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The Final Countdown – Movie Review

The Final Countdown  is a time-travel movie from 1980, starring Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen. It’s often described as an alternative history movie, though technically it isn’t. Despite that, it has gathered a cult following over the years.

The Final Countdown: Title

The title uses a classic title archetype, the Problem, being a reference to the countdown to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

(For more on titles, see How to Choose a Title For Your Novel )

The Final Countdown: Logline

When a modern aircraft carrier arrives near Pearl Harbor in 1941 and discovers the Japanese ready to attack, the time-travellers must decide whether to change history by destroying the Japanese fleet.

(For more on loglines, see The Killogator Logline Formula )

The Final Countdown: Plot Summary

Warning: My plot summaries contain spoilers. Major spoilers are blacked out like this [blackout]secret[/blackout]. To view them, just select/highlight them.

It’s 1980. In the Pearl Harbor naval base, the USS  Nimitz is preparing to leave for a routine patrol of the Pacific. The aircraft carrier is under the command of Captain Matthew Yelland and his second in command, Richard Owens. A Department of Defence attaché, Warren Lasky, joins the ship to observe procedures.

While at sea, a vortex-like phenomenon of unknown origin engulfs the  Nimitz.  When it emerges from the vortex, the  Nimitz has lost contact with Pearl Harbor. Assuming a nuclear war must have broken out, the Captain orders his aircraft to reconnoitre. They return with bizarre photographs of Pearl Harbor—undamaged but full of WW2-era warships.

Shortly after this, the ship’s radar picks up a contact. Two fighter jets investigate and discover WW2 Japanese fighters attacking a civilian yacht. The jets shoot the Japanese fighters down and the  Nimitz  rescues the yacht’s survivors and one of the Japanese pilots. When the survivors board the  Nimitz, Owens recognises Senator Chapman—a politician who disappeared in 1941. Chapman was expected to become Vice President of the United States and so would have become President in 1945 when Franklin Roosevelt died.

Reluctantly, the Captain accepts that the vortex has somehow transported the Nimitz back to the sixth of December 1941: the day before the Japanese attack that started WW2.

Dilemmas and Paradoxes

Further reconnaissance flights reveal the Japanese fleet in position to attack Pearl Harbor. The Captain asks his senior officers their opinions. Owens says Nimitz can easily destroy the Japanese fleet but Lasky argues that tampering with history could be dangerous. Even saving Senator Chapman may mean he becomes President, with unpredictable consequences. Destroying the Japanese fleet could result in the Nimitz never being built, creating a time paradox. The Captain states he has a duty to defend the USA, whichever time he finds himself in.

The Japanese pilot grabs a weapon and takes Senator Chapman prisoner. He demands access to a radio so he can warn the Japanese Fleet about the  Nimitz,  but he’s shot by marines.

Senator Chapman demands a radio to warn Pearl Harbor but, when he contacts the navy base, they don’t believe him. He demands that the Captain allow him to go to Pearl Harbor to warn it in person.

Concerned that Senator Chapman will alter history by becoming President, the Captain orders Owens to drop Chapman on an isolated island, from which someone will eventually rescue him. Owens takes Chapman by helicopter but, realising they’ve tricked him, Chapman grabs a flare gun and fires it, destroying the helicopter. Owens ends up stranded on the island.

Now, the Captain must decide whether to destroy the Japanese fleet, risking a time-paradox, or to stand aside…

Eventually, [blackout]he orders a full-scale strike against the Japanese carriers.[/blackout]

However, [blackout]before the strike reaches the Japanese fleet, the vortex returns, sending the Nimitz and its crew back to 1980.[/blackout]

Back [blackout]in 1980, Lasky meets a much older Owens who, stranded in 1941, has lived through the intervening forty years.

(For more on summarising stories, see How to Write a Novel Synopsis )

The Final Countdown Ending Explained

At the end of the movie, the Nimitz is about to attack the Japanese Fleet. However, before the strike reaches the fleet, the vortex returns and sends the Nimitz and its crew back to 1980. Back in 1980, the Department of Defence attaché who was on the voyage, Lasky, meets a much older man.

The older man is the Nimitz’s second in command, Owens. Owens was last seen in 1941, stranded on the island he was trying to drop the senator on. Owens must have escaped from the island and lived in the USA for the intervening forty years.

It’s then hinted that Owens used his knowledge of future technology to create the  Nimitz and that Lasky knew about this and joined the crew in order to witness events.

So, the man who created the Nimitz was from the Nimitz , a time-travel paradox…

The Final Countdown: Analysis

Some people describe  The Final Countdown as an alternative history movie, but I disagree. I define it as a secret history movie.

In alternative history, a  Point of Departure  occurs: there’s an incident that’s not the same in the alternative world as it was in the real world. Because of that one alteration, more and more things change, creating the alternative history.

As the ‘time vortex’ moving the USS Nimitz to 1941 is a point of departure, The Final Countdown is potentially an alternative history movie. The difference, though, is the scope of the story.

If a time-traveller’s actions:

• Create a new history, then the story is an alternative history.
• Have small-scale or personal consequences only, then the story is a time travel story.
• Create the real world, then the story is a secret history.

If the Nimitz  had stopped the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, then  The Final Countdown would be an alternative history movie, but it doesn’t. This makes  The Final Countdown  a secret history story.

See What is Alternative History for more on alternative history, secret history and other similar story types.

Missed Opportunities

By modern standards,  The Final Countdown is quite a slow movie. There’s a lot of what looks almost like stock footage of aircraft, helicopters and US Navy crewmen just doing their jobs. One sequence of an aircraft making an emergency landing seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the movie.

I also thought that the screenplay didn’t make enough of the danger of a time paradox. It felt to me like the writers got a bit lost in the complexities of the scenario. For example, it makes no sense to isolate Senator Chapman to stop him from changing history, whilst at the same time radically changing history by attacking the Japanese fleet.

