******NIMITZ-CLASS SPOILERS!******

My late European-born dad, while not exactly a hawk by any means, was fascinated by modern US aircraft carriers; mainly for their awesome size and impressive strategic capabilities. And in early 1985, in my late teens, he and I went on a tour of the Kitty Hawk-class USS Constellation (CV-64); a massive carrier which was was deployed to Libya not long afterward (responding to a hostage crisis). Before that tour, which gave my dad and I a great new appreciation for these vessels, I remember seeing 1980’s “The Final Countdown” on TV (the movie, not the 1986 song by Europe), having missed it a few years earlier in theatrical release for some reason (maybe I was too busy watching Star Trek…).

“The Final Countdown” is an interesting, if flawed film that certainly stoked my imagination, if not necessarily sating it. Filmed onboard the actual carrier Nimitz with full, unfettered US Navy cooperation, “The Final Countdown” feels like an overproduced episode of Rod Serling’s “The Twilight Zone” combined with the aviation porn of 1986’s “Top Gun” (a ridiculous movie redeemed by a superior sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick”).  Coproduced by future Troma producer Lloyd Kaufman and star Kirk Douglas’ son, Peter, this intriguing, high-concept sci-fi/action movie has gained a significant cult following over the years, and deservedly so, for many reasons. 

With its surprisingly all-star cast (Kirk Douglas, Charles Durning, and Martin Sheen—fresh off of “Apocalypse Now”) as well as all-real locations and hardware, I decided to give this movie the ‘big screen’ treatment, by watching it through my HD digital projector on a 7 ft/2-meter collapsible screen; giving the movie a decent approximation of the theatrical experience… 

“The Final Countdown”

The movie opens at the US Naval Station at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii, where we see the arrival of a civilian observer, Warren Lasky (Martin Sheen). Lasky greets an aide (Ted Richert) to their mutual boss, Mr. Tideman; who pulls up in a black limousine with dark tinted windows. The unseen, highly-secretive Tideman is a co-designer of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier (with apologies to Huntington Ingalls Industries). Lasky has been personally assigned by the elusive Mr. Tideman to board the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) as a civilian efficiency expert. Just before Lasky boards his transport to the Nimitz, he turns to wave to his unseen boss in the limo.  Afterward, the chopper leaves Pearl for the Nimitz…

Note: The civilian character Warren Lasky acts as an audience avatar; his inspection of the Nimitz is also the audience’s immersion into this world (for those of us who aren’t US Navy veterans). This $13 million film is shot almost entirely abroad the real USS Nimitz, which is still on active duty as of this writing, making it one of the oldest US aircraft carriers still in service (she was launched in 1972). 

Aboard the Nimitz, Lasky is met on the flight deck by the ship’s executive officer, Commander Thurman (Ron O’Neal), who immediately takes Lasky to the bridge to meet Captain Yelland (Kirk Douglas). Yelland and his weather officer, nicknamed ‘Dark Cloud’ (Victor Mohica), are monitoring an unusual electrical storm on the horizon that appears to wink in and out of existence, and is causing the barometers and other instruments to go haywire. After meeting Lasky, Capt. Yelland asks his exec to show their civilian guest to his quarters.

Note: It’s no secret that Kirk Douglas’ son, Peter, is a coproducer on the film and has a small role as the ship’s quartermaster (Kirk’s other son is Oscar-winning actor/producer Michael Douglas; perhaps you’ve heard of him?). It’s possible the elder Douglas’ participation in the film was a favor to his son, but even if that’s the case, it works. 

Settling into his quarters, Lasky finds the door next to his cabin unlocked, and he unwisely snoops inside.  On the table, he finds old photos, and a well-thought out analysis of Pearl Harbor written by the ship’s Commander Air Group (CAG), Dick Owens (James Farentino). Owens walks in on Lasky’s invasion of his privacy, which he actively resents, noting there’s already precious little privacy to be found on a naval ship. Lasky apologizes, and complements Owens on his thoughtful analysis; clearly the CAG is a learned student of history.  After getting off on the wrong foot with Owens, Lasky sheepishly returns to his quarters.  Soon afterward, an alarm is sounded—the ship is at general quarters. Lasky rushes up to the bridge to shadow the captain, per his assignment.

