Movie Review: Flight of the Navigator

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Intriguing first half and fun second half

Cons: Very dated

The Bottom Line: 

Very dated film

But this sci-fi comedy

Mix still entertains

"Compliance, Navigator."

Flight of the Navigator is one of those movies I remember fondly from my childhood.  As an adult, I don't find it quite as much fun as I did then, but it is still enjoyable.

It's 1978, and David Freeman (Joey Cramer) is enjoying the 4th of July with his family.  When he goes to get his brother from a neighbor's, he takes a short cut through some woods and falls down a little hill.  He quickly gets up and goes home, only to find that his family doesn't live there.

It takes a while, but David learns that it is now 1986 (the year the movie came out), and he's been missing for 8 years.  He hasn't aged at all, but so his little brother is now older than he is.

Even stranger, his mind can communicate with machines.  NASA quickly makes a connection between him and a UFO they've found.  Will that explain where David has gone?

The movie pretty much splits itself into two halves.  The first half is a pretty serious mystery as the characters try to determine just what has happened to David.  But once David connects up with Max, the computer program in charge of the UFO, things take a trip into comedy.  Max is voiced by Paul Reubens, and his personality (and personality change) is a riot.  We go from mystery to comedy in a heartbeat, and I love every minute of the ride.

Of course, the movie hasn't aged perfectly.  The effects are dated at times, like the early computer effects when the UFO creates stairs or the wires operating some of the aliens.  On the other hand, the ship looks like it is really flying through the air, and Max is completely believable.

In an effort to show just how out of touch David is after being gone for 8 years, there are lots of references to current pop culture that are laughable now, even if you suffer from nostalgia.  It is definitely a product of the 80's.

The acting is also a bit of a mixed bag.  There are no real standout performances except maybe Paul Reubens' voice work as Max.  Don't get me wrong, the acting doesn't pull you out of the movie, but it's not that outstanding either.  Most interesting to me is the inclusion of Sarah Jessica Parker in one of her early roles and Howard Hesseman as the NASA scientist trying to learn all he can from David.

Parents will want to know that, despite the PG rating, I caught at least two uses of the s word.  There's also lots of name calling between the brothers in the film.

Flight of the Navigator hasn't aged as well as I had hoped.  It's very much a product of its time, and looking at it 25 years later makes that obvious.  But even with the dated elements, it's still a fun, light movie.