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The Philadelphia Experiment takes as its jumping-off point an incident that is now paranormal legend, the U.S. Navy's supposed 1943 inductionof an extremely powerful electromagnetic field around a destroyer in Philadelphia, causing its crew to become transparent, go insane, burst into flames, and so forth. The movie takes the tack that this was to render the ship invisible to radar, because of the war that was on. The test goes awry, however, and two of the crew leap forward in time to the filmmakers' present tense, 1984, where a similar experiment has caused a vortex that has trapped the 1943 ship and its crew along with a small Nevada town. The key to unbollixing this sad time-fracture lies in our heroes, the two time-travelling crew members, David Herdeg (MichaelParé) and Jim Parker (Bobby Di Cicco), whose electromagnetic instabilitykeeps drawing them painfully back to the vortex to set things straight. This is silly stuff, but it's very fun silly stuff. One might cavil at gaps in plot logic, such as when Michael Paré seeks out the '80s version of his partner and finds more or less a trauma patient, while subsequent action contradicts this characterization. Still, there are plenty of still-worthy special effects, creating the requisite sense of awe and wonder. And for romantic interest, there's Nancy Allen's '80s girl paired with Michael Paré, affording plenty of amusing occasions for culture comparisons, most notably when Paré sees Ronald Reagan on TV, says, "Hey,I know that guy!" and refuses to believe he's president. --Jim Gay ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Exciting !
The Philadelphia Experiment, based on a true story, was a military experiment in WWII. The idea was to make a battle ship, stationed in Philadelphia, invisible for the enemies and radars. But the mission failed and two sailers make a time travel in our present.

I like time travel science fiction movies. The movie has very good actors (Michael Pare and Nancy Allen), an exciting plot and an interesting soundtrack.

The executive producer was John Carpenter and you will remark his present in the movie making.

SHIP AHOY
When it comes to time travel on the screen, there have been many, many attempts. My favorite is the STAR TREK episode in which Shatner travels back in time, falls in love with Joan Collins, and she gets killed, and he has to leave her behind. In THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT, things turn out a little better for the timecrossed lovers. Based on what was supposedly a real experiment in 1943, the movie chronicles the fate of Michael Pare and Bobby DiCicco, who during the experiment in Philadelphia find themselves in 1984 Nevada. Somehow the same scientist who did the 1943 experiment is still at it, trying to make a town invisible. In doing so, he opens a vortex that brings the two 40s soldiers to modern times. Pare falls in love with the wonderful Nancy Allen (CARRIE, BLOWOUT, DRESSED TO KILL), and their romance is a key element in the eventual climax.
The special effects are commendable for a 1984 movie; the direction is adequate, and most of the performances very good. Nancy combines her naivete with those lovely eyes to make a wonderful heroine, and Michael Pare shows a good range of emotion in trying to decide where he truly belongs.
This is one of the better time travel movies, and inspired a sequel with Brad Johnson.

A nice little twisted time travel tale (that is not true)
"The Philadelphia Experiment" is supposedly the about an experiment the U.S. Navy conducted in 1943 to make the U.S.S. "Eldridge" invisible to radar. However, the experiment goes (surprise) horribly wrong and the ship is contaminated with a deadly dose of radiation. Two of the sailors, David Herdeg (Michael Paré) and Jim Parker (Bobby Di Cicco), jump overboard as their crewmates are catching on fire and getting trapped in bulkheads and end up traveling through a rift in time to 1984 (i.e., the present in terms of that being the year this movie was made). One of them gets sent back but the other does not and not only are the authorities after him but it seems that pesky hole in time is wrecking havoc with the climate (not as bad as "The Day After Tomorrow," but serious enough).

