Well, I tend to like this film better than you two guys. Umbrella Sam, I do agree with you in the fact the plot at the beginning of the film not being wrapped up is a flaw in THE NAVIGATOR. The whole spy angle and the fate of the girl's father do not get addressed at all in the end, and at least the latter point should be of great importance to the girl...obviously a main character we invest in throughout the whole film.
One thing I will disagree with is is the first 10 minutes on the boat being "insufferably boring." Paul's version of boring is my version of genius, and to each their own. That said, I've seen THE NAVIGATOR several times over the past fifteen to twenty years, and whenever I think of this film, that part where Buster and Kathryn McGuire are on the boat looking for each other is something I always think fondly of. First off, the fresh cigarette butt on the ground is a fantastic clue for Kathryn McGuire to know Buster is there, very subtle and excellent filmmaking. Then the camera set up making the boat maze like and the various timings of the way Keaton and McGuire keep missing each other is fantastic. This is a wonderful case of milking a gag in several variations for all its worth, and I enjoy this part immensely. Also, within this part there is the nice gag of Buster losing his hats to the wind and nonchalantly grabbing a new one out of nowhere....a nice touch.
I agree with you guys about the night gags and Buster's long walk at the beginning of the film. Want to add the picture gag when Buster trying to sleep involves a picture of Donald Crisp, Keaton's co-director in this film. Crisp was also a famous actor before and decades after THE NAVIGATOR going well into the talkie era. Check out his filmography on imdb, it's impressive.
As far as the stuff with the natives, I'll say I don't find it racist at all. The NAVIGATOR is over 90 years old and is portraying an indigenous culture pre Internet, pre television, radio just started, flight travel was not as common, and the fact is these natives probably never saw a white person in their life. A sad but true commentary on human nature is that different races and cultures, before being integrated together, tend to treat each other with less than kindness, and I can understand fear on both sides. I don't like being too political, but when viewing really old films, I suppose sometimes this stuff is unavoidable. That being said, I think the whole scene with the natives makes for a pretty cool action/adventure reel, and I do enjoy it. Keaton being underwater is also great, as I love the way he uses a lobster to cut a wire and the swordfish fight is classic. The ending where they land in the submarine, while not bad, is a bit sudden in my eyes. Perhaps it goes back to the beginning of the film not being wrapped up properly.
Not a perfect film like the last couple, but THE NAVIGATOR I still find to be a really creative and funny film I return to a lot. Another victory for Buster.
9/10