Note: This insight into Commander Dick Owens is the kind of character moment I wish this movie had more of, and his anger over the violation of his privacy is more than justified. Actor James Farentino (1938-2012) does a nice job with the material, hinting at greater academic depth to the character than is on paper. Farentino had a long career in film and TV, including the 1977 miniseries, “Jesus of Nazareth,” “Dynasty,” and the subpar TV series spinoff of “Blue Thunder.” 

On the bridge, the freak ‘electrical storm’ spotted earlier is unlike anything the crew has ever encountered. With the Nimitz forced to wait for one of its malfunctioning aircraft to land, Yelland orders their destroyer escort to get clear, as the Nimitz is seemingly pulled directly into the eye of this bizarre storm, which is characterized by a darkened, electric blue-vortex at its center. As the ship approaches, its electrical equipment malfunctions, and a loud, high-pitched shriek causes the crew to grab their heads in collective agony. The radar antenna of the ship then locks in place, as the massive aircraft carrier slips through the vortex…

Note: The ‘electrical storm/energy vortex’ effect consists of a laser beam lit through carefully swirling gases. This effect was well used in the late 1970s and early 1980s in such films as Disney’s “The Black Hole” (1979), “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (1979), and the PBS TV-movie, “The Lathe of Heaven” (1980) , as well as the James Bond movie “Moonraker” (1979). This in-camera effect (which is later superimposed or projected behind different elements, such as ships or spacecraft) is still very impressive today, even in the era of digital effects. Visual effects artist Maurice Binder, known for his work in the Bond films, is credited with the storm effects of this movie.

As quickly as it overcame the crew, the storm subsides, and the Nimitz finds itself in tranquil waters once more. Thinking they might’ve just survived a possible nuclear strike, the crew tries to get their bearings. Captain Yelland asks for radio contact with other ships or bases in the area, but the comms officer only comes up with entertainment channels and a long outdated code he learned in training. Over the speakers, they hear radio programs and advertisements from the early 1940s. Yelland wonders aloud if someone’s playing a trick on them. Yelland then orders the launch of a reconnaissance aircraft to photograph the surrounding area, before exiting the bridge with Lasky and Commander Thurman in tow.  The captain then asks Lasky if Tideman Industries is setting them up for some kind of bizarre exercise, but Lasky assures the captain he’s just in the dark as they are.

Later, in the ship’s plot room, Yelland confers with his officers once again, as images from the surveillance craft show Pearl Harbor Naval Station, but with the USS Arizona (a memorial in 1980), and most of the Pacific fleet intact—just as they were before the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Amateur historian Dick sees the images with his own eyes and is unable to explain it. Lasky then chimes in with the obvious; perhaps they’ve somehow traveled back through time to the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor.  What sounds incredible at first becomes more plausible the longer they settle into their bizarre situation. Yelland is then alerted to a surface contact on the ocean ahead of them, and launches two F-14 fighters to intercept.

Note: The time between Pearl Harbor and the movie was 39 years.  The time between the movie and the present (2024) is 45 years. Just food for thought… 

The surface contact is a yacht owned by US Senator Samuel Chapman (Charles Durning) who’s out boating with his longtime friend, Bellman (Harold Bergman), and his attractive young assistant Laurel Scott (Katharine Ross), whose youth and looks distract from her intelligence, as she capably performs all administrative duties for the senator. The three of them are alerted by Ms. Scott’s dog, Charlie, who’s barking upward at two great noises in the sky; the roars of twin F-14 jets launched from the Nimitz.  Having never seen aircraft with such speed or power before, the Senator tells his aides he wants a full inquiry from the Dept. of Defense when they return. Before that can happen, however, the yacht is spotted by a pair of Japanese Zeroes; an advance patrol for the fleet currently en route to Pearl Harbor. As Chapman, Bellman, Scott and Charlie jump into the water, their yacht is strafed and destroyed.  The two Zeroes come around again to gun down any survivors…