This is a fun little B-movie that most science fiction fans can enjoy as long as they do not take it too seriously. The reason it is considered to be based on a "true" story is that it is based on a 1979 "non-fiction" book that claimed the Navy was fooling around with Einstein's Unified Field Theory and sent the "Eldridge" from Philadelphia to the harbor in Norfolk, Virginia, and then back again. The story is based on some dubious evidence and apparently since the U.S.S. "Eldridge" never ever docked at the Philadelphia Naval Yard the title appears to be suspect as well. The Navy has offered an official explanation that what happened was a routine degaussing of the ship, which meant it was surrounded with electrical cables to negate the magnetic field (the idea is that it would render the ship invisible to radar but not to human eyes). Of course to some people this explanation just screams cover up.

Ultimately this film is not concerned with the "science" of the so-called experiment because that is all just an excuse for a more traditional time travel story and within that genre there are few interesting things going on here. There are some fun moments as Herdeg encounters the brave new world (Orwell's "1984" did not come out until 1948, so he does not know that the future is brighter than people had thought in the 1940s). Herdeg hooks up with an airhead, Allison Hayes (Nancy Allen), who eventually comes to believe that he is not lying about when he is from and tries to help him get back home. It is just as well because there is really no chemistry between these two. After "Eddie & the Cruisers" and "Streets of Fire" we all thought Paré was going to have a career, but this film seems to have derailed it. Come to think of it the same can be said for Allen, outside of the "Robocop" movies.

The special effects are rather simplistic, but quite effective for the time. They were certainly good enough to lure more than a few people into seeing this film from director Stewart Raffill ("The Ice Pirates," "Mac and Me"). Plus you have the standard lesson than there are some things scientists should not be messing around with otherwise a wormhole will destroy the world as we know it, which was not really an omnipresent science fiction plot line at that point (CGI made destroying the planet much more fun). There is a 1993 sequel to this film, but try to forget about it because it belongs on everyone's short list of worst science fiction sequels ever. This one at least gives you some things to think about, not all of which are about how to poke holes in the story.

good movie - BAD DVD
I am a 29 year old man who remebered this movie fondly from my childhood. So i pointed, clicked and oredered it up. I was horrified the instant the menu came up on screen and the option to start the movie was spelled wrong, it read "STRAT MOVIE". This should give you some idea as to the level of care and attention that went into the production of this inferior product.
The picture quality was unforgivable. Usually a bad transfer doesnt bother me that much as long as I can see whats going on, but this movie transfer is pathetic. I am not kidding when I say that you are better off ordering a clean VHS copy than wasting your time and money on this DVD. It was absolutely unwatchable on my widescreen TV, I eventually had to put it in my computer to watch it as the "pixelization" was so bad ... consider youself warned.....

Excellent B Movie
I remember seeing this movie for the first time when I was about 9. It certainly piqued my interest in the paranormal, but at the time, I was unaware that the movie was based on alleged experiments by the US Navy. It's a B-sci fi movie complete with silly exaggerations, decent special effects, general cheesiness and the inevitable romance that ensues - in this case between a skeptical Nancy Allen and a confused Michael Pare. This movie is not to be taken very seriously.

If you are looking for mindless entertaiment, this is an excellent movie to satisfy your craving. It may even spark an interest in reading further about the allegedly real Philadelphia Experiment. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Ice Pirates leave a warm feeling!
What a wonderful piece of sci-fi fun! I always loved this picture since the first time I saw it WAAAYYY back in '84. I have to admit, it's not for everybody. You really have to be in a class of science fiction fans who also enjoy movies like Sleeper or tv shows like Red Dwarf. My only regret about Ice Pirates was that the director didn't have a larger budget--then again... Urich, Roberts and Huston (The Space Samurai Chick!) really steal the show--check out the gut-funny scene when Ulrich and Roberts were about to lose their "manhood". Hilarious!! The story is ludicrous in itself, water has become more valuable than gold or silver. I always found it funny that these people have the ability of interstellar travel but they can't produce water. I give the movie four stars--even though it loooks really bad on tv--in anyevent, Ice Pirates makes me wish filmmakers would produce more sci-fi satires. Long Live Jason and his Ice Pirates!

