Synopsis:

The Final Countdown. This is one of those forgotten gems from the 80's. It is a great film, with a simple idea, that is pulled off quite well. However, the film is bogged down with excessive shots and sequences showcasing the Navy. This is a version of the film with the bulk of those scenes either cut or trimmed down, as well as some other bits here and there.

Intentions:

The intention of this edit was to slim the film down by removing the excessive Navy promotion and get to the actual story.

Change List:

The cuts and trims are as follows... The opening 30 seconds or so of black screen with radio chatter is gone. We open right away on the jet taking off. The sequence of Commander Owens landing on the carrier is gone. Now we meet him as he and his co-pilot are walking inside. The scene of the weather officer discussion the storm is gone. I wanted the arrival of the storm to be a bit more surprising. The extended sequence of the deck crew prepping for a plane crash is gone. It is not needed for the story and is just another scene showcasing the Navy doing their thing (admittedly very well). The storm sequence has been trimmed down to remove some of the shots showing the crew seemingly in deathly pain. Just a bit over the top for my taste. And the volume of the storm has been lowered. It was always just a bit too much. The crew going to general quarters has been cut. Again, just showcasing of the Navy. The rescue teams arriving on deck as been trimmed. See above for Navy showcasing... A brief trim so we do not see the pilot's face before Commander Owens looks at him on the stretcher. I always assumed the pilot was aged, and that it what Owens is reacting to. Removing the quick shot of his face allows that idea to be possible. The sequence showing the radar plane taking off is gone. Just more showcasing... The sequence of the crew prepping the weapons and whatnot is gone. See above... More shots of planes landing are gone. Extended dialogue talking about how Laurel is such a strong woman is cut. We get it already. A little shuffling of small scenes to break up the bits with the Captain, Lasky and Owens.. Close-up shots of the Zero pilots are gone in order to preserve some mystery... and they didn't look like they were really flying. The sequence of the jets "playing" with the Zero's is heavily trimmed down. It went on way too long. Just more showcasing.... The fight between the jets and the Zero's is trimmed down. Goes on too long and is just more Navy showcasing... The rescue of Laurel and the Senator is heaving trimmed. It just goes on too long. Scenes of the rescued people arriving on deck are gone. Mainly for pacing. The extended dialogue of Laurel and Commander Owens talking about her being a strong woman are trimmed. Again, we got it. The sequence of the planes taking off to fight the fleet is heavily trimmed. Way too long. Way, way too long. The sound for the returning storm is reduced. Just like the first time, it was too loud. That's about it!

Additional Notes:

The intent of the editing process was to make the cuts, hopefully, blend in without being noticed.

Other Sources:

Commercial Blu-ray.