Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Final Countdown

Play trailer 2:47 Poster for The Final Countdown PG 1980 1h 44m Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
52% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 60% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A time warp takes the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its captain (Kirk Douglas) back to Pearl Harbor, Dec. 6, 1941.
Watch on Peacock Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Final Countdown

Critics Reviews

View All (21) Critics Reviews
Variety Staff Variety As a documentary on the USS Nimitz, The Final Countdown is wonderful. As entertainment, however, it has the feeling of a telepic that strayed onto the big screen. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Time Out An idea worthy of Harlan Ellison, but disappointingly fumbled. Jan 26, 2006 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times It's filled with technology, special effects and action. But it just doesn't make any sense. Rated: 2/4 Oct 23, 2004 Full Review Phil Edwards Starburst A disaster. Jul 26, 2022 Full Review John Brosnan Starburst On a purely technical level... the film is well made and looks very good. Jul 25, 2022 Full Review James Kendrick Q Network Film Desk a unique merging of military drama and science fiction, and even if it doesn't always work, it presents such a fascinating scenario that you can't help but get sucked into its swirling vortex of unending and paradoxical "what if's?." Rated: 3/4 Jun 22, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (428) audience reviews
Paul M A silly premise, but quite enjoyable as a movie. Some nice footage if you like carrier and jet operations. The contrast an 80s carrier crew with 1940s era personas is well done. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/21/24 Full Review Scott One of my favorite movies. I've watched over and over. Imagine the Nimitz in the north Pacific on December 7th. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/13/24 Full Review David W An excellent time travel, what if? It poses the question as to what might happen if a modem American aircraft carrier was sent back in time to just before Japan's cowardly attack on Pearl Harbour. A great cast, great concept movie that's maybe a little too talkie for its own good and a little ponderously directed but still hugely engrossing. Definitely recommended just don't expect an action movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/23/24 Full Review Blair T Awesome movie. love going back in time movies and this one was great!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/01/24 Full Review Alistair L Stumbled across this movie while channel surfing and I'm always up for a little sci-fi. It could almost be the Top Gun movie before Top Gun. An Aircraft carrier, lots of planes taking off and landing and even the plane having trouble when trying to land. The thing for me was that the movie seemed to end to quickly with any potential changes to the present left unexplored. We always hear about the potential danger of even the smallest change made if time travel was possible, like killing an insect before it was supposed to die, let alone major changes. This is covered somewhat in the movie and the biggest "what if" makes up the main plot, but there are some incidents that possibly would have had some impact on the future, but this is not even mentioned after they happen. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/14/23 Full Review Steve D Cool idea, poor execution. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Final Countdown

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

More Like This

View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
The Black Hole 41% 45% The Black Hole Watchlist Battlestar Galactica 35% 62% Battlestar Galactica Watchlist Damnation Alley 45% 34% Damnation Alley Watchlist 2010 67% 61% 2010 Watchlist The Philadelphia Experiment 50% 40% The Philadelphia Experiment Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All videos

The Final Countdown

The Final Countdown: Trailer 1 The Final Countdown: Trailer 1 2:47 View more videos
View All The Final Countdown photos

The Final Countdown

The Final Countdown (1980) The Final Countdown (1980) The Final Countdown (1980) The Final Countdown (1980) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A time warp takes the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its captain (Kirk Douglas) back to Pearl Harbor, Dec. 6, 1941.
Director
Don Taylor
Producer
Peter Douglas
Screenwriter
David Ambrose, Gerry Davis, Thomas Hunter, Peter Powell
Production Co
United Artists, The Bryna Company
Rating
PG
Genre
Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 7, 2017
Runtime
1h 44m
Sound Mix
Surround
Most Popular at Home Now