Flight of the Navigator (1986)

Written by CinemaSerf on April 13, 2022

This has stood the test of time remarkably well since it was released in 1986. Aside from a rather dated synthesised soundtrack, it's still quite a fun sci-fi adventure. When "David" (Joey Cramer) goes to meet his brother, he slips and bangs his head. Returning home he discovers that, well it isn't his home any more. The police soon reunite him with his parents but where has he been for the last eight years? Scientists decide to prod and poke him, and that's when he discovers they have a space ship - and that ship is calling to him. Once onboard, he realises that he was an experiment that went wrong for the ship's super computer - but can they sort it all out and get the youngster back to the correct timeline before the authorities catch up? There's no jeopardy here, so of course we now what's going to happen - but there are a couple of amiable efforts from the young Cramer, from his partner in crime at the lab "Carolyn" (Sarah Jessica Parker - no less) and Howard Hesseman makes for decent scientist "Dr. Faraday". The story is a simple family-friendly affair, with adequate visual effects as the ship changes shape, travels underwater, at high speed, etc. I like watching this every now and again - it has a inquisitive good-nature to it that makes for a good watch.