The Philadelphia Experiment
A 1943 sailor stranded in 1984 races to understand a catastrophic invisibility experiment before time erases his remaining connections.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- suspenseful
- nostalgic
- melancholic
- cult movie night
- 1980s science fiction marathon
What critics said
Critics found an inventive and accessible time-travel premise undermined by dated effects and uneven execution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
David Herdeg and Jim Parker move from a 1943 naval experiment into 1984 and struggle to reconnect with their former lives.
The USS Eldridge is used in a wartime anti-radar invisibility experiment conducted for the United States Navy.
The disappearance of the destroyer escort and the sailors' subsequent temporal projection provide the film's central visual effects set pieces.
The displaced sailors attempt to contact their base and confront the changed world, institutions, and personal relationships of 1984.
Films like The Philadelphia Experiment, and why
The Final Countdown
shared time travel premise, military science fiction, and fish out of water tension
Somewhere in Time
shared displacement across historical eras, romance, and accessible science fiction adventure
Back to the Future
shared 1980s science fiction adventure, temporal paradoxes, and earnest emotional stakes
The Abyss
shared experimental technology, government secrecy, and suspenseful science fiction mystery
Movie Details
- Director
- Stewart Raffill
- Release Date
- 1984-10-05
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (472)
Cast
- Michael Paré
- Nancy Allen
- Eric Christmas
- Bobby Di Cicco
- Louise Latham
- Kene Holliday
- Joe Dorsey
- Michael Currie
- Stephen Tobolowsky
- Gary Brockette
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Philadelphia Experiment about?
- A 1943 sailor stranded in 1984 races to understand a catastrophic invisibility experiment before time erases his remaining connections.
- What is The Philadelphia Experiment like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Philadelphia Experiment as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Philadelphia Experiment violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Philadelphia Experiment.
- What did critics think of The Philadelphia Experiment?
- Critics found an inventive and accessible time-travel premise undermined by dated effects and uneven execution.
- Which films are like The Philadelphia Experiment?
- Films with a similar feel include The Final Countdown, Somewhere in Time, Back to the Future, and The Abyss.
- How long is The Philadelphia Experiment?
- The Philadelphia Experiment runs 102 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Philadelphia Experiment?
- In United States, The Philadelphia Experiment streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
