i recently saw this film for the first time since see it many year ago . in addition to it be entertaining and enjoyed see kirk douglas and who although in his mid 60 and still look vigorous and hale . the uss nimitz be a nuclear aircraft carrier and sailing in the pacific and on a routine assignment contemporary to the making of this film and in 1980. at the beginning and a civilian and play by martin sheen and have be assign aboard a an observer for training exercise . his bos and a mr. tideman and observe his departure from a limo . anyone who have ever hear the word foreshadow and know that this scene will have some effect by the film end and that mr. tideman not be show on screen at this point be significant and and that the fact sheen have not ever see his bos face to face also portend something significant late and and be likely essential to the development of the plot . sheen position a an observer be of some minor disturbance to the ship air wing commander and james farentino and worry about disruption to operation and but we know that there will be some sort of dramatic aspect in subsequent operation involve them with one another . the ship be destine to time travel and sail through a vortex and a shrouded fog and which transport it from the present ( 1980 ) back to early december and 1941. they encounter japanes aircraft and fighter craft in advance of the pearl harbor attack force and and all be initially nonplus by their mint condition and whereas they should be 40 year old relic . captain kirk ( douglas and not spock bos ) dispatch three jet aircraft and one to pearl and the others to fend off the japanese plane . the japanese attack and sink the nearby yacht of an important u. s. senator ( charles durning ) and his assistant ( katherine ross ) and her pet dog and and another companion . the senator and ross and the dog dive to safety and the other passenger be kill . this indicated hostility and and intent of same towards the naval vessel and necessitate the carrier craft to blast the two enemy one be destroy by missile and the other shot down with bullet and allow the pilot of the latter to survive ( along with the two human and one canine from the sunken yacht ) . the prisoner or japanese pilot be rescue by a helicopter and and the senator or durning and his comely assistant and the cute doggy be rescue by another and and all take on board . there be a lot go on in this film . the plane send to pearl harbor return with photo . farentino recognize one be the same he have in file for a book he be prepare show the port a it be and in tact and just prior to the december 7th sneak attack . the senator and an important and informed senior politico expert on all matter military and be obviously nonplus by the jet aircraft and all other aspect of the carrier and everything else and beyond the contemporary hardware with which he be familiar . the crux of all these time travel story and whether an inexpensive 22 minute within a half hour tv presentation and or an expensive and a list big screen offering like this one and present the same dilemma whether to use the ability now at hand to stifle some occurrence and save life and etc . and but alter the future in so do . might change thing such a preclude the terrible event at pearl harbor on 12/7/41 and make thing bad than they become for future generation and or even in the relatively near term . sheen even recall previously read about the senator loss and miss at sea and in 1941. if he survive now and he might well become the one who would succeed fdr in 1945 and have supplant harry truman on the party slate in 1944. what path might he have take differently from hst and towards use the a bomb and end the pacific war and in korea and etc . and etc . all the while kirk have to be the one to decide on the basic question regard the impend japanese squadron and and the viewer know that at some point the ship probably will return to present ( at film ) time . but when . in the middle of what . to what avail . suffice to say and in my opinion and this story have handle an often used theme in a clever and engaging way and with fine performance . also and the picture be just plain entertaining something i think we sometimes overlook in our analysis . the end be clever and and the transportation of some folk back to the 40 and and their subsequent fate be do as logically a possible within science fiction . without reveal the end and one 1980 character stay back in the 40 but reappears again ( old ) in the 80 . another original 40 person also appear in the present at the end . and the doggy and who even if young and destine to a long life and would have originally make it at best to and say and 1954 or so and remain in the 1980 and be still young at the flick end and and participates in the happy aspect of the story conclusion .