Walt Disney's
Flight of the Navigator ( 1986)
Directed by Randal Kleiser
Directed by Randal Kleiser
For quite some time now, the blogosphere has been abuzz about a remake of the 1986 Disney Classic Flight of the Navigator, slated to be released this year. Flight of the Navigator happens to be one of my favorite childhood flicks. Though I've forgotten most of the details, the main storyline remained in my memory. To fuel the nostalgia, I decided to give it a re-watch.
I'm not so proud of this, but I viewed an illegally-acquired copy. You can't really blame me, alright? It's one of those hard-to-find old titles which are probably available only in video tape format. Besides, the world has had a shortage of VHS players.
So - I saw it again for the first time in more than two decades. It felt like being reunited with a friend from elementary school. After viewing, I concluded that the exact same movie that my seven-year-old mind classified as slightly dark and fast-paced actually wasn't. ^_^ The reason why I couldn't remember a lot of detail is because there actually wasn't much to it. It's a movie for kids after all. Synopsis here.
I also realized that the lab assistant of sorts - the older girl with the fluffy neon thing in her puffy, brown hair - was a young Sarah Jessica Parker:
Why I loved that flick then, and still remember it fondly:
- Well, for one thing, it was Disney. All children loved Disney.
- There was a kid in there.
- There was a sleek spacecraft, an alien robot that served as an AM/FM radio, and gross little extraterrestrial lifeforms.
- The CGI was phenomenal (for its time).
One of the things I remembered the most was the metallic outer membrane of the craft. I thought it was pretty enough to wear around my neck, and I imagined it would be cold to touch.
My favorite part has always been the appearance of the steps. I couldn't get over the fact that they looked solid and liquid at the same time. It was amazing too that they were suspended, with no obvious marks of what I called "camera trickery":
- Little me found the concept of time travel eerie, but intriguing.
- It had a sweet ending.
The moral lesson:
Don't go exploring into a dark wooded area alone, and especially do not go playing around with an alien spacecraft that might not take you back to the proper year.
And be nice to your annoying younger sibling because he might be your guiding light / saving grace in the future when he becomes older than you.
I've read some sentiments by Gen-X-ers over the rumored upcoming remake, and most of them think it'll unnecessary ruin their happy childhood mementoes, like many of the remade movies already have. I personally don't mind seeing a Flight of the Navigator 2011 with better graphics and a slightly more complicated plot involving Mulder and Scully types. But no thanks to a love interest for the 12-year old protagonist, if ever.
