I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

I first saw this during ABC's premiere presentation broadcast (of theatricals) on the ABC Sunday Night Movie around 1982 - 83 when I was eleven and it blew me away!Decades later, as a Marine Corps veteran when I purchased the special edition DVD, I still marveled at it and watch it every chance I get!If you are a military and science fiction fan, this is a treat. What's not to like? A modern nuclear powered aircraft carrier (with its air wing and arsenal) getting caught in an unexplained phenomenon (in effect, storm) sending it to the day before the Pearl Harbor attack made a wonderful platform. To paraphrase TV Guide's view of the movie, it was a story reminiscent of "The Twilight Zone."Kirk Douglas played a convincing Navy Captain, Matt Yelland commanding the U.S.S. Nimitz and her arsenal that was capable of wiping out the Japanese fleet. Rounding off the players are equally convincing roles by James Farentino - CDR Richard "CAG" Owens, the air wing commander; Ron O'Neal - CDR Dan Thurman, the ship's second-in-command; and Martin Sheen - Warren Lasky, a visiting civilian defense contractor. Charles Durning and Katherine Ross play 1941 characters shocked by their time travelers and ship from the future.Like most stories about time travel, the main characters have to face the main concern about altering the future as they knew it. As one of the characters retorted to another, ". . I don't have your appetite for playing God with the world!" when faced with that prospect. As 1941 friends and enemies come in contact with them, they have to make decisions on how to deal with them to avoid further conflict but at the same time possibly altering the future.The origins of the storm that sent the Nimitz back to 1941 is never explained, so it is left ambiguous. One can surmise that the Nimitz' travel back in time was a test for Captain Yelland and crew to see what they would do with the modern capabilities of the ship in regards to an historical attack they know is coming. Awesome aircraft carrier operations courtesy of the United States Navy spliced with science fiction intrigue make this an appealing tale for both military aficionados and science fiction lovers alike.

This film features a rather intriguing premise; what would happen if a modern (circa 1980) aircraft carrier were to be transported back in time to Pearl Harbor on December 6th, 1941? The how and the why of this is given almost no focus, so you really just have to shrug it off and go with it.'The Final Countdown' is at its best when the principles are debating the "Should we or shouldn't we" of attempting to thwart the attack. Unfortunately that aspect is given too little focus, robbing the third act of its drama. It's still a relatively entertaining film, boosted significantly by stars Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen.

This movie had me hooked as a kid, and growing up, I've come to appreciate the nod to historical events, the aircraft on display like a time capsule, and the sci-fi plot that presents a host of interesting questions for the viewer. That, and a great musical score....I have to wonder though.....How does Yelland end up explaining the dead Marines and the body of the Japanese pilot to his superiors? His gear? The lost helicopter and crew? Not to mention, the pilots who splashed the two Zeros...what will they tell people? Also, the entire ship's crew that was told they were prepping for war with the Japs, the recon photos, the radio transmissions of old 1940's broadcasts....Yelland makes the comment at the end that "They'll never believe it", but I think in the end, there's bound to be swift reaction to what happened on that ship in the present day. I'm tossing that one up as a bit of a good though, because I think the intention of the filmmakers was that they come back with no real proof that it ever happened outside of the dog.....and the curious case of Mr. Tideman.Even historical evidence remains, as there's the downed Zeros in what is probably shallow waters, and the remains of the helicopter that exploded off the island, and also the equipment/supplies left behind that were intended for the Senator and the girl?

I have loved this film since first seeing it on t.v. in the early 1980s.Not only does it have a great cast (Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, Charles Durning), the footage of the carrier & its airwing...and the flight scenes is truly awe-inspiring.The story - based on the novel by the super-intelligent Martin Caidin (who created The Six Million Dollar Man) was a piece of brilliant sci-fi and "historical conundrum".The idea of (in 1980) a modern-day nuclear-powered aircraft carrier being time-warped to December 6, 1941, less than 24 hours before the Imperial Japanese Navy attacks the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor - and the commanding officers (and a brilliant civilian military "systems analyst") trying to make sense of the situation, and deciding whether or not to change the course of history was a great idea (H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine", comes to mind).When making the fateful decision to change history, or leave things as is, the Captain (Kirk Douglas) states "This is a U.S. warship. Our job is to defend the United States of America against attack...past, present or future".If, like me, you are an avid follower of military aircraft, then you will love seeing all of the jets and helicopters that served aboard the Nimitz in the late 1970s - F-14 Tomcat, A-7 Corsair II, A-6 Intruder (various versions for attack, refueling and jamming of enemy radars), S-3 Viking Anti-Sub warfare, H-2 Hawkeye (airborne radar & communications), and the Sikorsky Sea King helo used for Search & Rescue and anti-sub warfare.One thing I wish the film did that was in the novel would have been to have more of the "technical talk" that Martin Sheen's character (Warren Lasky) used when explaining how the storm happened, and how the Captain and crew could figure it out using the technology available to them.Also, in the novel, there was much more graphic detail of what happened to the ship & her crew when they went through the storm the first time.The novel also gave a sense of closure to the Commander Owens / Richard Tideman saga that ended the film.It is for these reasons that I give the film 7 stars, instead of 8 or 9.