Movie Talk: The Philadelphia Experiment (1984)

[JBird]

I'm cheating with this selection, as it was the movie of choice for Film Sack, and I didn't see anything else on Netflix that wasn't a TV show.

Originally Posted by Netflix

A secret experiment to disguise a naval battleship from enemy radar inexplicably sends a pair of World War II sailors 40 years into the future. They arrive in 1984 to a changed world and a bizarre electrical storm that seems linked to their arrival.

I went into this with no knowledge of this movie's existence. And by the end of it, I'm sure I will end up forgetting about it. For an 80's sci-fi film, it felt really light on the science, which, according to the trivia, the director made it that way to focus more on the romance between the main character, played by Michael Paré, and the love interest, Nancy Allen.

And that's the main problem with the movie, in my opinion: the romance between two people with little to no chemistry. The only other movie I remember Paré from is Eddie and the Cruisers 2: Eddie Lives, and he can be a pretty decent dramatic actor. And I felt like he was wasted in this movie, as his character's situation and future shock was downplayed for most of the movie (another decision made by the director).

All in all, it's dull film with very little to offer.