clasic cult sci fi
i stumbled across this in a video shop that imports vids from all over the world & it only cost me £2.99 (about $6.00) it aint a pg here thogh its a 15 so i had to get some 1 to buy it.
my mates used to pile round to watch it evry so offten the short guy loved the tiny robot kicking hell out of the big one

cant wait for it on dvd

I'm tired of waiting
I remember when cable was first introduced into this world except it was called "ON TV" where i'm from. I remember when this movie came on at that time. I was amazed by the humor and science fiction mixed into this great film. I'm still searching for a copy on DVD. I can't wait I've tried everything as to getting this film on DVD. I tried to buy a DVD format machine, but it was sold out. I'm getting impatient, but I still have some patience, and not for long.

SWKO-period piece
This a cult B-sci fi, and another SWKO (Star Wars Knock Off). Another Period Price. To it's credit, it is a lot funnier than Buckaroo Banzai.

A different type of sci-fi
This is one of my all time favorite b movies. The fx aren't well done but the story is great. There needs to be more cheesey sci fi movies like this, and space raiders. I would really be heart broken if this title never arrives on DVD because I would love to add it to my collection. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

I loved it as a kid...so I bought it for mine!!
"We are a wilderness family..." Ever since the first time I watched this movie as a kid I have wanted to move to the mountains and live off of the land!!

This movie is a good wholesome family movie. It was filmed in the late 70's/early 80's and you can really tell. Plus, the acting gets pretty stiff in numerous places and some of the story lines are a bit forced. BUT...it is still fun to watch all these years later.

I have gotten so tired of all the junk that is out there for kids (???) these days so when my girls aren't watching PBS I like for them to watch videos instead. This is one that stresses family values like love and team work. There is no "potty humor", no cartoon characters, and the language in entirely appropriate for everyone in the family.

GREAT movie if you want to limit your kids exposure to junkfood for the brain.

It may be unrealistic but I don't really care!!
I saw this movie in it's theatrical release when I was ten years old and I enjoyed it and didn't care then and don't care now that it was unrealistic and cute and cuddly I just thought it was enjoyable and still do, and I know that in the real world you would not go up to wild animals and play with them because that is dangerous and I also knew that way back in 1975 when I was a little girl watching this movie in the theater, I think you would have to be really dumb or have a major reality problem to actually think you can go up to and actually play with wild animals! But the movie is just pure entertainment suitable for the whole family unless you happen to be the type who hates wholesome family movies and finds them sappy and dorky and if that is the case just don't watch them and if you do like them, watch them and enjoy!

I LOVE IT
I loved this movie as a child and even more as an adult...and am so happy that my child will get to watch it...

one of the greatest family films out there
This is one of the greatest family films out there, folks! My brothers and I grew up watching this series and my boys will grow up watching them as well. Action, adventure, family and fun. And all without a swear word or the slightest flash of nudity! Who knew that stuff like this could really sell?
Gather your family together, pop a bowl of popcorn, and enjoy the Adventures of the Winderness Family!

Great family movie!!!!
I too watched this as a kid and just found it in a local store today. We just got done watching it and I wanted to see if I could find the other 2 movies. Only one complaint about the other review, they weren't stranded they moved there on purpose!! They just wanted to get out of the city and raise their kids in the wilderness and they end up having many adventures. ... Read more

Description

Greetings, earthlings. A pint-sized extraterrestrial has just landed on our planet by accident…and he's feeling a little alienated because he got separated from his family upon arrival. Fortunately, the hilarious, intergalactic antics of this Mysterious Alien Creature (MAC) will help him charm his way into the heart of everyone he meets, including Ronald McDonald in a rare cameo! ... Read more

Reviews (35)

Nice childhood movie, dissapointing DVD release
I never thought this movie would ever be on DVD, but here it is. The Mac alien with all his Coke and McDonald's.