Finally, the ending of  The Final Countdown  is an anti-climax. The entire movie feels like it’s setting up a battle between the  Nimitz  and the Japanese fleet. Obviously, the budget didn’t allow for that, and so the movie doesn’t really deliver on the promise it made its audience.

“What would have happened if the Nimitz remained trapped in 1941?” is the alternative history scenario raised, but not entirely delivered, in  The Final Countdown movie . However, fan fiction on AlternateHistory.com has explored that scenario. The stories describe the battles the Nimitz would have fought and look at the issues it would face, such as keeping its reactor going and its aircraft flying with no access to spare parts or fuel.

Similarly, John Birmingham used a related scenario to  The Final Countdown in his alternative history novel  Weapons of Choice.  In  Weapons of Choice, he transports a multinational Task Force from 2021 to 1942, just before the Battle of Midway. The modern ships radically change history, with consequences explored in two further novels.

The manga and anime, Zipang , explores the reverse scenario, in which a modern Japanese destroyer, the JDS Mirai , arrives at the Battle of Midway. In  Zipang,  the Japanese crew attempt to avoid altering history, but find it impossible.

The Final Countdown: My Verdict on the Movie

Worth a watch. Enjoyable enough as it is, but begging for a reboot/reimagining.

Want to Watch It?

The Final Countdown movie is available on Amazon US here  and Amazon UK  here .

The Final Countdown: Sequel and Remake

There have been many rumours of sequels and remakes of the Final Countdown, but no actual movie has emerged so far.

Agree? Disagree?

If you’d like to discuss anything in my  The Final Countdown movie review, please email me.  Otherwise, please feel free to share it using the buttons below.

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• Alternative History Cold War Maritime Movies Reviews Science Fiction Secret History USA

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The Final Countdown Reviews

A disaster.

Full Review | Jul 26, 2022

On a purely technical level... the film is well made and looks very good.

Full Review | Jul 25, 2022

a unique merging of military drama and science fiction, and even if it doesn't always work, it presents such a fascinating scenario that you can't help but get sucked into its swirling vortex of unending and paradoxical "what if's?."

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 22, 2021

Stronger direction might have resulted in a more robust and exciting presentation, but a great "what if?" premise and an impressive cast easily compensate.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | May 14, 2021

There is merit in a war film chooses to explore deeper philosophical points, as well as one that serves as a critical thinking exercise in how the military decision making process might play out in the most unlikely of situations.

Full Review | Feb 6, 2020

Best bad movie of the year. Best because it's carefully crafted, streamlined entertainment, bad because it's monumentally silly. We know it's awful, but we have fun anyway.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 23, 2019

Little more than a lengthy Twilight Zone episode.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | May 14, 2012

As a documentary on the USS Nimitz, The Final Countdown is wonderful. As entertainment, however, it has the feeling of a telepic that strayed onto the big screen.

Full Review | Mar 26, 2009

One of the better time-travel movies. Generates lots of suspense because it's directed and acted with a great deal of conviction. John Scott's musical score is outstanding.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Feb 17, 2006

An idea worthy of Harlan Ellison, but disappointingly fumbled.

Full Review | Jan 26, 2006

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 10, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Apr 13, 2005

It's filled with technology, special effects and action. But it just doesn't make any sense.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Oct 23, 2004

The special effects are funnier than, I suspect, they were intended to be.

Full Review | Aug 30, 2004

A solid movie with a lousy ending.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Mar 29, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 4, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 22, 2003

Great what if sci-fi with a nuclear aircraft carrier, a time warp, and the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 17, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jan 31, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 14, 2002

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The Final Countdown (1980)

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• Play Trailer

Trapped outside the boundaries of time and space... 102 aircraft... 6,000 men... all missing.

During routine manoeuvres near Hawaii in 1980, the aircraft-carrier USS Nimitz is caught in a strange vortex-like storm, throwing the ship back in time to 1941—mere hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

David Ambrose

Screenplay, Story

Thomas Hunter

Peter Powell

Gerry Davis

Top Billed Cast

Kirk Douglas

Capt. Matthew Yelland

Martin Sheen

Warren Lasky

Katharine Ross

Laurel Scott

James Farentino

Wing Commander Richard T. Owens

Ron O'Neal

Commander Dan Thurman

Charles Durning

Senator Samuel Chapman

Victor Mohica

Black Cloud

James Coleman

Soon-Tek Oh

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• Discussions 3

A review by JPV852

Written by jpv852 on may 13, 2021.

Pretty fun Twilight Zone-esque movie that was entertaining throughout. Always like the ideas of alternate history and while this doesn't quite change history in the end (and shouldn't given it was Pearl Harbor, not to mention when this movie was released, survivors were only in their early/mid 60s), still was a good time. On the downside, the actual travel through the portal was cheesy and cheap even for 1979/80. 3.75/5

As a side, interesting that only 7 years later, the sons of Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen will star in Wall Street...

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Status Released

Original Language English

Budget $12,000,000.00

Revenue $16,647,800.00

• world war ii
• pearl harbor
• time travel
• pacific war
• naval warfare

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THE FINAL COUNTDOWN 4K Review – What If You Could Rewrite History?

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The Final Countdown starring Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, James Farentino

Directed by Don Taylor

Distributed by Blue Underground

One common question in regard to time travel is if you could go back in time and kill baby Hitler, would you? Essentially, given the opportunity to play god with life and history to what allegiance would your actions be governed? Let things play out as they historically did, or alter the future forever? – potentially.

The Final Countdown (1980) poses a similar question to Capt. Yelland (Kirk Douglas) and the men of the USS Nimitz who, due to a freak storm, are thrust back in time to December 6, 1941, a day before one of the most infamous dates in U.S. history when the bombing of Pearl Harbor took place. No one else knows the Japanese fleet is headed in their direction. And although the Nimitz is a lone carrier it has more than enough firepower to severely cripple if not outright decimate the enemy. The potential to save countless lives is literally in the hands of these few people, They fiercely debate what actions to take.

