MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Up 552 this week

The Philadelphia Experiment (1984)

PG  |   |  Adventure, Biography, Drama  |  3 August 1984 (USA)
6.1
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 6.1/10 from 10,596 users  
Reviews: 53 user | 25 critic

A United States Navy destroyer escort participates in a Navy "invisibility" experiment that inadvertently sends two sailors 40 years into the future.

Director:

Writers:

(screenplay), (screenplay), 4 more credits »
0Check in
0Share...

On Disc

at Amazon

Top 25 Trivia Items From the Last 25 Years

Here are some amazing facts and figures to deepen your appreciation of the movies you love.

See the full list

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 40 titles
created 17 Jun 2012
 
a list of 48 titles
created 07 Jun 2014
 
a list of 21 titles
created 13 Jul 2014
 
a list of 40 titles
created 8 months ago
 
a list of 31 titles
created 8 months ago
 

Related Items

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: The Philadelphia Experiment (1984)

The Philadelphia Experiment (1984) on IMDb 6.1/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of The Philadelphia Experiment.

User Polls

1 win & 1 nomination. See more awards »
Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

The Philadelphia Experiment (TV Movie 2012)
Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 4/10 X  

In 'The Philadelphia Experiment', a secret government research project tries reviving the World War II "Philadelphia Experiment," which was an attempt to create a cloaking device to render ... See full summary »

Director: Paul Ziller
Stars: Nicholas Lea, Michael Paré, Ryan Robbins
Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 4.5/10 X  

David Herdeg's participation in a failed 1943 experiment in radar invisibility has propelled him 40 years into the future. An aberration in his genetic makeup enabled him to pass through ... See full summary »

Director: Stephen Cornwell
Stars: Brad Johnson, Marjean Holden, Gerrit Graham
Action | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A modern aircraft carrier is thrown back in time to 1941 near Hawaii, just hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Director: Don Taylor
Stars: Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, Katharine Ross
Documentary
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

The Philadelphia Experiment Revealed: Final Countdown to Disclosure from the Area 51 Archives The Bizarre Truth to Top Secret Experiments in Time Travel and Invisibility. In 1943, A U.S. ... See full summary »

Director: O.H. Krill
Drama | Mystery | Music
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

A television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader Eddie Wilson may still be alive, while searching for the missing tapes of the band's never-released album.

Director: Martin Davidson
Stars: Tom Berenger, Michael Paré, Joe Pantoliano
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A mercenary goes after his ex-girlfriend, a singer who has been kidnapped by a gang.

Director: Walter Hill
Stars: Michael Paré, Diane Lane, Rick Moranis
Starman (1984)
Adventure | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

An alien takes the form of a young widow's husband and asks her to drive him from Wisconsin to Arizona. The government tries to stop them.

Director: John Carpenter
Stars: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Charles Martin Smith
Adventure | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

H.G. Wells pursues Jack the Ripper to the 20th Century when the serial murderer uses the future writer's time machine to escape his time period.

Director: Nicholas Meyer
Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Mary Steenburgen, David Warner
Documentary
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.4/10 X  

A U.S. Navy Ship vanishes during a secret World War II Experiment gone awry. When it re-appears, observers are horrified to see crew members embedded in the deck and steel of the ship. ... See full summary »

Director: Bill Knell
Stars: Al Bielek, Duncan Cameron, Preston Nichols
Drama | Music | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.1/10 X  

A Montreal construction worker joins a band and turns out to be a long-lost rock star from 1960s New Jersey - none other than Eddie Wilson, who mysteriously disappeared after a road accident.

Director: Jean-Claude Lord
Stars: Michael Paré, Marina Orsini, Bernie Coulson
Adventure | Fantasy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

A man's vision for an utopian society is disillusioned when travelling forward into time reveals a dark and dangerous society.

Director: George Pal
Stars: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux
Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A discouraged video-gaming boy finds himself recruited as a gunner for an alien defense force.

Director: Nick Castle
Stars: Lance Guest, Robert Preston, Kay E. Kuter
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
Bobby Di Cicco ...
Louise Latham ...
...
Major Clark (as Kene Holliday)
Joe Dorsey ...
Michael Currie ...
...
Barney
Gary Brockette ...
Debra Troyer ...
Miles McNamara ...
Young Longstreet (as Miles Mc Namara)
Ralph Manza ...
Older Jim
James Edgcomb ...
...
Edit

Storyline

Reportedly based on a true incident during World War II involving an anti-radar or invisibility experiment that caused the U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Eldridge to disappear from Philadelphia Harbor. Two of the ship's sailors finds themselves thrown 40 years into the future to 1984. Written by K. Rose <rcs@texas.net> and D. Conwill <conwi1wd@cmich.edu>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

An adventure beyond time. The experiment that should never have happened 41 years ago... Is still going on. See more »


Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

3 August 1984 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Das Philadelphia Experiment  »

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(CFI)|

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Stewart Rafill rewrote the screenplay so that a love story developed between the characters David and Alison. Rafill also removed a lot of scientific dialog concerning explanations for the why and how of the time travel element of the film. See more »

Goofs

The talking alarm clock is still on the bedside table after David picks it up. See more »

Quotes

David Herdeg: [to transvestite] What the hell are you dressed like that for?
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Command & Conquer: Red Alert (1996) See more »

Soundtracks

I'll Never Smile Again
By Ruth Lowe
Published by MCA Music, A Division of MCA Inc.
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

Excellent bubble-gum science fiction.
27 December 1999 | by (Poughkeepsie, NY) – See all my reviews

People always seem to write this off as too soft and fuzzy, poorly executed, but it is one of the most charming and fun science fiction films I have ever seen. The effects are amazing and the direction is way more expressive than you would expect. As far as science fiction goes, this is no 'Alien' or 'Solaris' and it has logical loopholes you could drive a battleship through, but it is fast paced and lots of fun to watch. Be prepared to suspend your disbelief with steel girders and rent this.


19 of 26 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
History Channel program 'The True Story of the Philadelphia Experiment' northern_imager
Official Naval Reports huntsvillenews
no, it didn't happen. sheesh ca26
What do you know about this story? kapn_twitchy
Lost? kat4892
Caused the Bermuda Triangle... Gary1970
Discuss The Philadelphia Experiment (1984) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?