When the film shifts into the action mode in its second half -- the flying saucer returns to aid in David`s rescue -- it becomes quite bright and lively.
Flight of the Navigator
David Freeman is eight years late for dinner, and his family wants to know why. But David's got an absolutely fantastic excuse.
1986 · 1h 30m · PG
Adventure, Family, Science Fiction
Directed by
Randal Kleiser
Overview
12-year-old David is accidentally knocked out in the forest near his home, but when he awakens eight years have passed. His family is overjoyed to have him back, but is just as perplexed as he is that he hasn't aged. When a NASA scientist discovers a UFO nearby, David gets the chance to unravel the mystery and recover the life he lost.
Director and cast
- Randal Kleiser Director
- Joey Cramer as David Scott Freeman
- Paul Reubens as Max (voice) (as Paul Mall)
- Matt Adler as Jeff (16 years)
- Veronica Cartwright as Helen Freeman
- Cliff DeYoung as Bill Freeman
- Sarah Jessica Parker as Carolyn McAdams
- Robert Small as Troy
- Howard Hesseman as Dr. Louis Faraday
- Jonathan Sanger as Dr. Carr
- Richard Liberty Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
If there is more than a little something borrowed from Spielberg, Kleiser's movie is amiably undemanding entertainment that says the right things, albeit without great originality.
There's no mistaking Flight of the Navigator for a really first-rate children's picture like, say, The Black Stallion. But Flight of the Navigator is an enjoyable film that encourages kids to use their heads.
Whereas its plot may be derivative--and at several junctures, unconvincing--"Flight of the Navigator" nevertheless manages to develop considerable humor and poignancy from David's predicament and what he does about it.
This children's adventure turns out to be, despite its title, less of a Star Wars trip than an entertaining variation on the time-travel adventure Back to the Future.
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