Also Read: THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW Review–Bloody and Electric Thriller

This is not a film concerned with building up to a massive battle; this is a tense and passionate conundrum. The appearance of Senator Chapman’s (Charles Durning) further complicates the situation. He’s a potential future White House candidate who had originally disappeared on the morning of December 7 th . Yet now he resides with the Nimitz after an intervention on their part. Much like the Butterfly Effect every action by the carrier has the potential to completely alter the future.

Douglas plays a man of strong conviction whose only loyalty lies with the Navy. His battle is to keep his men safe; not to, as he says, worry about a possible future that has yet to occur. Martin Sheen is on board as a Department of Defense overseer. He immediately seizes upon the opportunity to drive back the Japanese and prevent a catastrophe. James Farentino is a Commander and part-time historian. He knows every intimate detail about what will occur and he uses that knowledge to piecemeal his own version of events to come. What’s great is these men never fight it out or come to blows; these are terse, logical, fantastic discussions dealing with a very real threat in a finite amount of time.

Also Read: SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW Review–Classic Horror Franchise Reimagined for a New Era

A big part of why this film excels is because the scenario looks authentic. The filmmakers had full use of the USS Nimitz as well as the cooperation of the Navy and, boy, does it ever add a heaping amount of production value to this low-budgeted feature. As Lloyd Kaufman notes in the bonus features, having a name like Kirk Douglas attached to the film opened up numerous doors that otherwise would have remained shut. The ship is pretty much the star of the film and the filmmakers made sure to shoot it from every angle, showing off the intricate interiors as well as the gorgeous views of the sea from within. Playing with the military comes with a price – that being government oversight of the script and how the branches are portrayed – but the upshot is getting to use all of Uncle Sam’s fancy toys.

The Final Countdown may play a bit dry at times but I appreciate director Don Taylor’s more grounded approach to such a fantastical scenario. Douglas, Sheen, and the rest handle their unique situation with aplomb once they have accepted the bizarre reality of their anachronistic appearance in 1941. It could be easy today to imagine an all-guns-blazing approach to the material, with Douglas’ character practically foaming at the mouth to blast the Japanese but instead Taylor dances around the big action and poses something more introspective. This is smart sci-fi, with a capable cast and large-scale visuals. It offers a refreshing look at complicated issues.

Also Read: Review Fantaspoa 2021: DETENTION – The Horrors of Military Dictatorship

This is a Blue Underground 4K release and by now buyers should know that distinction practically comes with a guarantee the image you are about to see is immaculate. Sure enough, the 2.40:1 2160p Dolby Vision HDR picture is astonishing, looking so fresh and vibrant and clean you’d never guess it was shot 40 years ago. The only rough spots are inherent because filmmakers can only do so much with optical effects and stock footage. Outside of that, this is a flawless image that showcases the kind of depth in every sense that can be achieved with added resolution and a thoughtful HDR pass. Blue Underground continues their perfect streak of 4K video quality.  

With that upgrade in video comes an upgrade in audio, too. An expected English Dolby Atmos track created for this release is another winner. The film opens with a jet engine roaring and it scorches. There are some solid immersion moments during the air fights. John Scott’s score has plenty of punch and it gets lots of breathing room with the extra channels. There are also English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 mixes, as well as a French DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo track. Subtitles are available in English SDH, French, and Spanish.

Also Read: SWITCHBLADE SISTERS Blu-Ray Review – The Gang’s All Here

The Final Countdown Special Features:

• BRAND NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL 35MM CAMERA NEGATIVE
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
• ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK PLACED ON A SEPARATE CD DISC
• Audio Commentary with Director of Photography Victor J. Kemper
• Lloyd Kaufman Goes Hollywood – Interview with Associate Producer Lloyd Kaufman
• Starring The Jolly Rogers – Interviews with The Jolly Rogers F-14 Fighter Squadron
• Theatrical Trailers
• Poster & Still Galleries
• Fully illustrated collectible booklet featuring  The Zero Pilot Journal
• Reversible sleeve
• Moving lenticular slipcover (First Pressing only)
• Optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature
• REGION-FREE
• The Final Countdown
• Special Features

Blue Underground releases are exactly the type collectors crave and this is yet another fantastic package I highly recommend. The 4K video quality is unrivaled and the efforts made to retain bonus features, and even place them on the 4K disc, show the kind of detail and care that goes into these editions.

Categorized: Movie News Reviews

• Cast & crew
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The Final Countdown

