Flight of the Navigator is a pretty difficult beast to review. Having been enthralled by David and MAX’s wacky time-hopping adventure throughout my childhood, it’s tough to be totally objective about a film that’s a four or five star flick to me in terms of nostalgia but is only a three in reality. Then again, maybe that’s all anyone needs to know – it’s probably only worth taking the punt on the DVD or Blu-ray if you adored it as a kid.
However at £15.99 for the standard def version (which has already been released once, years ago), it’s only worth stumping up if you’re a truly hardcore fan – especially as the only extra is an audio commentary by the filmmakers. Still, even if you’re not already inducted into the charm of this 80s pseudo-classic, it’s still an inoffensively fun caper with plenty to write home about.
It’s 1978 and David Freeman is wandering through the local woods in search of his eight-year-old brother when he falls down a ravine. Shaking himself off and climbing out of the ditch, it’s not long before he discovers it’s suddenly eight years in the future and that an alien named MAX is responsible for cocking up his and his family’s lives.
It’s a great concept that’s dealt with remarkably well. The scene where David returns home and finds strangers living in his house is nothing short of heart-wrenching as the 12-year-old kid breaks down asking the new tenants “Where’s my mom and dad?”. Following that the film throws up concepts such as a younger brother becoming an older one, government interference and Sarah Jessica Parker not being a pain in the arse. Couple all that with MAX taking David on an adventure across the country aboard an awesome spaceship and you’ve got a lot to chew on for 90 minutes. It’s a plot-rich slice of sci-fi family fun that still holds up today. Still, watching it for the first time as an adult, you’d be hard pushed to enjoy it as much, but it’s definitely one that’d be tough to hate. Just wait for the price to drop a little first.
Overall Verdict: An 80s classic in the same vein as Short Circuit – not brilliant, but still good clean fun.
Special Features:
Director’s commentary
Reviewer: Jordan Brown