The Final Countdown

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Cast & Crew

Kirk Douglas
Capt. Matthew Yelland

Martin Sheen
Warren Lasky

Katharine Ross
Laurel Scott

James Farentino
Cdr. Richard Owens, Mr.Tideman

Ron O'Neal
Cdr. Dan Thurman

Charles Durning
Senator Samuel Chapman

Victor Mohica
Black Cloud

James Lawrence
Lt. Perry

Soon-Tek Oh
Simura

Joe Lowry
Cdr. Damon

Don Taylor
Director

Peter Douglas
Producer

David Ambrose
Screenwriter

Gerry Davis
Screenwriter

Thomas Hunter
Screenwriter

Peter Powell
Screenwriter

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Critic Reviews for The Final Countdown

Audience Reviews for The Final Countdown

• Feb 24, 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.
  Phil H Super Reviewer
• Sep 21, 2012

  Hard to believe this excellent movie came out in 1980, It was really enjoyable then and still enjoyable today. Great to see the carrier ops from 1980 time frame which haven't change much except for the aircraft on board the carrier. The Nimitz time travels back to the day before pearl harbor an is drawn into battle with Japan, well almost. 5 stars 9-18-12
  Bruce B Super Reviewer
• Jul 19, 2012

  Captain Yelland: Today is December 7, 1941... I'm sure we are all aware of the significance of this date in this place in history. We are going to fight a battle that was lost before most of you were born. This time, with God's help, its going to be different... Good Luck.  "Nothing in the world can prepare you for..." The Final Countdown is a terrible movie. You should know that. But it is one of those movies that is so bad, it's undeniably entertaining in its terribleness. Plus, a first rate cast make things go down a little better. Kirk Douglas commands the movie like a true film veteran. Martin Sheen is fine as well; as are Katherine Ross, James Farentino, and Charles Durning. Nobody is at their best, but how could you be with a movie as ridiculous as this one.  Umm... plot; get ready. In the 1980's, the U.S.S. Nimitz is at sea, when they enter into a storm, the like of which none of them have ever seen. All of a sudden, the storm stops. They are left in sunny skies, with no damage. Everyone looks at each other. What just happened? No one knows. Soon, evidence starts trickling in that begins to make them believe they have traveled through time to December 6, 1941. Yes, the day before Pearl Harbor. When a run in with some Japanese planes confirms this; they are left to decide whether they should take action and risk changing history or let history run its course.  Obviously, none of this is supposed to be taken seriously, but it plays itself out in a way that makes me think director Don Taylor was taking it seriously. It's a what if movie. What if a modern aircraft carrier was dropped into a battle that happened 40 years ago? What if we changed history? What if? What if? What if? That's all this movie is, is what if.  I'm not going to say that the movie is one of the worst movies in history because it isn't. It may be one of the stupidest, but it isn't the worst. There are some redeeming qualities that make the watch more interesting. The film also made me think that making terrible movies would be the most fun job in the world. Sure, you're not going to make a lot of money and people are going to despise your work, but coming up with stupid, off the wall stuff like this and then actually filming it. It's every stoners wet dream.
  Melvin W Super Reviewer
• Feb 24, 2012

  A film from the 80s, that does come across tounge in cheek at times. that asks the question "if a navy vessel went back to pearl harbor hours before the attack, going back in time, what would happen ?. and it comes off pretty good. Kirk Douglas as the captain is great to watch along with his team trying to get to grasps with what the hell is going on. And Martin Sheen a inspector on board with thoughts to give a enjoyable watch also. Katharine Ross looking beautiful, and Charles Durning, i believe playing a real life charactor that disapeared a day later due to beliefs they knew. the usual time travel t5hings cdome into it, should we/shouldnt we do anything. it comes of good, and interesting. the film runs along nicely and at times out top guns top gun 6 years before. it has some good production value going on, and although dodgy things come into it, its perfectly fine for a concept i like.
  scott g Super Reviewer

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