• A modern aircraft carrier is thrown back in time to 1941 near Hawaii, just hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
• In 1980, an assistant in the Department of Defense, Warren Lasky, is assigned by his mysterious chief Richard Tideman to visit the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz commanded by Capt. Matthew Yelland as an observer of the routines. Lasky learns that Commander Air Group (CAG) Richard T. Owens has a great knowledge of history. Out of the blue, the vessel faces a weird storm and they find they have traveled back in time to the eve of the attack of Pearl Harbor on 06 December 1941. When the two Japanese Zeros attack the motorboat of Senator Samuel Chapman, the crew of the Nimitz rescues the senator and his assistant Laurel Scott. But Lasky soon learns the senator had disappeared on that day and Capt. Matthew Yelland is planning to attack the Japanese. Will these actions create a time paradox? — Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, edited by Catriona M. MacKirnan, USNR
• 1980. Aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is on a routine voyage off the coast of Hawaii when she travels through a strange storm. Upon clearing the storm she encounters some strange occurrences, all of which suggest she has travelled back in time in 1941. It's 6 December 1941 and the Nimitz is in a position to prevent the disastrous outcome of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. — grantss
• The USS Nimitz, a modern-day nuclear aircraft carrier, is drawn through a time warp from 1980 to a couple days before the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor, and the crew must decide whether to launch a preemptive strike against the incoming Japanese carrier fleet with their more advanced air wing, or allow history to take its course, which might not happen since they had rescued Senator Chapman, who disappeared shortly before the attack, from his death. — Jeff Cross <[email protected]>
• It is 1980 and the USS Nimitz puts to sea off of Pearl Harbor for routine exercises. After encountering a strange storm and losing all contact with the US Pacific Fleet, nuclear war with the Soviet Union is assumed and the USS Nimitz arms herself for battle. However, after encountering Japanese Zero scout planes and finding Pearl Harbor filled with pre-World War II battleships, it is realized that the storm the Nimitz went through caused the ship to travel back in time: to December 6th, 1941. — Anthony Hughes <[email protected]>
• The USS Nimitz, one of the United States' largest aircraft carriers, is on maneuvers in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. The ship's captain, Matthew Yelland, oversees training flights of the ship's compliment of F14A Tomcat fighter jets and A7 Corsair fighter-bombers. Also on the carrier is Warren Lasky, a systems analyst for one of the corporations that designed and built the ship; he is to observe the Nimitz on its maneuvers. One of the ship's sonar crew notices a large and unusual storm approaching the Nimitz. When Yelland orders the ship's course to be changed, the storm follows - just as a Corsair reports it cannot land on the ship due to damage to the plane's tail hook. Yelland orders alert just before the storm overtakes them and swallows them. The Nimitz emerges from the storm unharmed and is able to land the stray Corsair that went through as well. Yelland orders reports from all stations and the ship appears to be in perfect order. The radio operator of the boat receives strange broadcasts from Hawaii; they sound like classic radio from the pre-World War II era, leaving everyone puzzled. A photo reconnaissance aircraft is sent up to take photos of Pearl Harbor, and when it returns the photos prompt Yelland to bring up the ship's Wing Commander, Richard Owens, who is also a World War II history expert; he compares the shots to several from a book he has and he determines that they are nearly identical and that fleet in Pearl at the present moment was sunk by the Japanese Imperial Air Force nearly 40 years before. The ship's radar operator reports the presence of a small boat several hundred miles from the Nimitz. Yelland has two F14s launched to investigate. The nearby boat is a yacht, the personal boat of a popular United States Senator, Samuel Chapman and his personal assistant, Laurel Scott, whom are enjoying a day in the sun. They spot the two F14s as they pass over the boat, unable to comprehend the speed of the jets. The F14s then receive word of another pair of radar contacts and when they're spotted, one pilot excitedly reports that the two contacts are World War II era Japanese "Zero" planes. A few minutes later, the Zeros fly over Chapman's boat. The Zeros suddenly execute sharp turns and open fire on the boat. Chapman, Scott and the yacht's other crewman all abandon ship, which explodes when the Zeros make another pass and again open fire. The pilots also strafe the survivors in the water, killing the crew member. The F14 pilots witness the attack but are given sharp orders not to engage the Zeros. At the urging of Yelland's XO, Dan Thurmond, the captain orders the F14 pilots to make a supersonic run over the Zeros in an attempt to frighten them off. The Zeros open fire on the Tomcats, and when radar shows the Zeros are on a course toward the Nimitz, Yellend orders the American pilots to open fire; both Zeros are easily downed: one pilot uses his plane's cannons, the other launches a missile. A helicopter is dispatched from the Nimitz to pick up Chapman, Scott and one of the Zero pilots who survived. Back on board the Nimitz the three survivors are sequestered belowdecks. Chapman, angry at being held against his will, is identified by Commander Owens. Owens determines that the storm that swallowed the Nimitz hours before has displaced the carrier in time and deposited them in the Pacific Ocean on December 6, 1941, one day before the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. Owens also shares the story of Chapman himself; just prior to the Japanese attack, Chapman and Scott were both declared lost at sea under unsolved circumstances. Chapman himself was considered to be a strong contender to beat Franklin Roosevelt for the presidency of the United States. By interfering with the attack on Chapman's yacht, the presence of the Nimitz has altered history and Chapman's survival may severely disrupt the space-time continuum. Yelland is, of course, opposed to simply executing the Senator and orders him held until they can figure out how best to deal with the disruption they've started. Another, larger question arises: should the Nimitz, presumably unable to return to its own time, and with armaments and aircraft two generations more advanced than anything in 1941, engage the Japanese fleet and air force and prevent the attack on Pearl Harbor? Dan Thurmond believes so while Lasky is torn by the idea, stating that this type of interference in history could have very serious consequences. Yelland grapples with the idea himself and determines that the Nimitz, bound by its loyalty to engage all enemies no matter the place or time, will participate in the battle. Meanwhile, the Japanese prisoner converses with Lt. Kajima, a Japanese-speaking member of the Nimitz' crew, and demands access to a radio to contact his own superiors. At one point, Chapman's Golden Retriever escapes from the room where his master is being held and runs into the room holding the Japanese pilot. The pilot is able to disarm a marine guard and seize his rifle, opening fire and killing a few crew members. He reiterates his demands through the translator and holds several people hostage, including Owens and Lasky. Owens is ordered by Yelland to tell the pilot that they are from the future, citing his knowledge of the names of the ships of the Japanese Imperial fleet nearby. The pilot is temporarily overwhelmed by the news and is distracted long enough for marines to move in and kill him. Yelland's intention of stopping the destruction of the American fleet at Pearl remains unchanged. As a safety precaution and the method best determined to restore the space-time continuum to normality, Chapman and Scott will be left on a nearby deserted island while the attack takes place. A helicopter takes them out, with Owens, to the island. Scott and Owens both jump out onto the sand, however Chapman seizes a flare pistol and demands to be flown back to Hawaii. A crew member tries to take the pistol, which goes off, causing the chopper to explode, killing Chapman and the crew. Owens and Scott are stranded. Back on the Nimitz, Yelland addresses his crew, telling them that they will engage the Japanese Air Force as they attack Pearl Harbor. However, just after the Nimitz' strike phalanx is launched, the same sort of storm that propelled the Nimitz through time appears again. Yelland aborts the counterattack and the ship is consumed again and delivered to the same spot and the same date and time where it was initially displaced. The aerial armada emerges from the storm intact and its aircraft safely land on the carrier. The Nimitz returns to Pearl Harbor and Lasky is met at the pier. The door of a nearby limousine opens and Scott's dog, still on the Nimitz when it was sent back into the future, excitedly runs to the limo and jumps inside. Lasky gets in the limo and sees both Laurel Scott and Commander Owens, both aged nearly 40 years. Owens tells Lasky that they "have a lot to talk about."