Bellman, unable to swim, is gunned down by the Zeroes, while Chapman and Scott submerge. Back on the Nimitz, Yelland gives clearance for his pilots to “splash the Zeroes.” With that order, the propeller-driven Zeroes are effortlessly destroyed by the F-14s.  One of the Japanese pilots, Shimura (Soon-Tek Oh), has survived.  A search and rescue mission led by Commander Owens spots the survivors and hauls all of them aboard the rescue chopper, including Shimura and Ms. Scott’s dog, Charlie. The search and rescue helicopter is utterly foreign to Senator Chapman and Ms. Scott.  Chapman is thankful for the rescue but suspicious of their rescuers, while Ms. Scott is simply grateful that Commander Owens saved her dog.

Note: When the F-14s take on the two Zeroes, we see a teasing of the kind of aerial action implied by the movie’s trailer; modern US naval jets taking on flying relics from the early 1940s. The Japanese Zeroes of the film consisted of three full-scale Mitsubishi A6M Zero replicas specifically made for the 1970 Pearl Harbor film “Tora! Tora! Tora!” which was codirected by Richard Fleischer (“Soylent Green,” “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”), Kinji Fukasaku and Toshio Masuda (the latter two directed the Japanese perspective segments of the film).  Footage of the Pearl Harbor attack sequence from that film is used during the climax of this film as well.

With their two civilian passengers in the Nimitz’s infirmary, the Japanese pilot (and current POW) Shimura is kept under heavy guard nearby. As the sun sets on December 6th, Captain Yelland is faced with a tough call; help the US forces at Pearl Harbor with their more advanced offensive capabilities, or let history run its cruel course.  First officer Thurman says without hesitation that their immediate obligation is to defend Pearl.  As observer Lasky muses aloud about what could happen if the Nimitz helped defeat the Japanese, Capt. Yelland reminds him that war has not been officially declared yet. Commander Owens also chimes in, reminding Lasky that history might not be so easy to change.

Note: No conversation about time travel would be complete without mention of the grandfather paradox, which observer Lasky brings up as well.

Later, as Lasky takes another unauthorized look into Commander Owens’ cabin, he finds that Owens may have an ulterior motive in saving Senator Chapman’s life. Amateur historian Owens recognized that Chapman, before his presumed death in 1941, was someone who might’ve been Franklin Roosevelt’s running mate and possible successor in his reelection bid instead of Harry Truman. Accusing Owens of hypocrisy, Lasky believes the commander hoped to affect political change in the future, which Owens nebulously denies.  Meanwhile, in the infirmary, Senator Chapman is growing increasingly frustrated and angry at being kept in the dark by the ship’s crew. Chapman also can’t understand why the ship is named after Admiral Chester Nimitz, who is still alive at this time…

Lasky is in the infirmary, as Ms. Scott’s dog Charlie runs off barking. Prisoner Shimura uses the dog’s barking as a distraction—grabbing an M-16 rifle from one of his Marine guards, before shooting both of them. Grabbing Ms. Scott as a hostage, Shimura makes demands through an interpreter, telling Capt. Yelland over the intercom that he wants to radio his fleet and warn them of the Nimitz and its capabilities. Shimura holds a pistol at Scott’s neck, while aiming his M-16 rifle at Owens and Lasky. At Lasky’s urging, historian Owens then describes the exact battle plans of the Japanese attack to Shimura, including code words, in an attempt to disorient him.  Shimura is distracted and confused just long enough for a fresh group of Marines to storm the infirmary and kill him, but not before he shoots another Marine. With four dead, the standoff ends.

Note: The standoff between Japanese pilot Shimura and the Marines is a real nail-biter, made a bit eerie by Owens’ recitation of the exact attack plans for Pearl Harbor. One wonders what Shimura’s final confused thoughts about his captors were, just before he was killed. Shimura was played by Korean-American actor Soon-Tek Oh (1932-2018), who has a huge list of credits, ranging from TV shows like “MASH,” “Night Gallery,” and “Charlie’s Angels” to feature films such as “The Man with the Golden Gun,”and the Disney cartoon “Mulan.” Like his costars James Farentino and Katharine Ross, he also guest-starred on TV’s “Dynasty.”

