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A Reel Life film section

Issue: Summer 2012


Philadelphia Experiment movie review

Movie poster, The Philadelphia Experiment; Festivale film review

Movie poster, The Philadelphia Experiment
Will You Survive?

In wartime U.S.A., the authorities are experimenting in making a ship radar-invisible. When the experiment goes awry the whole ship disappears and in the panic two 'average joe' crewmen jump overboard -- into the future.

Time travel is a popular science fiction premise. It gives the writers an opportunity to look at 'today' and 'tomorrow', comparing cultures. In this case television shows and drink cans.

As the story unfolds, our heroes are racing from the authorities who may or may not wish them well. They are trying to get back to their original base. On the way they meet a nice girl on her way to California, too.

There's nothing really new in this story. On the one hand it is the standard race to save the ship story and on the other its the required love story. Will he go? Can he stay?

Set and made in 1984 this film has the advantage that it isn't overloaded with special effects for the sake of them, or drenched in the darkness that is so popular in the science fiction of the early 21st century.

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by Ali Kayn
Australian release 16 Aug 1984
For credits and official site details, see below
Search Festivale for more work by the film-makers below.

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Just the facts:

Title: Philadelphia Experiment (1984)
Written by: Wallace C. Bennett & Don Jakoby story; Charles Berlitz & William L. Moore book ; William Gray & Michael Janover scr
Directed by: Stewart Raffill
running time: 102 mins
rating: PG


The Players: Michael Paré, Nancy Allen, Eric Christmas, Louise Latham,


Official website:
IMDb entry


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