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Movie Review

The final countdown.

US Release Date: 08-01-1980

Directed by: Don Taylor

Starring ▸ ▾

• Kirk Douglas ,  as
• Capt. Matthew Yelland
• Martin Sheen ,  as
• Warren Lasky
• Katharine Ross ,  as
• Laurel Scott
• James Farentino ,  as
• Cdr. Richard Owens
• Ron O'Neal ,  as
• Cdr. Dan Thurman
• Charles Durning ,  as
• Senator Samuel Chapman
• Victor Mohica ,  as
• Black Cloud
• James Coleman ,  as
• Soon-Tek Oh as

Martin Sheen, James Farentino and Kirk Douglas in The Final Countdown

There are two key questions to any time travel film where someone travels back in time. The first is, will the person's actions affect the future. The second is, how will the person use their knowledge of history. Even if those questions never get answered, they must at least be posed in any good time travel film.

The Final Countdown asks both of these questions. It also has the addition of (then) modern technology going back in time as well. If you are a history or military buff this film is for you. Shortly after leaving port in Hawaii, the U.S.S. Nimitz runs into a strange electrical storm that sends the entire nuclear aircraft carrier back in time to the day before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

Martin Sheen plays Lasky, a civilian aboard the ship of nearly 6,000 servicemen. He and the captain, played by Kirk Douglas, along with a couple of other officers, must figure out what has happened to them after the carrier passed through the storm. All communication from Hawaii has stopped. The radio is only picking up golden oldies from 1941. Some reconnaissance jets witness a private yacht get strafed by some Japanese fighters. The jets engage them in one of the most lopsided aerial dogfights ever put on film. The two yacht survivors and a downed Japanese pilot are picked up by helicopter and brought aboard the Nimitz.

Meanwhile, other recon has been done and they discover the huge approaching Japanese fleet. Although the prisoner of war causes some trouble when he is on board. The real meat of the story is the question it proposes. If you are the captain, do you utilize the power you control, 80-90 aircraft, to help change the outcome of one of the greatest defeats in U.S. history, or do you leave it alone? You could save thousands of lives but at what future cost?

The Final Countdown was produced by Peter Douglas. It was intended as a family project with his father and brother starring. Michael was however, still obligated to The China Syndrome when filming began. The most interesting casting for me was that real sailors aboard The Nimitz were used in small roles and as extras. I was stationed with a sailor who appears in this film. He even has a line of dialogue.

Although I found myself enjoying The Final Countdown , it works better as a conversation than it actually does as a film. The movie is book ended by the presence of a mysterious person who is revealed at the last moment. It is not hard to guess who it is, but it does present a better scenario. Had the film been told entirely from his perspective, the movie could have had a much better narrative. As it is, The Final Countdown is little more than a strip show. We get excited by the possibilities, but in the end have to find satisfaction somewhere else.

Kirk Douglas in The Final Countdown .

The Final Countdown plays like a recruitment tool for the U.S. Navy. In fact it was used as such. The maritime force sponsored the premiere and displayed the movie's poster in branch recruitment offices. As Eric mentioned, many of the extras seen in the movie were actual sailors and pilots. Unfortunately too much time is spent showing these various fighter jets taking off and landing on the aircraft carrier. Military buffs may find this fascinating but for the average viewer it gets a bit monotonous.

Kirk Douglas was nearing the end of his run as a leading man. He was 63 years old at the time and had been making movies in Hollywood since 1946, the year after WWII ended. Incredibly enough he is still living as of this writing. He turns 97 in December and last appeared in a movie in 2008. It's worth noting that both he and Martin Sheen have famous acting offspring. In fact, Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen would work together in Oliver Stone's Wall Street in 1987.

The time travel aspect is fairly intriguing but like all time travel movies the logic doesn't add up. You just have to accept the idea that each of us has an infinite number of selves that can coexist at any given point in time. The mysterious benefactor's identity is one example. SPOILER ALERT: At the beginning of the movie, in 1980, he is an old man but is also, at the same time, aboard the ship as a younger man.

Also there is never any attempt to explain the phenomenon of the bizarre storm that sends them through time in the first place. And why does it conveniently show back up just as the battle is about to begin? And how does it know to deposit them back at the right date in 1980? Again, these are all details it's best not to think about.

The most entertaining aspect of the movie is the juxtaposition of technology and weaponry as it existed in 1980 against WWII era technology and weaponry. Since this film was made with the complete cooperation of the United States Military it includes dozens of actual aircraft. Military geeks can probably name them all. Today they would use CGI to recreate all these airplanes. Personally I prefer the days when they used the real thing. It is the most noteworthy aspect of The Final Countdown as it captured the state of the art of war in 1980.

Photos © Copyright The Bryna Company (1980)

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The Final Countdown (1980)

Directed by don taylor.

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Description by Wikipedia

The Final Countdown is a 1980 alternate history science fiction film about a modern aircraft carrier that travels through time to a day before the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Produced by Peter Vincent Douglas and directed by Don Taylor, the film stars Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, James Farentino, Katharine Ross and Charles Durning. This was Taylor's final film. Produced with the full cooperation of the United States Navy, set and filmed on board the real-life USS Nimitz supercarrier, The Final Countdown was a moderate success at the box office. In the years that followed, the film has developed a cult following among science fiction and military aviation fans.

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The Final Countdown (1980)

September 17, 2016 James Miller Sci-Film Reviews 1

There are lots of stories about time travel dealing with people wanting to change the past so that they can produce a better future. However, the message often portrayed in time travel movies is that everything happens the way it does for a reason, and that nothing can be altered in order to avoid the infinite number of temporal paradoxes that would inevitably arise from trying to change the past.

