hackraytex
This was the first movie that I noticed Michael Pare' in. I had watched him in "The Greatest American Hero" but he was a supporting player and I think he left the series before it ended. I did not see "Eddie And The Cruisers" until later and that was Tom Berenger's movie so Mr. Pare' was a supporting actor in it too. Of course, "Eddie And The Cruisers II' was Michael Pare's movie through and through. This no disrespect to Michael Pare' but at that time, I tended to focus on the lead actors and actresses rather than the supporting actors. However, after seeing "The Philadelphia Experiment", I came away with the opinion that Michael Pare' was an actor who was going places and was I ever right. He has a very successful career and is one of the actors that I like in almost every part that he does. Nancy Allen and Bobbi DiCicco also have done well in their careers. Good job to all of you and the rest of the cast of this important movie.
Michael_Elliott
The Philadelphia Experiment (1984) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Nice bit of sci-fi and romance about two WWII sailors (Michael Pare, Bobby DiCicco) who take part in an experiment that will put an invisible shield around ships that will allow them not to be spotted by enemy ships. The experiment ends up going wrong and the two men find themselves in 1984 not knowing what went wrong but they meet a woman (Nancy Allen) who tries to help them. THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT is a pretty interesting little film that sadly just doesn't have the budget or performances to really work as well as it possibly could have. THE FINAL COUNTDOWN is a film that dealt with a few similar ideas and I think overall that film is much, much better but this one here still has enough going for it to make it worth viewing. I think the most interesting aspects deal with the sailor trying to come to terms with the fact that he's in an unknown place and soon he realizes that everything and everyone he knew is now gone. I thought the scenes with him trying to find someone from his past were the most interesting and made for some nice drama. The sci-fi elements are also pretty good as the mystery to what happened is something that keeps you glued to the film even when the special effects are making you want to gag. I understand this was a low-budget film but the effects here are beyond bad no matter when they were made. I found the performances to be mixed as well. I thought Pare didn't bring enough to the part and there were times that he came across pretty bad including a scene in a hotel where he breaks down. DiCicco is fairly good in his part and Allen is dependable as she always is. THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT has plenty of interesting ideas but one really wishes that the producers were given a bit more money to do something with it.
cutterccbaxter
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.
lawnmowermantx
One thing for certain, there is controversy about this Experiment, and the only 'issue' I have is the audio. I had to crank the audio just to hear the movie. Also, the music well played, and my concern about launching "David" in the center of the vortex w/out the truck being taken up also. I rented the DVD of this movie from Netflix, but I was disappointed of the missing deleted scenes, or director's cut edition. Is there a way to improve the audio, and add all of the missing scenes? I would give it a 10! :) But our government knows what's best for its voters. :) I also wonder, if there is an updated remake of this movie, and keep the original cast and crew? I wonder if there are other projects the U.S. Navy has kept secret? Then again, less I know the less I have to testify. :)
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