Story Synopsis:
In "The Final Countdown," the USS Nimitz, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, passes through a time warp, and the crew finds themselves at Pearl Harbor on December 6, 1941. Captain Matthew Yelland (Douglas) must carefully weigh his urges to prevent the coming attack by using the Nimitz’s 1980’s technology. If he does, how will the future be changed because of his actions?

DVD Picture:
Blue Underground has done what Pacific Family Entertainment should have done by releasing an acceptable, if not pleasing, DVD version of The Final Countdown. The 2.35:1 picture is clean and obviously sourced from much better elements than the previous DVD. There is no comparison to the previously released hands-down worst transfer on DVD. This new anamorphically enhanced and THX® Digitally Mastered DVD picture can appear very satisfying. The color scheme is nicely saturated, with accurate fleshtones, rich hues, and deep blacks. Sharpness is often quite satisfactory, though there are times when the picture is slightly soft and other occasions when images are downright blurry or out of focus. Edge enhancement is rarely noticed and compression problems and pixel breakup are also quite minimal. So grab an ice-cold beverage-use your previous Final Countdown DVD as a coaster-kick back and enjoy this new DVD. (Suzanne Hodges)

Soundtrack:
The remastered DTS-ES® and Dolby® Digital Surround EX™ soundtracks sound fantastic and are a wonderful accomplishment. Fidelity and tonality are excellent, given that this is a movie that’s almost a quarter of a century old. I’ve always been a big fan of the original score by John Scott, especially the sweeping fanfare-style of music that accompanies the main title and plays throughout the film in different variations, and it is great to hear in 6.1-channel digital surround. Dialogue is very natural sounding with almost crystal clear intelligibility. All 6.1-channels of amplification sound excellent, as every channel is effective in delivering a very immersive, engaging, and coherent soundfield. One remarkable aspect of this remastered soundtrack is in the use of the center surround channel. The fly-overs in Chapter 7 and 10 make great use of this extra surround channel. In comparing the two digitally encoded sound formats, the DTS version has a little more dynamic range, openness, and presence than its Dolby Digital counterpart. Also in the Dolby Digital version, there is a slight audible hiss that accompanies the audio in the front center channel, which really isn’t that noticeable with the DTS version. Although both surround sound versions are effective in delivering a wonderful listening experience, the DTS is preferred. (Jeffrey Kern)