Nevertheless, what would happen if a modern nuclear-powered aircraft carrier suddenly found itself transported back in time to 1941 on the day prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor? Should the US crew try to rewrite history, or risk the possibility of complete chaos by changing the course of history as we know it? After all, it was the attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor which helped catapult America into World War II, and so ultimately bring a successful resolution to the conflict. Although that is the question posed by The Final Countdown (1980), any exploration of time travel paradoxes that may occur are ultimately sidelined in favor of presenting an entertaining fun-filled movie utilizing all the technology and special effects of the time.

The Final Countdown – Plot & Review

In 1980, the assistant of the Department of Defense Warren Lasky (Martin Sheen) is assigned by his mysterious chief Richard Tideman to visit the aircraft carrier USS Nimtz which is commanded by Capt. Matthew Yelland (Kirk Douglas). Lasky is there as an observer of the ship’s routines, but during his visit the vessel suddenly faces a weird natural electromagnetic storm which sends them back in time to the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 6, 1941. Now the crew of the Nimtz is forced to deal with an impossible decision: change history forever or leave one of the war’s most tragic attacks to come to pass.

The potential ramifications of altering one of the biggest events in America’s military history are cannon fodder for a multitude of different possibilities, outcomes, and alternate realities when it comes to traveling back in time . This movie, however, seems more intent on exploring the action elements of the premise, and making all the ships, aircraft, and sailor protocols look as perfect as possible, which is not surprising when one considers that the movie was filmed with the U.S. Navy’s full cooperation, and that many of the movie’s extra were actual crew members.

In terms of acting, Marin Sheen and Kirk Douglas put in solid performances, although the acting from everyone else seemed a little stiff, and shallow. Overall, “Final Countdown” is a moderately entertaining time travel movie that probably focuses too much authenticity on its ship and soldiers rather than on the people and plot they’re lucky to have assembled. It takes steps to explore some of the “what if” themes presented by its interesting premise, but does not go far enough in pursuing their huge potential.

I give “The Final Countdown” 2 stars out of 4.

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The Final Countdown

Time out says, release details.

• Duration: 105 mins

Cast and crew

• Director: Don Taylor
• Screenwriter: David Ambrose, Gerry Davis, Thomas Hunter, Peter Powell
• Kirk Douglas
• Martin Sheen
• Katharine Ross
• James Farentino
• Ron O'Neal
• Charles Durning

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Where to watch

The final countdown.

Directed by Don Taylor

Trapped outside the boundaries of time and space... 102 aircraft... 6,000 men... all missing.

During routine manoeuvres near Hawaii in 1980, the aircraft-carrier USS Nimitz is caught in a strange vortex-like storm, throwing the ship back in time to 1941—mere hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Kirk Douglas Martin Sheen Katharine Ross James Farentino Ron O'Neal Charles Durning Victor Mohica James Coleman Soon-Tek Oh Alvin Ing Lloyd Kaufman Dan Fitzgerald Peter Douglas Joe Lowry Ted Richert Mark Thomas Harold Bergman George Warren Richard Liberty Gary Morgan Phil Philbin Robert Goodman Neil Ronco Bill Couch Jack McDermott Masayuki Yamazuki George H. Strohsahl Jr. Ronald R. Stoops Kenneth J. Jaskolski Show All… Sergei M. Kowalchik Jake Dennis Jim Toone Edward J. Deats Robert L. Huffman James R. Augustus Sam P. Baldwin Ronnie J. Ellis Timothy W. Gersbacher Wayne L. Flesher William S. Frost David H. Signor Tommy Abel Andrew Akerson Edward Andrews Nick L. Anelli Frank R. Arko

Director Director

Producers producers.

Peter Douglas Lloyd Kaufman

Writers Writers

Peter Powell David Ambrose Thomas Hunter Gerry Davis

Story Story

Thomas Hunter David Ambrose Peter Powell

Editor Editor

Robert K. Lambert

Cinematography Cinematography

Victor J. Kemper

Assistant Directors Asst. Directors

Pat Kehoe Ed Milkovich Douglas E. Wise

Additional Directing Add. Directing

J. David Jones Robert K. Lambert

Executive Producer Exec. Producer

Richard R. St. Johns

Lighting Lighting

Earl Gilbert

Camera Operator Camera Operator

Robert C. Thomas

Additional Photography Add. Photography

Stan Lazan David L. Butler

Production Design Production Design

Fernando Carrere

Art Direction Art Direction

Dale Koeppe

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Dennis Peebles

Special Effects Special Effects

Pat Elmendorf Joe Day Garry Elmendorf

Visual Effects Visual Effects

Maurice Binder

Stunts Stunts

Bill Couch Orwin C. Harvey J. David Jones Colby Smith

Composer Composer

Sound sound.

Richard L. Anderson Warren Hamilton Jr. Mark Mangini Robert Nichols II Bruce Bisenz

Costume Design Costume Design

Ray Summers

Makeup Makeup

Bob Mills Irving Buchman

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Romaine Greene

Bryna Productions United Artists

Primary Language

Spoken languages.

Russian English Japanese

Releases by Date

31 jan 1980, 05 jul 1980, 09 jul 1980, 01 aug 1980, 22 aug 1980, 09 sep 1980, 14 oct 1980, 30 oct 1980, 15 dec 1980, 30 dec 1980, 05 may 1988, 05 apr 2007, releases by country.

• Theatrical PG
• Theatrical TP
• Theatrical 12

103 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by 📀 Cammmalot 📀 ★★★ 3

”Somebody, for some reason, wants us to believe that we’re back in 1941.”

This plays like a mid-level Twilight Zone that starts with a great cast and an interesting premise, but lacks the know how of what to do with it.

According to Wikipedia the filmmakers had the full cooperation of the United States Navy and U S. Defense Department, but this turns out to be a hindrance because the film spends way too much time showing extended shots of real ships and real planes rather than trying to tell a compelling story. Even the end credits are like, “Holy cow can you believe they let us use all these cool toys?!?!”

