The Philadelphia Experiment

I may have seen worse acting, but I really can't remember when. I stumbled upon this on Amazon Prime, and frankly, that was one wasted evening I'll never get back. At least the 1984 version, while a bit corny, was entertaining.

Whilst ironing I figured I'd turn the TV on, this film was already on. Ever witnessed a car crash or someone fall over, you know it's going to be bad but you couldn't look away? This was like that. I watched it to the bitter end, it's flawed and cheesy, poorly edited and the soundtrack trite, I rate several of the actors in it but you can only do so much so I don't lay the blame at their feet as if the script is laughable and the director tells you to stumble down that corridor uttering scripted banalities then that's what you do. The original was much better with probably a much smaller budget and FX team so watch that instead. Trust me. Still, I did get my ironing done and that's something.

Corniest movie I've ever seen - can't believe that Malcolm Macdowall would lend his name to this tripe.

Simply unbelievable sequences where a (seemingly) 30-35 year old woman can single handedly order nuclear attacks (OK OK - so she says the President authorized it - but dear me).

Not clear why they are trying to kill the main characters chasing them all over the countryside (despite the scientific advice that says don't do it).

Also when Carl finally gets off the ship by metamorphosing through the hull (how did he do that?) - there is Molly standing at that very point to meet him

Bad acting, bad writing, bad effects, bad everything. Don't waste your time. You have been warned.

This 2012 version of THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT is a failed reworking of the minor sci-fi classic that was the original. Gone is the military-focused, ship-bound storyline to be replaced by a generic 'government conspiracy' style tale, with lots of driving around and chatting as a couple of protagonists evade the generic bad guys.

The special effects are very limited and consist merely of a couple of 'electricity' effects which they really shouldn't have bothered with, as they're not very good. The hero duties are fulfilled by Nicholas Lea, who certain cult fans may remember playing Krychek in THE X-FILES, while the likes of Michael Pare and Malcolm McDowell prop up the cast. However, like a lot of low budget Canadian sci-fi movies in recent years, it's really not worth bothering with.