The Final Countdown (1980)

A modern aircraft carrier is thrown back in time to 1941 near Hawaii, just hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Director:

Don Taylor

Writers:

Thomas Hunter (story), Peter Powell (story),

Stars:

Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, Katharine Ross

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kirk Douglas	...	Capt. Matthew Yelland
Martin Sheen	...	Warren Lasky
Katharine Ross	...	Laurel Scott
James Farentino	...	Cdr. Richard Owens / Mr.Tideman
Ron O'Neal	...	Cdr. Dan Thurman
Charles Durning	...	Senator Samuel Chapman
Victor Mohica	...	Black Cloud
James Coleman	...	Lt. Perry (as James C. Lawrence)
Soon-Tek Oh	...	Simura (as Soon-Teck Oh)
Joe Lowry	...	Cdr. Damon
Alvin Ing	...	Lt. Kajima
Mark Thomas	...	Marine Cpl. Kullman
Harold Bergman	...	Bellman
Dan Fitzgerald	...	Navy Doctor
Lloyd Kaufman	...	LCdr. Kaufman

Storyline

An American nuclear aircraft carrier and its crew are caught in a classic dilemma when a supernatural storm sends them back in time just before the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor.

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Plot Keywords:

japanese | uss nimitz | aircraft carrier | harbor | pearl harbor | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese Russian

Release Date:

1 August 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der letzte Countdown

Filming Locations:

Naval Air Station, Key West, Florida Keys, Florida, USA

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 2,722,598 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Bryna Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the mid 1980s the communist government banned the movie in Hungary, claiming it glorified the United States Armed Forces. However, some illegal copies were circulated on VHS with parts about the Russian trawler spying on the USS Nimitz edited out.

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Goofs

At one point while the Nimitz is at sea, a 1MC announcement is heard to say "Sweepers, Sweepers, man your brooms. Take all trash to the after-brow." The after-brow is only in place while a ship is in port, it is basically the "gang plank" access to the ship.

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Quotes

[first lines]
F-14 Pilot: [voice over radio] Pearl Tower, Tomcat two-zero-zero. requesting clearance for departure runway zero-nine. Over.
Pearl Harbor Tower: [voice over radio] Two-zero-zero, Pearl Harbor Tower. You are cleared runway oh-niner. Winds zero-four-five at eight. SH-three approaching from the right. Have a nice day.

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Connections

Featured in Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011)

User Reviews

A armed nuke warship transcends time and space to go along with historical events or be their salvation!

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN at times presents a doctoral thesis of sorts on the perils of time and space and alterations with events supposedly set in stone. Armed with a all star cast, COUNTDOWN gives audiences a family tale of time and space and adventure. The film fails to give the audience what it is promised in trailers and posters, a conflict between a lone united states nuclear carrier and the entire japanese pearl harbor attack force. Yet, this is a fine picture with some fine acting moments unusual to this genre. During the film the carrier swept to DEC. 6, 1941 takes a evasive stance while the crew and commander try to decide whether to alter history..yet, if they alter history will their ship even be made? Will they die once the paradox begins? Will the abortive theme FROM HERE TO ETERNITY love story work out? These questions and more are answered in a award winning PG film from the director of ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES, the star of SPARTACUS, a effects team behind the 007 opening montages and the producer of THE TOXIC AVENGER. The film may suprise you. Recommended for fans of THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT and THE TIME MACHINE. Limited distribution, and poor advertising hindered this film which found a audience on tv and on video.