Philadelphia Experiment

There are a lot of questions surrounding The Philadelphia Experiment. How is it that 1940s era sailors got 1980s haircuts before they even traveled forty years into the future? How could Manfred Mann perform "The Runner" without worrying that a version of himself from 1964 might suddenly appear and rip out his vocal cords for singing such a typically idiotic 1980s type song? Why is that time travelers always make it look so easy to find a love interest? How was it that after screwing up the Philadelphia Experiment, the military still has complete confidence in Dr. James Longstreet to allow him to pursue his misguided experiments for the next forty years?

My rating: 9.7 and one half stars. The Philadelphia Experiment gets an extra half star because the time travelers see punk rockers at a diner out in the Nevada desert. Also, every car chase featured a vehicle flipping over.

To All Concerned:

As an Officer aboard the U.S. Navy destroyer, the U.S.S. Eldridge, during the period between 1941 and 1943, I was a witness to the events dramatized in the film. Yes, I found myself trapped in the hull of the ship and if it weren't for the aliens that came down from outer space at that exact moment, I wouldn't be here today to tell my story.

Anyway, the lack of attention to detail, like the '80's hairstyles, really took away from the film. But there were some fun things about the movie so if you like sci-fi films, you may very well enjoy this kooky story that some people have taken to believe was a true story.

This film is brilliant - I don't care what others think - It is your basic adventure time travel film. I think the plot is genius - When something disappears nobody thinks what's going on while it's invisible - This is what happens in the film as a ship is cloaked during world war 2 to prevent radar detection but the ship completely vanishes - while invisible 2 crew members jump overboard into one of the best time warps i've ever seen, into 1984 - I think the acting, effects and overall tension of the movie was way ahead of it's time and will remain my personal favourite film.

Based on an "actual event" that took place in 1943 and set during WW2 , a ¨Philadelphia experiment¨ about invisibility and involving an anti-radar goes wrong , causing an USS naval battleship -Navy Destroyer Escort- to disappear from the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard , Virginia , by means of a warp time . A pair of sailors (stars Michael Pare and Bobby DiCicco) find themselves thrown into a temporary hole and sent 40 years into the future . Then they find in modern world of 1984 and a cataclysm that threatens to destroy it and change the course of history . Meanwhile , they meet a beautiful girl(costars Nancy Allen) who help them .

This is a far-fetching but acceptable story about two sailors traveling forward in time to just to discover weird incidents and save the world . Reportedly (?) based on a true events that are developed with intrigue , suspense , thrills and noisy action . Familiar but satisfying and agreeable Sci-Fi yarn . Just amusement enough to cover production gaps and some flaws . Fine special effects for that time and liking performances by the leads manage to keep this one afloat . Good support cast as Louise Latham and Stephen Tobolowsky , among others . Colorful cinematography by Dick Bush and atmospheric musical score by Wannberg. The motion picture was professionally directed by Stewart Raffill . He's an expert on adventure genre as ¨Across the Great Divide¨ , ¨Sea Gypsies¨ and science fiction as ¨Ice pirates¨ , ¨Mc and Me¨ and of course this one . It's followed by an inferior sequel titled ¨Philadelphia experiment II ¨ with Brad Johnson . Rating : Acceptable and passable fare although better viewed in big screen .

I've seen every time travel movie ever made, and I must say that the Philadelphia Experiment ranks pretty high on my list of favorites. Despite the cheesy love story (almost as bad as Titanic or Pearl Harbor) the effects are pretty good and the story is cool.

The actors were fair (Nancy Allen was great, though) and the screenplay is pretty good. It's a really interesting story in itself, though. If you have any interest at all in this movie, I would strongly recommend looking for books about the actual Philadelphia Experiment. (sometimes found in collections of paranormal phenomenon) The supposed true story involves tests to camoflauge a navy ship - rendering it either invisible to radar or TRULY invisible (stories vary as to the exact intent of the experiment) apparently through the use of magnetic fields. The rumor is that the ship disappeared from the Philadelphia naval yard and TELEPORTED to a Virginia naval yard. The crew had a variety of side-effects, ranging from temporary invisibility and/or intangibility to getting phased into solid objects and getting stuck there. (a couple of people who were phased into solid objects can be seen in the movie - pretty cool!) The "true" story makes a great read and even if only a fraction of it is true, it's a pretty remarkable idea that any of it happened in reality.

The Philadelphia Experiment is an entertaining movie, but more for sci fi fans and their girlfriends rather than the average moviegoer. Stay away from the Philadelphia Experiment II, though... it's just awful.