Since I've thrown off the yoke of satellite television (the monthly fees add up to over $1000 per year. I can do a lot with an extra $1000.), I've taken to relaxing on Friday nights by watching movies on Netflix. Last night, I picked "The Final Countdown", which is a 1980 film starring Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, Charles Durning, James Farentino, and Katherine Ross. The plot is silly: a mysterious storm engulfs the U.S.S. Nimitz, which is cruising serenely in the Pacific and propels it back in time to December sixth, 1941. Naturally, the principal characters debate the implications of changing history, with the CAG ("Commander, Air Group", played by James Farentino) Commander Owens, insisting that history cannot be changed no matter what actions are taken by time-travelers. Owens, an amateur historian, is writing a book about the attack on Pearl Harbor. Nonetheless, the Captain of the Nimitz (Douglas) decides that he is duty-bound to defend the United States, regardless of the implications, and he dispatches his aircraft to intercept the Japanese fleet. The two civilians who were rescued after their yacht was blown apart by Japanese Zeros- fictional Senator Samuel Chapman (Durning), and his secretary (Ross) are deposited on a deserted Hawaiian beach, in order to keep them out of the way. For his part, Owens, as a historian, knows that Chapman mysteriously disappeared prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Therefore, he is deeply disturbed by the Senator's presence on the Nimitz. Senator Chapman- who, never having seen jet fighters or helicopters before, is incensed that this "new" technology has been developed without his knowledge, and he becomes apoplectic when when the Nimitz' captain refuses to warn Pearl Harbor Command about the impending Japanese attack. The captain assures Chapman that the Nimitz can handle any attack on the United States. Chapman demands that he and Laurel be taken to Pearl Harbor so that he can warn the authorities there. The Captain agrees to this, ostensibly. Once the helicopter carrying Chapman, Owens (who'd gone along to oversee the operation), and Laurel sets down on the deserted beach, Chapman realizes that he's been duped. While the CAG is helping Laurel get set-up on the beach, Chapman grabs a flare gun and attempts to hijack the Sea-King helicopter in order to get to Pearl Harbor. A crewman attempts to disarm Chapman, and the gun discharges during the ensuing struggle. With the Sea King destroyed, Chapman dead (with his destiny thus unaltered), Owens is now stranded in 1941. Laurel, having seen the inspection date on one of the supply packets left with them, now realizes that Owens and the Nimitz are from the future.
Back at sea, however, the mysterious storm appears again, engulfing the carrier and the aircraft that were heading toward the Japanese fleet. The ship and its aircraft are then returned to 1980 before they can stop the Japanese attack.
Once in port, the black limousine carrying the mysterious "Mr. Tideman" pulls up to the ship. Tideman, who had helped to design the Nimitz, is a shadowy figure. His face out of view, Tideman had also seen the carrier off on its departure from the inside of his limousine.
As "Mr. Lasky" (Martin Sheen), the Department of Defense "observer"/Tideman employee (although he's never actually met Tideman), who's been on board the Nimitz throughout this whole adventure, is walking down the gangway with Laurel's dog, "Charlie" (also rescued from the ocean after the yacht is destroyed), the dog runs toward the limousine after a familiar voice calls its name. Tideman's personal assistant then approaches Lasky and tells him that Mr. Tideman wishes to see him. As Lasky peers into the open door of the limousine, he is stunned to see an aged Commander Owens and Laurel staring back at him. Tideman/Owens tells Lasky that they have a lot to talk about, and the movie ends.
There are some holes in the plot, of course. Yes, history is unaltered, because Chapman "disappears" in accordance with his destiny, and because the Nimitz is unable to thwart the attack on Pearl Harbor. But, what of the pilots of the two Zeros who are killed after being shot down by a pair of F-14's? One is killed outright, when his plane is blown out of the sky by one of the F-14's. The other is rescued and brought aboard the Nimitz, where he is killed in an attempt to commandeer a radio. What effects would these men's deaths have on history? And, wouldn't someone discover the wreckage of the Sea King on the beach, along with the bodies of its crew?
Still, it's the footage of various naval aircraft of the era (late 1970's) - F-14's A-7 Corsair II's, being catapulted off the flight deck, making arrested landings, that make this film one that is worth watching for aviation buffs. The Navy cooperated with the producers, and most of the aerial footage- including the dogfight between the F-14's and the "Zeros" (actually T-6 Texans that were modified to look like Zeros) was filmed specifically for this movie. In an era where computer-generated special-effects are used excessively, it is refreshing for this writer to travel backward in time, so to speak, to an era when real people flying real machines were still the primary "special-effects" that were used in film making.
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