Flight of the Navigator

Innocuously entertaining, Flight of the Navigator follows 12-year-old David Freeman (Joey Cramer) as he briefly loses consciousness after stumbling down a small hill and subsequently wakes up eight years later. Given that the boy doesn’t seem to have aged a day, NASA scientists, led by Howard Hesseman’s Dr. Faraday, are extremely interested in figuring out just what happened to David (and where he disappeared to during that time). David’s return also coincides with the appearance of a seemingly impenetrable spaceship, though it’s not long before the scrappy youngster finds himself piloting the craft alongside a sarcastic computer named Max (Paul Reubens). It’s an intriguing sci-fi premise that’s generally employed to middling, kid-oriented effect by director Randal Kleiser, as the film, which unfolds primarily from David’s perspective, contains an ongoing emphasis on elements designed to capture (and sustain) the interest of younger viewers. This is never more true than in the scenes set aboard the futuristic spacecraft, which tend to involve David teaching Max how to behave more “human” (eg David shows Max how to groove along to The Beach Boys). Cramer’s affable performance is matched by Reubens’ entertainingly off-the-wall turn as Max, and though the whole thing vanishes from one’s memory moments after it concludes, Flight of the Navigator is nevertheless a watchable bit of family entertainment that will likely thrill younger viewers.

**1/2 out of ****