After the hostage situation, Scott and Owens get to know each other, as he assures her that her dog Charlie is okay. The two of them get to know each other better, with more than a hint of attraction between them.  Meanwhile, Scott’s impatient boss, Senator Chapman, wants to see the captain, and demands to know why Pearl Harbor isn’t being warned of the imminent attack Owens spoke of to the Japanese pilot. Yelland tells the senator it’s complicated, but he agrees to take the senator to the radio in his quarters to contact Pearl Harbor, knowing the outcome of such a call…

Note: Katharine Ross is also a well-respected actress, known for iconic roles in “The Graduate,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Stepford Wives.” She is also married to actor Sam Elliott (“Mask,” “Tombstone”).

At the radio, Senator Chapman’s call is dismissed as a prank, after he tells 1941 Pearl Harbor Naval Station that he is aboard a ship called the Nimitz, filled with technology he’s never seen. Frustrated, he then demands the captain transport he and Ms. Scott to Pearl Harbor directly. Yelland appears to agree, but once Chapman is out of earshot, he tells Commander Owens to drop the two civilians off on the more remote island of Pu’uwai, where they will have a decent chance of rescue while still being safe from the incoming carnage at Pearl Harbor.

Note: Yeah, maybe telling the authorities that you’re aboard a US aircraft carrier named after a still-living admiral wasn’t the smartest move. As we see later on, this isn’t Senator Chapman’s dumbest idea, either. Character actor Charles Durning (1923-2012) is another big-name talent in this movie’s impressive cast, with roles in “Tootsie,” “Dog Day Afternoon,” “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” “The Sting” and horror films, such as “When a Stranger Calls,” and the cult classic TV-movie, “Dark Night of the Scarecrow.” 

As Owens heads to the hangar bay to command the transport, he is met by Lasky, and the two of them offer nonverbal apologies; having gotten off on the wrong foot with each other the moment they met.  With that, Owens is off on his flight, after promising the captain he’d return before the airstrike is launched at 0700 hours to defend Pearl Harbor.

Note: So much for any worries about grandfather paradoxes or butterfly effects; Captain Yelland has decided history be damned, full speed ahead. If I were in his place, I might also assume that the time vortex put them there to defend Pearl Harbor.  Unfortunately, the movie never really explains the nature of the vortex, let alone its purpose, but the novelization by Martin Caidin (who wrote “Cyborg,” the book that became “The Six Million Dollar Man”) hints at possible alien origins.

The transport chopper lands on Pu’uwai, as Owens tells Chapman and Ms. Scott they have provisions for their survival until a rescue can arrive. An irate Chapman realizes they’re not on Oahu, and protests, but Owens tells the senator he has his orders. Earlier, Chapman swiped a flare gun from the chopper’s emergency kit, and is now using it to threaten the flight crew; ordering them to take him back to Pearl Harbor.  As the pilot is forced to take Chapman into the air, Owens makes a last minute attempt to climb back aboard and stop him, but he falls into the surf.  Two of the flight crew try to overpower Chapman, but he fires the flare gun inside the cabin—and the chopper is blown to hell. 

Note: Okay, was that Navy chopper made of balsa wood and tin foil? I’m hardly an aviation expert (I hate flying, in fact), but would a single flare fired from a gun really obliterate the chopper into vapor like that? I could see it severely damaging the craft, for sure; maybe even punching a hole in the side, but completely destroying it? I wish TV’s “Mythbusters” were still around, because I would love to see them debunk this one. If any reader of this column has a background in Naval aviation, I’d enjoy reading your insights on this in the comments section below…

Watching their only chance of escape explode, Owens and Scott are stranded, with enough provisions to last until a rescue comes along. Meanwhile, Owens watches helplessly as Japanese bombers and fighters streak across the sky en route to Oahu; the attack on Pearl Harbor is now underway…

Note: Meanwhile, the latent attraction between Commander Owens and Ms. Scott is about to become a lot less latent.

