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Flight of the Navigator

Flight of the Navigator

Family · Science Fiction · Adventure · 1986

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.

Movie details

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 Family · Science Fiction · Adventure 1h 30m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Flight of the Navigator?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Randal Kleiser

Written by

Matt MacManus · Michael Burton

Joey Cramer

Joey Cramer

David Scott Freeman

Paul Reubens

Paul Reubens

Max (voice)

Veronica Cartwright

Veronica Cartwright

Helen Freeman

Cliff DeYoung

Cliff DeYoung

Bill Freeman

Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker

Carolyn McAdams

Matt Adler

Matt Adler

Jeff (16 years)

Howard Hesseman

Howard Hesseman

Dr. Louis Faraday

Court is in session

Put Flight of the Navigator on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.