So take December 7th, 1941. Add a Japanese attack force and use a freak time storm to insert a 1980's aircraft carrier between it and Pearl Harbor. What do you get? Some pretty good aviation scenes.
Then of course you have the great debate: Sit idly by and let history run it's course, or use the full power of a nuclear-powered carrier and it's compliment of aircraft to stop the Japanese attack. The commander's ultimate decision? Hey, he's Kirk Douglas! Green Light! Launch aircraft!
Oh yeah... The Final Countdown(1980). Would have been even better without Martin Sheen in it.
Yep, decent representation of the Navy, and a friend of mine was in it (he was the mini-boss), there was 'quite' a culture clash between the Hollywierd types and the Navy during the shoots...LOL
ReplyDeleteEh. Final Countdown was an awesome movie... right up until the ending.
ReplyDeleteNot gonna spoil it, but it came across to me as a lame cop-out rather than the spectacular finale the audience had been expecting, and it rendered the whole plot moot, null & void, worthless, etc.
Not even Kirk Douglas and Ron O'Neal (who also played Col. Bella in Red Dawn) could salvage the film for me.
-Raptor
A great movie.
ReplyDeleteI agree it would have been better without Sheen
@ raptor, I agree with you that the ending could have been better. But the flying and carrier operations footage rocked.
ReplyDelete@ NFO, Yeah, I could just imagine Martin Sheen and his entourage surrounded by real patriotic military heroes 24/7... Probably the main reason that he still camps out in front of Ft. Benning to protest them once or twice a year to this day.
Better ending would have been for Sheen to try to do something treasonous and get thrown overboard to the sharks. And that would have been totally believable.
That was a great movie! But yeah, it would be better without Martin.
ReplyDeleteMurph- Not saying that didn't come close to happening... :-)
ReplyDeleteYeah the ending was a letdown. I agree that the flight footage was spot on.
ReplyDeleteAhhhh, the Nimitz and VF-84!
ReplyDeleteThey were the real stars of the movie, along with all the Navy personnel.
When I worked for Hughes Aircraft back in another life, I got to go on the Nimitz.
Great ship, great crew!