The Philadelphia Experiment Reviews

"We weren't here when it happened. The experiment took place on a ship in Philadelphia harbour. It was October 1943."

Legend has it that during World War II, the Navy conducted a top-secret experiment in Philadelphia to make their battleships invisible to enemy radars. Although the experiment worked, the test ship reportedly vanished for a temporary period of time. The vessel did reappear, but the crew suffered severe side effects: some disappeared, some went crazy, and some became physically fused to bulkheads, walls and floors. The consequences led to the project's swift abandonment, and to this day, the Navy denies that any experiment actually took place. Whether or not you believe that the Philadelphia Experiment is real, it is a fascinating myth that has captured imaginations around the world. It's an ideal premise for a feature film, which is why it's disappointing to report that 1984's The Philadelphia Experiment is so flat and underwhelming. Backed by a meagre budget and with a cheap '80s sensibility, it is a wasted opportunity.

The story picks up in 1943, with the titular experiment about to take place. David (Michael Paré) and Jim (Bobby Di Cicco) are two sailors onboard the U.S.S. Eldridge, the warship being used for the test. Things go awry during the experiment, prompting David and Jim to jump overboard in an attempt to escape. Alas, they get sucked into a wormhole which spits them out forty years into the future. Disorientated, the sailors set out to investigate what happened, ultimately getting caught up with sympathetic civilian Allison Hayes (Nancy Allen), who believes the boys' story and wants to help them. Before long, the government begins pursuing the sailors, who go on the run as they search for the truth.

Although the ideas behind The Philadelphia Experiment are sublime, the execution is muddled. In short, the vision is too ambitious for the budget, resulting in a hammy B-movie that should've been an intensely creepy A-grade chiller. The time travel concept is an interesting angle, but it forbids the filmmakers from exploring the nasty details of the experiment. Is time travel the best they could do with a fictionalised account of the experiment, which some say opened up a portal to another dimension? Everything feels too tame and constrained. Imagine if the film was more in the vein of a H.P. Lovecraft story. Interestingly, horror extraordinaire John Carpenter was initially supposed to write and direct the movie, but other projects detained him even though he still executive produced. It's a genuine missed opportunity. Worse, the film eventually sputters out with a nonsensical happy ending that is hopelessly contrived.

Another big problem with The Philadelphia Experiment is that the special effects are corny and dated. Hell, they are more than just dated; they look terrible even for the 1980s. Movies like Back to the Future and The Terminator handled time travel around the same time and look positively immaculate compared to the cheesy effects here. Some movies can work despite subpar special effects, but this isn't the case here; the effects hinder the story instead of helping it. It's astonishing that a studio would fund this rubbish and not provide the proper budget to make it work properly. On top of this, the sound mixing is also poor, with audio effects that sound either muffled or cheap. As a result, this sci-fi fantasy never comes to life in a plausible way, which is a detriment to the storytelling. Furthermore, the acting is wooden across the board, with Paré about as exciting as watching paint dry. Is there any surprise that Paré went on to become Uwe Boll's go-to actor?

Apparently, many problems with The Philadelphia Experiment stemmed from disagreements about the direction of the script, as well as budget cuts and other snags throughout the production phase. In this sense, it's appropriate for the film's title to carry the word "experiment," as the finished movie seems like more of a test run than a fully realised motion picture. Maybe fans of B-grade science fiction cinema will find something enjoyable here, and there are moments that work from time to time, but The Philadelphia Experiment could have - and should have - been far better.

4.1/10

Youtube the Philadelphia experiement there is a documentary on there from the history channel - sets you up well for the film which (to its credit) sticks to the known facts.