This Limited Edition 4K Ultra Blu-ray + Blu-ray + CD Score releasee from Blue Underground is available for purchase on May 25th, 2021.
Blue Underground has been making waves over the past few years with their 4K Ultra Blu-rays of various independent features. Past releases like Daughters of Darkness (1971), The House by the Cemetery (1981), Vigilante (1982) and others have received raves not only from this outlet but other sites for their jaw-dropping picture quality. Simply put, these films have never looked so good (even during their initial releases). The latest to receive incredible HD treatment is the science-fiction war picture, The Final Countdown. Like all of the other titles from Blue Underground, it’s an absolutely stunning disc that will please any fan of the movie.
The story follows the members of the USS Nimitz, an aircraft carrier about to leave shore and conduct naval exercises in the Pacific Ocean. Efficiency expert Warren Lasky (Martin Sheen) is asked by a mysterious benefactor to accompany the sailors on the journey and report back after the mission. Once onboard, he meets Captain Yelland (Kirk Douglas) and Cmdr. Richard Owens (James Farentino), who are both wary of his unexpected arrival. However, it isn’t long before everyone is distracted by more bizarre occurrences. After passing through an anomaly in the ocean, they find themselves out of radio contact with their naval base. The group notice Japanese aircraft in the air and begin to suspect that they’ve traveled back in time to the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The group also come into contact with a ship carrying a noted US senator (Charles Durning) and his secretary, Laurel (Katharine Ross).
This feature benefits greatly from having the support of the US Navy. Much of the film is actually shot on a working aircraft carrier at sea with a real crew onboard. It results in a remarkable amount of authenticity as well as some great visuals. Cameras are also mounted to the planes and the movie features incredible aerial photography. So, the added production value of the real location adds incredible production value and ends up making the feature look far more expensive than it is.
The script itself doesn’t focus much on the personal lives of the participants or their back stories. Instead, the emphasis is firmly on the crew’s response to the unusual predicament. Although there are hints of personal relationships between characters, we don’t deal with any superfluous conflict or budding romances. Instead, the leads are purely focused on figuring out what is occurring and how to best handle the bizarre situation. This is more than enough for them to deal with, which feels like an authentic approach to the material. It leads to some intriguing conversations between those in command about what might happen if the well-armed aircraft carrier decides to get involved in the proceedings, step in to save lives and potentially alter history and the paradoxes that could occur.
During its original release, some critics and audiences had issues with how the movie deals with time travel and the plot mechanics, but the thoughts of the characters and ideas being addressed actually hold up extremely well. There are brief moments of action and excitement (including a couple of unavoidable and violent interactions with enemy forces) that are realistically handled. The cast manage to keep the tension levels high even if much of what is going on are conversations involving discussions and analysis of potential moves. And there’s a fun little sting at the end too. With an interesting plot, solid work from the cast and impressive photography featuring an amazing amount of access to the ship and its crew, this little feature makes an impression and it’s easy to see why it has developed a following.
Blue Underground present another stellar 4k transfer of the movie from the original camera negative. The ariel photography looks incredible and so crisp that the footage looks like it could have been shot recently. Obviously, the visual effects involved in traveling through time portals were created using older techniques, but they still look stylish, clean and in many ways more convincing than the common digital add-ons seen in today’s features. A lot of love and care went into presenting this movie on 4K and regardless of whether you watch the HD version or the regular Blu-ray included, it looks phenomenal.
As previously mentioned, this was an independent production made for far less money than it might appear. The cast participated because they were intrigued by the project and wanted to do something outside of the Hollywood system. The bonus features on the disc go into detail about how those involved managed to get the most out of the budget. There’s a commentary track with the director of photography Victor J. Kemper (Dog Day Afternoon, Slap Shot, The Jerk, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Clue) about how he became involved and managed to light and shoot footage on the working naval carrier. You’ll learn that the cast and crew had to wait and run into rooms or race on the decks quickly to capture material without getting in the way of the working sailors. It’s a fun and enlightening track.
There’s a lengthy and very amusing interview with Troma Entertainment President Lloyd Kaufman, who worked as production manager on the movie. He is very straight-forward and blunt about the difficulties involved in an independent film, making his comments very entertaining to listen to. He describes which actors were pleasant to him and those on set whom he didn’t get on well with. According to the filmmaker, an unexpected friendship grew between himself and co-star Kirk Douglas. Kaufman also suggests that journeyman director Don Taylor (Escape from the Planet of the Apes, the 1977 remake of The Island of Dr. Moreau) was nearing the end of his career and claims that a couple of the lead actors were the ones who really got the film properly performed and in the can.
Viewers also get interviews with some of the pilots of the Jolly Roger fighter squadron who agreed to have cameras placed on their planes to capture the extraordinary aerial footage. There is also a ton of publicity material from the movies release including trailers, TV spots and galleries of still and poster art. Additionally, the release comes with an informative booklet that gives more background information on the feature.
If that wasn’t enough, it also includes a CD of the score. Blue Underground have done this a couple of times now and this bonus is a really welcome one. The orchestral score by John Scott (Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes) is an excellent listen and it is wonderful to have this music as an extra feature (in fact, I’m listening to it right now as I’m writing this article). Any soundtrack collector will be thrilled to add this hard-to-find score to their collection. The effort made to include it in the package is much appreciated.
The Final Countdown is a very enjoyable independent feature that keeps one engaged throughout and looks far more impressive than one might initially anticipate. Blue Underground have done another incredible job with this “Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + CD” release, making the title one of the best to come down the pipeline in recent months. Let’s hope that more little films can get this sort of treatment in the months and years to come, helping these less-publicized efforts build an even bigger following with the young and old alike.