With the chopper suddenly disappearing off the Nimitz’s scopes, Captain Yelland assumes his CAG is dead, so he decides to launch the counteroffensive on Pearl Harbor without his best pilot.  He then goes on the ship’s video intercom (groovy new tech for 1980), and briefs his crew on their mission, as best he understands it, anyway.  They’re going to attempt to rewrite history, hopefully for the better.  With that, the alert is called, and the pilots rush to their planes…

Note: Kirk Douglas (1916-2020) had a long and distinguished career, with three Oscar nominations to his name, before he passed away at age 103. His career includes such classics as “Paths of Glory,” “Spartacus,” “Lust for Life” (playing Vincent van Gogh), “Ace in the Hole,” and one of all-time my favorite original Disney films (before they bought everything else), “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” (1954), where he played harpooner, Ned Land. 

With the captain’s order, we see more shots of F-14s and other aircraft taking off from the Nimitz flight deck, and off towards their rendezvous with history…

Note: I admire the astonishing production values of this $13 million film, shot almost entirely on the real aircraft carrier, USS Nimitz. And I can appreciate director Don Taylor using every scrap of Panavision camera footage shot there, as well as from those cramped cockpit canopies. But so help me, I wish they’d trimmed some of this footage just a little bit. While it certainly makes for a fascinating documentary about real-life US Naval operations, it also feels like so much padding. It’s not boring, it’s just…excessive. I’d rather see some of that runtime better spent on characters and story, not just naval hardware.

As the Nimitz heads to Pearl Harbor, we see Japanese Zeroes approaching as well. On the horizon, Dark Cloud reports that the crazy vortex that threw them back in time has reappeared on the scopes. Yelland, however, is determined to help his fellow Americans at Pearl Harbor, and tries to outrun the storm—but the storm changes course as well, pursuing the Nimitz. Realizing they can’t outrun fate, Yelland recalls his strike force, and the attack on Pearl Harbor begins; just as they’d remembered from history.  As the Nimitz is pulled into the storm, we hear President Franklin Roosevelt’s “a day that will live in infamy” speech, as monochrome footage of the Pearl Harbor attack is played…

Note: The Pearl Harbor attack footage is a combination of actual newsreel footage taken of the attack taken in 1941 (converted to a 2.35:1 aspect ratio) as well as desaturated Panavision footage from 1970’s “Tora! Tora! Tora!” but with added scratches and grain to match the 1940s newsreel footage. It’s an elegant editing job, credited to Robert K. Lambert.

Waiting for their recalled planes to land on the flight deck, the Nimitz is pulled into the vortex without its returning strike force, as Yelland wonders if he’s just stranded his pilots in the past. As the go through the familiar dark blue energy cyclone, with its ear-splitting sounds, they emerge safely back to 1980…and soon catch sight of their returning planes, which emerge from the vortex as well.  The planes land, and a waiting admiral demands a debriefing from Captain Yelland, who has no idea how he’s going to explain their crazy story to the naval brass. Captain Yelland also says goodbye to his departing civilian guest Lasky, telling him, “You’re a pain in the ass, Lasky, but I’m glad you were here.” Lasky leaves with his now 40-year old adopted dog, Charlie…

Note: As mentioned earlier, Martin Caidin’s novelization of the film hints that the vortex might have been of alien origin, but it still doesn’t explain the why. Why would aliens arrange this fateful encounter between modern naval forces (c. 1980) and their 1941 counterparts only to pull the plug on the operation at the last minute?  While some enigmas are best left unknowable (see: the “2001” monolith), I’m still wondering what the multiple screenwriters of this movie might’ve had in mind.  Aliens just sounds too much like “a wizard did it.” 

As Lasky makes his way off the ramp and onto Pearl Harbor, circa 1980, he sees the familiar black limousine of his enigmatic boss, Mr. Tideman. The limo pulls up to Lasky, and to his surprise, the door opens. Lasky then sees an aged Commander Owens and his wife, an aged Laurel Scott; both of whom are now living under the assumed names of Mr. and Mrs. Tideman.  A shocked Lasky realizes why his mysterious boss wanted him here at this exact time and place, and why he’s kept his identity a secret for so long.  Owens-Tideman then invites Lasky in to join them, saying “we have a lot to talk about.” 

