The Philadelphia Experiment

1984
PG
1h 42m

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

17K

YOUR RATING

Nancy Allen and Michael Paré in The Philadelphia Experiment (1984)

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67 Photos

Time Travel Adventure Drama Romance Sci-Fi Thriller

A United States Navy destroyer escort participates in a Navy "invisibility" experiment that inadvertently sends two sailors forty years into the future.A United States Navy destroyer escort participates in a Navy "invisibility" experiment that inadvertently sends two sailors forty years into the future.A United States Navy destroyer escort participates in a Navy "invisibility" experiment that inadvertently sends two sailors forty years into the future.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

17K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations

Videos1

Trailer 2:54

Watch Trailer [EN]

Photos67

+ 59

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Back in 1980, AVCO Embassy Pictures asked John Carpenter, who served as an executive producer on this film, to write and direct this film after the successes of Halloween (1978) and The Fog (1980). However, Carpenter showed them Escape from New York (1981) (which he wrote years earlier), and they did that instead.

Goofs
David and Jimmy's hairstyles are not characteristic of those found in the 1940s, particularly for sailors. This is also true for several of the other men seen during this time period in the film.

Quotes
Jim Parker: Isn't that - water up ahead?
David Herdeg: No. This is a desert. And that's a mirage.
Jim Parker: [later, walking through the flooded plain] How much longer you think this mirage is gonna last?

Connections
Featured in At the Movies: The Philadelphia Experiment/Purple Rain/Careful, He Might Hear You/After the Rehearsal (1984)

Soundtracks
In the Mood
Music by Joe Garland
Published by Shapiro and Bernstein Co. Inc.

User reviews90

Review

Featured review

7/10

Despite the Paradoxes, an Enjoyable Film

In 1943, the United States tests an anti-radar system to make the U. S. Navy ships invisible to the enemy. Dr. James Longstreet uses his experiment in the destroyer escort USS Eldridge that disappears from Philadelphia. The sailors David Herdeg (Michael Paré) and his best friend Jim Parker (Bobby Di Cicco) are projected to 1984, where they meet Allison Hayes (Nancy Allen). They unsuccessfully try to contact their base and out of the blue Jimmy disappears in a hospital. Allison helps David to visit Jimmy's wife Pamela, but Jimmy refuses to see him. Now David's only hope is meeting Dr. James Longstreet to learn what to do. Will he be well succeeded?

"The Philadelphia Experiment" is an enjoyable film with a story with paradoxes, like most of the stories about time travel. The conclusion is corny and romantic, but works well. The military team in the Jeep shooting David and Allison in their car during the persecution through the highway is ridiculous. But anyway this film is still a great entertainment after so many years. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Projeto Filadélfia" ("Philadelphia Project")

Note: On 08 July 2022, I saw this film again.