“I think I have something very interesting to show you”

Cinematic Time Capsule - 1980 Ranked

Review by Two Cineasts ★★★½ 2

What if...you change history?

Hi everybody, today I wanted to write a review to one of our announced reviews, but then I stumble over this funny film at Amazon Prime. I had read a lot of critics about it, but realized that I never watched it. I thought to myself “hey why not” and as a huge nerdy fan of science fiction, a story about an US Aircraftcarrier travelled back in time, just the day before Japan’s attack on USA in Pearl Harbor December the 7th 1941, it sounds like an amusing afternoon to me.

And it was. The movie captured the question of time travel Paradox, what if I travelled back in time an met my grandfather, accidentally I…

Review by Sean Baker

First time watch for me. What an oddity. Seems like no one was on the same page while making this film.

Watched the Blue Underground Blu-ray. It includes an interview with Lloyd Kaufman, who was an associate producer. It seems Kaufman was turned off to mainstream filmmaking by being involved with this film. He calls director Don Taylor a pot-bellied burnout and the crew as absolute shitheads.

Due to lack of time, I can't add much to these logs for now. :( Maybe in the future.

Review by Leighton Trent ★★½

December 7th 1980, a day that will live in infamy ...

A Pearl Harbor time travel war film starring Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen has "good B-movie idea" written all over it, but the script really has no concept of how to execute this once its story gets going. Douglas and Sheen both do good work with basically nothing, and there is some terrific camerawork which shows claustrophobic carrier life well, but the film has that Television Look all over it and I can't help but feel it got lifted straight from the airwaves to the big screen somehow without anyone knowing.

Review by Blake Bergman "Various Spaghetti" ★★★★ 3

"The Final Countdown" is a 1980 science fiction military film directed by Don Taylor. The film takes a look at a typical routine Naval patrol in the Pacific Ocean waters for the U.S.S. Nimitz and throws the ship and its crew into an absurd time paradox scenario. What proceeds is an interdimensional time portal taking the ship back to December 6th, 1941, from the present day (which for the film is essentially somewhere 1979-1980). What is so prevalent about December 6th, 1941, in particular? It happens to be one day directly before the infamous December 7th attack on Pearl Harbor, the events that ushered the United States involvement in World War II.

Now I get it, go figure that is…

Review by Travis Lytle ★★★½

Though it is more setup than payoff, "The Final Countdown" is a solid and enjoyable time travel yarn. Focusing on a US Navy aircraft carrier that is transported from 1979 to 1941, the film poses a number of what-if questions and answers them to various degrees of satisfaction.

The films unfolds less as a time travel adventure than a salute to the machines and men of the US Navy, seemingly spending the bulk of its running time providing more footage of planes and ships than it does drama. Still, the core narrative is compelling and the film gets a lot of positive mileage from the ideas and scenes of modern military might toying with the war instruments of the 1940s.…

Review by chavel ★½ 2

Intriguing “Twilight Zone” esque premise, slow as molasses telling. USS Nimitz, an aircraft carrier, is caught in an out to sea vortex which time warps back to December 6, 1941. The crew has mere hours with their foresight knowledge to figure out how to thwart the Pearl Harbor attack. Acting is stolid (hardly anybody is appropriately aghast), but you have Kirk Douglas masculine and stubborn posturing as the Commander, and Martin Sheen doing what he can to lend gravitas in the part of a Systems Analyst for the U.S. Defense Department. Also, a few good lines for Charles Durning and Katharine Ross as a ’40’s era political team. Some terrific shots of planes, the highlight. Cop-out storytelling at the ending downgrades The Final Countdown though even further.

Review by Robert357 ★★★★

Had the screenwriters tried to focus on trying to explaining the time travel concept used in the film, it easily could have taken away from the premise. While there are plenty of moments where it often feels like the story is more talk and less excitement, The Final Countdown more than makes up for it with a few small action set pieces that help to break things up.

There are better time travel movies out there, and while this isn't one of the greatest since it follows a generic story structure and features some pretty meh b rated characters , it is for the most part an entertaining watch.

Review by 🇵🇱 Steve G 🇵🇸 ★★★ 5

The June-ar Module

Did Europe actually base the lyrics to The Final Countdown on The Final Countdown?

Because the first verse seems to mirror the film, at least fairly approximately.

We're leaving together But still it's farewell And maybe we'll come back To earth, who can tell? I guess there is no one to blame We're leaving ground (leaving ground) Will things ever be the same again?

The second verse doesn't really match though when they start going on about Venus or something. Of course, nobody gives a shit about anything in that song aside from the chorus anyway.

It's fair to say that the song has become far more famous than its namesake film - and that's fair enough,…

Review by 12drue 🎞️ ★★★½ 6

⏰LB Community Zeitreise – 17.-19.02.2023⏰ unter der Leitung von Zeitkapitän Maddin809

Der Flugzeugträger USS Nimitz gerät 1980 im Pazifik in einen geheimnisvollen Sturm, der sich als Zeittunnel entpuppt. Das Schiff findet sich mitsamt Besatzung und allen Flugzeugen am 6.12.1941, am Vortag des japanischen Angriffs auf Pearl Harbor, wieder. Ich habe den Film vor seeeehr langer Zeit mal in einer Wiederaufführung im Kino gesehen. Da ich damals noch keine 12 Jahre alt war, musste mein Bruder mich irgendwie reinschmuggeln. Als Kind fand ich den sehr beeindruckend. Daher hatte ich jetzt etwas Angst vor einem Rewatch, weil ich mit Kriegsfilmen heutzutage meist nicht mehr so viel anfangen kann. Ich war dann aber wirklich positiv überrascht. Die Kampfszenen beschränken sich auf ein Minimum.…

Review by andy levy ★★★★ 1

feel free to take my four-star rating with a grain of salt, since this is a pure nostalgia-fest for me. i loved this film when it came out, waaaay before most of y'all were born. i read the novelization of the film (by martin caidin, best known for the book 'cyborg,' which was the basis for 'the six million dollar man) countless times. and it was one of my favorite "movies to always watch when it pops up on cable on a rainy day" back when it seemed like tbs or some other network would air it every month or so.

so anyway, when i saw that blue underground was coming out with a limited edition 4k blu-ray, scanned from…

Review by gibson8 ★★★

I agree with Ebert that although the time travel plot device is not explored fully there is a tangential benefit from the US Navy granting access to the filmmakers:

Almost all of the background players are enlisted men who are tasked with delivering some basic exposition and reacting to the unfolding events.