The End

Note: This is where the movie could’ve really taken off, but it chooses opacity instead. Maybe Owens learned the nature of the time vortex, or of the intelligence behind it (it pursued the Nimitz; clearly it wasn’t just a mindless time-storm). The movie’s refusal to answer its own burning questions isn’t necessarily a bad or wrong choice (some of my favorite sci-fi films end enigmatically), but it leaves all of the really interesting stuff unanswered. 

Summing It Up

Directed by actor/director Don Taylor (“Escape from the Planet of the Apes”), written by Peter Howell, Gerry Davis, Thomas Hunter & David Ambrose, “The Final Countdown” is one of those almost-classics which comes up a little bit short, despite some amazing production values and ample star power.  

With the late Charles Durning (“Tootsie” “Dog Day Afternoon”), Martin Sheen (“Apocalypse Now,” “Wall Street”) and, of course, the late Kirk Douglas (“Spartacus,” “Ace in the Hole,” “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”) reporting for duty, the movie’s cast is stronger than expected. I’m guessing the elder Douglas did the movie as a possible favor for his producer son, Peter (not Oscar-winner actor/producer Michael), but whatever the reason, it’s a good role in a solid movie. James Farentino as Commander Owens also deserves an honorable mention, as does Katharine Ross as Laurel Scott, who allegedly had to endure a bit of unwanted real-life harassment on set from someone in the Nimitz crew (who were used in the film for extra authenticity). Today Ross’s character would’ve been one of the pilots.

Despite its deserved praises, there are some issues with this otherwise neat little sci-fi flick, such as the padding of the film; with seemingly endless Navy-porn shots of planes and choppers taking off from the flight deck, or the tanker plane refueling a pair of F-14s in flight, as well an actual emergency landing captured in Panavision.  I’m not saying these real-life scenes of American taxpayer dollars in action weren’t worthy of posterity, but there are so many of them that it feels belabored. I realize the US Navy’s cooperation and the production’s unfettered access to the USS Nimitz was a huge coup for producers Peter Douglas and Lloyd Kaufman, but really; we get it. US naval hardware is really cool and very efficient. I just wish the limited runtime was spent exploring the characters, or perhaps the reasons for the time-vortex.

The movie does have an intriguing high-concept; a modern nuclear-powered aircraft carrier (c. 1980) going back in time to the Pearl Harbor attack.  But other than a pair of F-14s screwing around with a pair of Japanese Zeros, the film plays it rather safe; stopping short of its awesome potential. What would’ve happened if Capt. Yellard had prevented the attack on Pearl Harbor, or at least given 1941’s US fleet a hell of an assist?  Maybe the crew would’ve returned to a radically altered timeline; perhaps finding things even worse off than they left them?  Would they have to chase down another time vortex to set things right?  Of course, that would’ve been a three and a half-hour film, not a brisk 103-minutes.  One thing I like about this movie is that it doesn’t overstay its welcome.  We never learn the cause or reason for the vortex, but like the monolith in “2001,” perhaps it’s best left unknowable (fate, god, whatever…). 

With a premise worthy of Rod Serling’s “Twilight Zone,” ample star power, and an almost overpowering authenticity, “The Final Countdown” certainly has a lot going for it, though it stops just short of sending its top guns blazing into Pearl Harbor; nixing what could’ve been an even headier sci-fi ride. At the very least, the movie’s ‘twist’ ending has just enough earned sentiment for viewers not to feel cheated. “The Final Countdown” is worth strapping in for…

Where to Watch

“The Final Countdown” is (as of this writing) available for free streaming via Tubi, PlutoTV, Plex, Crackle and Peacock. The movie can also be rented or purchased digitally though YouTube Premium and Amazon Prime. For purists like myself, the movie is also available to own in physical media on a 2-disc DVD from Blue Underground (my old copy still looks great), as well as Blu-Ray and 4K releases, which are available to order from Amazon and eBay (prices vary by seller).