I remember watching this back in '80 and liked watching the latest, greatest aircraft and military machinery in action. But you can't stop the inexorable march of time. All of those aircraft are now retired, except for the venerable Hawkeye. And the Nimitz herself, now the grande dame of the carrier force, will be stricken within just a few years. A depressing reminder of the passage of time and our own mortality rearing up to face us. Most of the cast is gone now – Kirk Douglas, James Farentino, Ron O'Neill, Charles Durning, Soon-Tek Oh, Alvin Ing. Only Katherine Ross and Martin Sheen remain.
I love the film, its in my top ten greatest films of all time. Ironically the Nimitz has been in service longer than the period of time between the attack on Pearl Harbor and when the film was made. 1941-1980 - 39 years, 1975-2023 - 48 years. Here's some interesting background information about the film.
This was one of those movies that my dad and I shared a love for. It doesn't hold up quite as well as it should, but still very enjoyable. I'm actually surprised they haven't tried to remake it.
I'm eagerly awaiting the special edition where the Nimitz' fighters dogfight Tic-Tacs instead of Zeros.
It has been while since I saw this movie. But I do remember enjoying it very much. It was awesome seeing the real aircraft carrier. I like war movies and I like scifi. The movie was the perfect combo of the two.. Now that I am thinking about it, I liked how the captain, Kirk Douglas, didn't endlessly agonize and philosophize about possibly altering the space time contiuum. I recall he said something to the effect that he swore an oath to defend the country. And that was what he did. So, he launched a preemptive attack against the incoming Japanese Pearl Harbor attack force, screw the timeline. I, too, am surprised that there has not been a remake.
Well there's the Axis of Time Trilogy by John Birmingham where an advanced carrier battlegroup gets sent back in time to WWII and it's a one way trip so the impact on the course of the war is permanent and with the axis powers and the soviets also getting their hands on the advanced technology.
I think I get your point. I like the captain's can-do attitude and his patriotism. Of course, it would have been wise had the captain put more thought into the potential consequences of altering history, and perhaps refrain from doing anything. But it wouldn't have been exciting. Fortunately, the wormhole returned just in the nick time, and the rest is history.
"At least we came back to the same world we left." Truer words were never spoken. (If the Nimitz had intervened I think the war would have gotten worse, and ultimately resulted in nuclear Armageddon.)
CometTV aired this on Saturday and it occurred to me while watching it that they did interfere with history by shooting down the two Zeros. As far as we know, the Japanese didn't lose any aircraft during their voyage to Pearl Harbor. If they did, it more than likely would have raised suspicion amongst Nagumo and his staff and they might have changed or called off the attack. Therefore, the Nimitz must have traveled back to a timeline where the Japanese did lose two scout planes and the attack proceeded as planned.
I believe the Japanese did a variation on this theme with an anime/manga called Zipang. About a Japanese Self-Defense Force destroyer that ends up at Midway in 1942, and can't get home. They at first try to maintain the timeline, but things get out of hand.
Assuming Japan even found out about their downed pilots. Which is by no means certain. I mean, the mere fact that "Richard Tideman" (who obviously existed even before the Nimitz went back) is an aged Commander Owens, proves that the time travel in the film is a closed loop. The Nimitz returned to the same world it left, and history was never changed. It's a predestination paradox, just like Star Trek: First Contact. The Nimitz was always supposed to go back. There was never a timeline where it did not.
I can't believe that with all the CGI YouTube fanfic out there for Star Wars, Star Trek, and even Battlestar Galactica, that no one has whipped up an "alternate ending" where the Nimitz Carrier Air Wing blows the Japanese attack force (aircraft AND ships) to kingdom come. As an aside: I served onboard Nimitz from 1995 to 1999. My oldest cousin's husband also served onboard Nimitz during the filming of The Final Countdown and can very briefly be seen as an extra on the bridge in one scene.
Remake? Why WOULD you remake this gem? Remakes are for things that didn't work the first time. Not that anyone follows that advice.