The Final Countdown

Starring: Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, Katharine Ross, James Farentino, Ron O'Neal, Charles Durning, Lloyd Kaufman
Directed by: Don Taylor
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Science Fiction
1980

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A modern aircraft carrier travels back in time to just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The captain (Kirk Douglas) is faced with a difficult decision- do they attack the Japanese with their advanced weaponry, do they leave the past intact?

Review:
Tim: The Final Countdown poses a truly fascinating question- what if a modern aircraft carrier traveled back in time to World War II and faced the decision about whether to attack the Japanese and prevent Pearl Harbor from happening. This right there immediately piques my interest and makes me want to watch this movie. What an interesting, complicated decision. That was my favorite part of this whole movie- sitting back and wondering, "What if?". The movie itself is good, if ultimately a little anticlimactic. While I wanted a bit more out of this film, it's still quite good.

I really liked the approach Don Taylor took with this film. He's certainly not in a rush to reveal anything or get to the eventual conclusion. This is certainly a slow boiler, and that's a good thing. He lets the story creep along, building momentum along the way. The script seems more interested in the questions than the answers, which isn't a bad approach. It's a fascinating story, and Taylor does a good job of bringing it to life on screen.

I had a fun time watching the portrayal of the modern weaponry and technology that the U.S.S. Nimitz had. You might think to yourself, if an aircraft carrier in 1980 traveled back in time to 1941, how could that make a difference in an entire war? It's just one ship against the Japanese army! This movie does a fantastic job of showing all the advances in modern technology, and what a huge impact one aircraft carrier (and all the aircraft it carried) could have made, especially with advanced knowledge of where and when the Japanese would attack. That was truly fascinating (I know I've used this word a lot, and I will continue to do so, because it's the single best word to describe this film). Taylor spends a great deal of time showcasing all the modern technology, so you really understand what a difference this would make.

The cast is good, although they feel secondary in this story. The questions and the implications of time travel take center stage, and the human elements come second (which is not a good thing). Kirk Douglas makes for a believable Navy captain, and I thought he did a good job in his portrayal of this character. It was fun watching him as the dedicated military man interact with Martin Sheen, the intelligent civilian. Sheen also gives a good performance, and one of the best aspects of this film was watching Douglas and Sheen interact on screen. Katharine Ross gave a good performance as well. The whole cast delivered strong performances. But, like I said, the human aspect felt like it was secondary.

While there is a lot to like about this film, I felt like it ultimately had some disappointing aspects as well. The film is definitely a slow boiler, and it feels like it's building to some massive, climactic moment. While there are a few very intense sequences, the finale just felt too anticlimactic to me. I lamented what could have been. The conclusion to the film just left me wanting more. I thought the very last scene was fairly cool, with a slight twist, but the end of the film just wasn't as strong as it needed to be.

The Final Countdown might not be a great movie, but it's a solid, entertaining, and most importantly, fascinating look at time travel, war, and more. I really enjoyed this film, and was blown away by the compelling "what if?" question it presented. This film is worth seeing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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