Flight of the Navigator (1986)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Randal Kleiser

Writers:

Mark H. Baker (writer)
Michael Burton (writer)

Release Date:

30 July 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Come along on the greatest adventure of the summer!

Plot:

In 1978, a boy is moved 8 years into the future and has an adventure with the alien ship that is responsible for that.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Flying Saucer | 1986 | Police Car | Police Station

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Joey Cramer	...	David Freeman
Paul Reubens	...	Max (voice) (as Paul Mall)
Veronica Cartwright	...	Helen Freeman
Cliff De Young	...	Bill Freeman
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Carolyn McAdams
Matt Adler	...	Jeff (16 years)
Howard Hesseman	...	Dr. Faraday
Robert Small	...	Troy
Albie Whitaker	...	Jeff (8 years)
Jonathan Sanger	...	Dr. Carr
Iris Acker	...	Mrs. Howard
Richard Liberty	...	Mr. Howard
Raymond Forchion	...	Detective Banks
Cynthia Caquelin	...	Woman Officer
Ted Bartsch	...	Night Guard Brayton

Also Known As:

The Navigator (Norway)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA | Norway

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:G | UK:U | USA:TV-PG (cable rating) | New Zealand:G | Norway:7 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | USA:PG (certificate #28230) | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Florida, USA

Company:

New Star

Trivia:

The ship used in the movie can be found in a boneyard at the Disney MGM Studios Theme Park at Walt Disney World in Florida. It can be seen on the studio tour.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When David and Max are flying back to Ft. Lauderdale, supposedly following I-95, they pass a road sign that indicates Miami is 25 miles away, and Ft. Lauderdale is 58 miles away. Since Miami is south of Ft. Lauderdale, this means that they are flying north and located to the south of Miami, while I-95 exists only to the north of Miami. Subsequent scene confirms that they are indeed flying north, since they pass Miami Beach on the left. However, nothing indicates that they were ever flying along I-95, so it's more likely that they simply misread the map and reached that road sign by luck. Previous dialogs do indicate that both David and Max are very bad at navigation.

Quotes:

Max: See ya later, Navigator!

Movie Connections:

References "Starsky and Hutch" (1975)

Soundtrack:

Lovefire

One of the very best Sci-fi Family Movies of the 80's

I had seen this movie on VHS back in the 80's and I now have children and just watched this movie with them on DVD. The film still has presence and the special effects are still quite good even considering they are now near 20 years old. Very impressive and my children are now complete fans of the movie.

If you have never seen this film, I would recommend it whole-heartedly for the entire family. If it has been sometime since you watched this film I would say check it out, well worth a return visit.

One thing I have to mention is the joy I was receiving just watching my children (ages 4 through 8) experience this movie for the first time. Even after all of the Hi-tech movies they have seen in recent years this movie was still able to capture their attention, hold it and entertain just as well as anything in recent memory (such as Spiderman, Hulk or even Spy Kids).

My children wanted to re-watch it immediately after it ended, it was that good in their (short attention span) minds.

5 out of 5 stars from me and mine.

**Although regarding the DVD transfer, it could have used some extra's, even a trailer from the original film, however there were none, simple menu access and set-up options only, enjoyable none-the-less.