For that unusual detail - and the extended landings and taking-offs on the Nimitz- there is some fun to be had herein.

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Advertisement

Welcome to an exciting year-long project here at The Nerdy. 1980 was an exciting year for films giving us a lot of films that would go on to be beloved favorites and cult classics. It was also the start to a major shift in cultural and societal norms, and some of those still reverberate to this day.

We’re going to pick and choose which movies we hit, but right now the list stands at nearly three dozen.

Yes, we’re insane, but 1980 was that great of a year for film.

The articles will come out – in most cases – on the same day the films hit theaters in 1980 so that it is their true 40th anniversaries. All films are also watched again for the purposes of these reviews and are not being done from memory. In some cases, it truly will be the first time we’ve seen them.

This time around it’s Aug. 1, 1980, and we’re off to see The Final Countdown , The Hunter , and Raise the Titanic !

Quick side note: Since we launched this series this year, we’ve discovered that Vintage Video Podcast is doing the exact same project with two differences: First, it’s audio (naturally), and second, they are doing every major film. We’ve listened to a couple of episodes and it’s fun checking off their thoughts against my own. Check them out over at Vintage Video Podcast .

The Final Countdown

The Final Countdown is a prime example of an interesting concept that never comes close to realizing its potential.

The film primarily takes place aboard the U.S.S. Nimitz aircraft carrier, and we spend a good deal of the opening showing the power of the ship and the hustle and bustle aboard a floating airport.

… and then it just lingers there a moment too long. And you suddenly find yourself wondering, “Was this made by the Navy?”

Funny you should ask, as it kinda was!

I don’t often jump into the backstory of these films because I feel as though they should be judged as a film and not what happened behind them. Oddly enough, I had to do it twice this week (More below). In the case of The Final Countdown, they couldn’t find funding for their time travel film, and they finally approached the Navy for help as the armed service played a role in the story. The Navy helped them to the point that posters of the film even went up in recruitment offices.

The premise of the story is somehow the Nimitz travels back in time to just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. How this happened is never clear, but it happened. Once there they decide to help protect the port as the Japanese planes prepare to attack. But then, just when you think you’re going to see F-14 Tomcats shooting down Japanese Zeros… the time portal opens up and it’s time to go home.

We spend the majority of the film building to this momentous decision. A decision that could change the course of history itself, and… “Come on everyone, the blue swirly thing is back!”

Even for my complaints, I was oddly entertained by the film. With actors such as Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen in it, it’s hard to not enjoy something. Turn your brain off and just let The Final Countdown wash over you. (It’s also currently available for free on Prime Video for Amazon Prime subscribers)

The Hunter marked Steve McQueen’s final film before his passing, and it’s a shame it isn’t a stronger film.

To be clear, I enjoyed The Hunter, but it feels like a cobbled together string of vignettes more than a film.

McQueen plays Ralph “Papa” Thorson, a bounty hunter obsessed with old things – for reasons never made entirely clear – who is also preparing to be a father with his girlfriend. We’re quickly shown he has a soft side as he turns one bounty, played by LeVar Burton, into his handyman. Papa is clearly the lynchpin of the film as he should be, but it’s enjoyable seeing a character so richly filled out. You believe the world he lives in, and that’s always an enjoyable aspect of a story.

Where this movie falls down, however, is it feels a need to give him an antagonist in the form of Rocco Mason (Tracey Walter). A threadbare character that we only learn at the last possible moment was someone Papa once took in as a bounty. Okay… woo? This shadowy figure that has followed him around the entire movie is just some disgruntled bounty. Why did we waste any time on this? There was a lot of other potential issues for him to deal with throughout the film that this just felt incredibly gratuitous.

The Hunter is not a great film by any means, but it’s enjoyable and an easy kickback film if you’re just looking for something you’ve never seen before.

Raise the Titanic

Raise the Titanic is a confusing mess of a film that you still find yourself liking for some reason.

Lets say you have the most famous shipwreck in history in the Titanic. But lets think for a moment about that. You want to write a story about raising it, but you would need a reason to raise it. Okay, what if someone hid a fictional mineral in its vault? Okay, sure. But why is this mineral so important?

Now we have to find the Titanic , and that takes up a good chunk of screen time. And now we need something to speed it up, so lets have one of the subs get damaged, and they only have six hours of air! Well, that’s plenty of time to travel two miles back to the surface… discuss a plan… load the explosives… travel two miles back down… plant the explosives…

You get the idea.

One thing kept eating at me as I watched the film, however, and that was the odd sense it was the start of something. Back to the internet I went, and sure enough, this was pictured as a launch for a series of films featuring Richard Jordan as Dirk Pitt. It just had all the hallmarks of setting him up as a man with a ton of adventures. The movie, however, did not do well at the box office and those plans were quickly abandoned.

Raise the Titanic is a fine movie even in the sense it’s a mess. There is a lot of superfluous stuff happening, but it’s still entertaining, and feels very much a relic of the time period it was made.

1980 Movie Reviews will return on Aug. 8 with Xanadu !

Fun Jug Media, LLC (operating TheNerdy.com) has affiliate partnerships with various companies. These do not at any time have any influence on the editorial content of The Nerdy. Fun Jug Media LLC may earn a commission from these links.

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Sean Aune has been a pop culture aficionado since before there was even a term for pop culture. From the time his father brought home Amazing …

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