The Final Countdown (1980)

                        “The Final Countdown” is a alternative history science fiction film that also falls in the war movie genre.  Originally, it was entitled “The Last Countdown” and used the Bermuda Triangle to transport the aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean before the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand which started WWI.  When producer Peter Douglas (Kirk’s son) got his hands on the screenplay, he changed it to Pearl Harbor.  Wise decision!  He hired Don Taylor to direct.  Taylor is familiar to war movie fans more for his acting in films like “Stalag 17” where he plays Dunbar.  Douglas got full cooperation from the Navy which saw the movie as a recruiting booster.  It allowed Douglas to spend two months on the USS Nimitz.  48 members of the crew got acting credits for the film and some had speaking roles.  The Navy had no problems with the script and was pleased with the finished product.  The three Zeros were supplied by the Commemorative Air Force (originally called the Confederate Air Force).  These were replicas adapted from AT-6 Texans and they had previously been seen in “Tora! Tora! Tora!”   The climactic scene showing the attack on Pearl Harbor was footage from that earlier film.  The rock band Europe was inspired to write its hit song because it liked the title.

                        The movie is set in 1980…at first.  The USS Nimitz is at Pearl Harbor when a civilian observer named Lasky (Martin Sheen) comes aboard to inspect the ship for his employer who designed it.  He must be bad luck because soon after his arrival the carrier goes through a vortex.  The special effects are cheesy, but satisfactory.  Capt. Yelland (Kirk Douglas) calls for general quarters so the viewing public can see how efficiently run a modern carrier is.  Something is hinky as the carrier has lost communications with its escort ships.  And it is picking up “The Jack Benny Show”.  After a bit of head-scratching, Yelland realizes the date is December 6, 1941.  He now has a decision to make.  Should he change the course of history by destroying the Japanese fleet?  It’s a bit more consequential than Marty McFly sleeping with his mother.

                          If you are going to make a time travel movie involving an aircraft carrier and Pearl Harbor, you need to make it more fun than this movie.  “The Final Countdown” is too serious, and yet it does not get serious about the implications of defeating the attack.  Yelland does not host a discussion of the consequences.  And then we don’t get to see if he was right.  The movie’s payoff is a bit lame and proves that the plot existed mainly to reveal who Lasky’s mysterious boss is.  It’s not worth the wait.  The movie is focused on showing off the ship and setting up the twist ending.  To bring drama to the ship a foghornish Senator (Charles Durning), his curvaceous secretary (Katherine Ross), and a Zero pilot are brought aboard.  The acting is wooden with the Nimitz taking top honors.  It’s an awesome ship and is run efficiently.  We see a lot of procedures including takeoffs and landings.  Unfortunately, the Navy did not insist on a blaring rock soundtrack to goose recruitment.  Instead, the movie relies on patriotic pablum.  There’s a lot to be proud of if you are an American.  You certainly would not have to worry if the Japanese fleet of 1941 were to attack Pearl Harbor again.    

                        To write this review, I went to the excellent Guts and Glory by Lawrence Suid to see how much military cooperation the film got.  Some of our best war movies had a lot of trouble getting the Pentagon to help by giving free or cheap use of weapons, facilities, and personnel.  Cooperation always comes with vetting of the script.  The Pentagon wants a positive portrayal in exchange for the goodies.  Often it will demand changes in the script.  These changes usually dilute the entertainment potential of the film so sometimes the filmmaker revolts and goes without cooperation.  It is telling that the script for “The Final Countdown” raised no red flags from the Navy.  This might explain why the finished product is not as gonzo as the premise.  In fact, the movie would have been more entertaining if it were made by the Scyfy Channel without Navy cooperation.

GRADE  =  D