It’s a movie from the 80s that is loved by many and has gained such a huge following since its release back in 1986, now in Life After The Navigator from renowned writer/director Lisa Downs we are taken beyond the Flight of the Navigator and find out more about the rollercoaster life that its star Joey Cramer took after the films immense popularity.
The new documentary is the second in the series of “Life After” documentaries with the first being the brilliant Life After Flash which brought us the journey that star of Flash Gordon, Sam J. Jones, went on after his success in a movie that has become a cult classic.
Life After The Navigator is a great continuation in the series and I have to say that I found it very moving as well. Those that have seen the film Flight of the Navigator (there aren’t many people that haven’t) will remember the amazing performance from the young Joey Cramer as the boy that travel eight years into the future and has a wild adventure with a wise-cracking and very intelligent ship voiced by Paul Rubens, the film also featured amazing cast list including Cliff De Young, Veronica Cartwright, Sarah Jessica Parker and many more.
But many don’t know what happened to Cramer after a few other TV appearances before his life took an unexpected turn. Cramer ended his acting career in the late 1990s, but a decade later he began a succession of run-ins with the authorities. In 2008 he was prosecuted for careless storage of a firearm. later that year he had another altercation and in 2010 another.
In 2016 Cramer was arrested in connection with a bank robbery of a Scotiabank outlet that occurred in Sechelt, British Columbia a few days earlier.
Lisa Downs’ Life After The Navigator has been produced in such a wonderful way that after a short while of watching it you start to feel the pain that Joey has been going through over the years, seeing how his life took the wrong fork in the road and how it not only affected his life, but also those around him, we see the passion and love that he has for his daughter and how his life has been turned around and how he is now taking a step in the right direction and heading back into the work of film and TV.
I found myself tearful on several occasions as I learnt more about Joey’s life and what had happened to the child actor that stole the hearts of many in one of the best Sci-Fi films of the 80s, but it also brought a smile to my face and feeling of joy as I found out more on how his life had gone from amazing to rock bottom and then on the rise again.
There are some great scenes in Life After The Navigator such as Joey catching up with cast members from the film and how he even gives us some great tunes that he has been working on, which I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed.
Life After The Navigator is a superb piece of documentary work from Lisa Downs, the interviews with not only Joey but also with cast members, director of Flight of the Navigator Randal Kleiser and even the puppeteers of the film is amazing, we get to learn so much more about the film as well, which is great for fans of the film, this is a must-see and I highly recommend you watch this thought-provoking and fascinating feature documentary.
Now I can’t wait for the third in the “Life After” series which, I have been told by Lisa, is going to be Life After Atreyu which is a celebration of another classic movie loved by all, The Neverending Story and the story of its star Noah Hathaway.
Life After The Navigator is released UK on BluRay – 9th November Released ROW (BluRay and streaming) and on 9th December BluRay is Region Free, with over 70 minutes of bonus features, plus a 12-page collectors booklet.
The Rocky Journey of The Navigator
Movie title: Lifer After The Navigator
Movie description: A feature that not only celebrates the 1986 classic "Flight of the Navigator", but also looks at the life of its child star, Joey Cramer, and his roller-coaster life since that breakthrough role.
Date published: November 9, 2020
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 30min
Director(s): Lisa Down
Actor(s): Joey Cramer, Veronica Cartwright, Cliff De Young
Genre: Documentary
Summary
Life After The Navigator is a beautifully put together documentary from Lisa Downs in the “Life After” series.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
