-In-Chief -- President Franklin Delanor Roosevelt - you shrug your shoulders! Got to follow Command, whenever I am!) Your going out for an exercise, but at the last minute you have to wait 2 days for a civilian to come aboard. It's going to be a one of those days, as you find out that he (Martin Sheen) is a System Analyst. By the way, what is it you do? I work for my boss, who helped design the Nimitz Class Carrier, and there are always alternatives in improving efficiency aboard a U.S. Navy Vessel.
Fine or so as Captain you say! But while out at sea, a phenomena engulfs you, and you wonder if this is some sort of Navy Department Test, you are taking. Suddenly after a while you find that you are back in time on December 6, 1941, a day before the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor. This ship can handle any threat should it occur from the Japanese Fleet, but you already know history. But if you interfere (again from the System Analyst now on board) history will be changed. It is not a simple question, but to Captain Yellen it is. Should they launch their attack, the U.S.S. Nimitz and crew can easily handle the 353 Zero Japanese airplane Attack Force, and easily sink all the ships within the Japanese Fleet. But you will be taking your orders from the now President -- Franklin Delanor Roosevelt, if they ever believe you, and if you can convince them, without going in to talk to them or they coming out to visit you 280 miles West of Pearl Harbor. After watching the movie, it brings up theoretical questions of how would the world be today. Being 40 years from the future, you are the alien with the alien technology. No problem for the Atomic Bomb, you have those on board, and quite sophisicated by 1940's standards, of which they have not even thought about those yet, since the WWII is just beginning. Would you end up in Port, with scientists trying to take apart your technology from the future? Would they be able to understand your technology or just use it in WWII? The What If's are lent to the imagination after viewing the film, as the portal of electrical and vortex storm take you forward in time to where you were -- 1980! History is preserved, and you have to tell the Top Brass, how an aircraft carrier got lost at sea, and all that had happened, as you were transported back in time by a mysterious storm that was there one sweep of the radar and gone the next sweep. This may well boggle your mind, as you learn some physics about what scientists now think about Creation nowadays! I leave you to watch a great movie, that only tends to scratch the surface of transporting one through time, and the consequences of what may or may not happen depending on any action that you would take, while you time traveled and are the alien with the advanced technology.


Rating:
Summary: A real travesty of moviemaking.
Review: I watched this, after seeing that it received good reviews, this weekend. I can honestly say that I've never finished a movie and been so thoroughly disgusted with it. I mean that. This was worse than battlefield earth or freedie got fingered (which, in fact, I found funny at times).

*SPOILERS BELOW*

We all know the premise behind this movie. Sounds fun, right? Yes! I have thought of this sort of idea before, and I'm enthralled with it. The problem is that this movie doesn't do it; there is no combat between the US carrier and the Japanesse fleet - save a dogfight between two tomcats and two zeros.

Read that again: There is no showdown between the US carrier and the Japanesse fleet. The movie works up to one, and then just as the US planes are launched from the carrier the "magnetic field" that brought them back in time grabs them all and moves them forward again. _I could hardly believe it._ I'm truly thinking about filing a lawsuit against the maker of this movie to get reimbursed for calories and energy expended watching this.

Do you know why there is no showdown? Budget reasons. That can be the only reason I think of. The ending, as is, is so ridiculous that there is simply no other explanation except that the budget for this movie was used up and they realized that they couldn't pull off a vast scene of jets vs a couple hundred zeros, with missiles vs 1941 Japanesse destroyers.

Stay away from this movie. It is a hideous tragedy of moviemaking.

I have to add that those interested in a theoretical discussion of time travel will not find it here. The most in depth they get is the hypothetical question of "What if I go back in time and kill my grandfather? Then I couldn't have been born, and I couldn't have gone back to kill him." This movie contains neither a "fun" schooling of the Japanesse by a 40 year-newer military, nor an analytic look into the enigma of time travel. Interestingly, this movie was produced (?) by "Blue Underground". Well, "blue" is the right word, but I'd replace underground with a five letter word. This movie is a tease, and a bad one.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Movie for a Long Time
Review: I've seen this movie at least a dozen times and even though it's worn thing from over-viewing, it still remains to be one of my favorite movies in my collection. Some questions the movie suggests (like "How would a storm cause a ship to travel through storm" and "How did it 'follow' the ship no matter which way it turned?") go unanswered, but I think these are moot points when one keeps his/her attention on the main plot. I thought there was some overacting in this movie, but as the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". I thought the surprise ending was excellent. Really top notch. It follows some of the time-travel theories that have been presented and seems to be a very logical conclusion to the movie. I really do recommend this movie to time travel fans.

Rating:
Summary: Boring Movie....
Review: Kirk Douglas has done few science fiction movies, this one was a sheer boring movie. The script was badly written and the characters in a Don Taylor movie are useually cardboard drawing played by wooden acting. This was the case here. We don't care about the time travel, we don't care about the short stories here that go no where, and we don't careif they return to their time or not. There is nothing except a bad movie with a story plot that was better done on the Twilight Zone

Rating:
Summary: No, not the album by "Europe"
Review: I first saw this on ABC as a kid, and loved it. Seeing it again now, at 31, I don't find it nearly as interesting but still think it's a fine film. Check out how much young Martin Sheen looks like Charlie Sheen! Watch James Farentino, the TV version of Roy Scheider! And don't miss the surprise ending!

Rating:
Summary: Cinematic experience that will stand its ground...
Review: The USS Nimitz, a nuclear aircraft carrier, is on a routine assignment when the civilian systems specialist Warren Lasky (Martin Sheen) is flown to the aircraft carrier. Lasky's job is to evaluate the efficiency of the commander and crew as he should make recommendations in regards to what changes can be done to save tax dollars. Soon after Lasky's arrival Captain Matthew Yelland (Kirk Douglas) is put in a difficult position as the USS Nimitz is pulled into an outlandish electrical storm that relocates the warship in time. Captain Yelland is unsure about what truly has happened, but when they discover that they are in between the Japanese Naval Force that is about to strike at Pearl Harbor on December 6, 1941 they realize they might have a chance to undo history. Final Countdown is an interesting science fiction film that offers some room for thinking, yet it is entertaining as it displays the incredible event of time traveling. An appealing idea together with entertainment, Final Countdown offers a decent cinematic experience, which will stand its ground.