Ok, it's a obvious E.T. rip-off, it's 90 minute-length McDonald's spot. But... who cares? Mac is extremely cute! The movie is a nice flick for kids, and the alien is adorable.

There's nothing wrong with the movie that we don't already know, but the DVD Edition is truly dissapointing. Why this FULL SCREEN format? ANY DVD MUST be released on its 16:9 original aspect ratio. This movie wasn't for video market, it had a short theathers release. It's a big fault this picture format, I don't know what MGM was thinking. Apart from this: picture is OK, sound is OK (nothing remarkable) but a little bit low and the trailer is ok. Nothing else, a bare-bones DVD.

Anyway, I don't think "Mac And Me" will be ever re-released on a "Special Edition" or whatever, so... I think this is the only way we can have this movie on DVD; so be it. If it wasn't for the fullscreen, the DVD would be pretty good.

Recommended for the 80's kids like me.

Mac and Cheese tastes best with Coke.
The movie Mac and Cheese portrays a druggie alien whose main goal in life was to kill The Wheelchair Boy and steal his Coke. The sex scene in the movie is great. Let's talk about Mac: He's a mutated meerkat, whose addiction for Coke made him leave his planet to come to earth...just to get one fix. While strung out on Coke, he was driving his Power Wheels down the street and had a fatal Power Wheels accident, giving him fatal head trauma...but luckily he survived. The coroner said that drinking and driving is bad for meerkats while operating Power Wheels. I believe him. He would never lie to me. Except for that one time when he lied about having a crush on me. But, anyways. Now let's talk about Cheese: aka The Wheelchair Boy who loves falling down cliffs. I learned one lesson from that scene: Wheelchairs are heavy and gravity doesn't like you. Too bad Mac was strung out on Coke when he tried to save him. He ended up killing Cheese. He was giving him CPR while still in the water. I cried for hours. God, I miss Cheese. I miss him so much!!!!Ok...that's better. Now Mac is upset at himself and he wants vengance...uh...against himself. So he has a mass Coke-spree, even drinking Sams Choice when he is low on cash. Wanting to waste away in this sad world of tasty carbonation addiction known as Coke. The last scene in Mac and Cheese, Mac is sitting in Ronnie McDonnie's, sobbing, drinking a Big Gulp. Thinking this "Oscar-worthy film"-(hulk hogan), is over, something unexpected happens. This is truly the climax!!! Cheese's rotted corpse, wheelchair and all rolls into Ronnie McDonnie's, and picks up Mac's lifeless body, and rolls out into the sunset...leaving you speechless...but understanding the best love story of all time.

YYYEEESSSS!!!!
Yes! This movie is one of my faves growing up.My favorite part was when when they put mac in the bear costume and took him to McDonalds and Mac started dancing on the tables. LOL

Buy this movie you won't regret it!

PAINFUL TO WATCH
At the end of the day, even bad publicity is publicity after all. I guess that McDonalds and Coca Cola must believe that phrase, because "Mac And Me" hardly can be considered a movie. It's more like a 95 minutes commercial, and an awful one for that matter. Not only this is one of the most blatant rip-offs in movie history, but it's also a poor movie in every aspect.

Even the music (composed by Alan Silvestri, an usually great composer) sounds uninspired and formulaic, and that's the highlight of the movie. "Mac And Me" tried to steal E.T.'s formula: a single mother (or divorced, who cares) and her sons meet a little alien, who's lost in the Earth. The little creature makes a special connection with the younger boy. The little Alien has special powers. And, oh by the way, he and his family can only survive if they drink Coca Cola. He can dance if you take him to a McDonalds, as well.

This movie has a lot of awful issues that avoid the connection with the viewer: first, the plot is silly, uninspired, not original at all, boring, pathetic. And then there are the creatures. It's impossible to care about these "Aliens" when every time they appear on screen all you can think is "hey, that's an ugly puppet" or "that rubber mask is ridiculous".

The characters are poorly developed, every single character is like a collection of walking cliches and stereotypes, it's hard to care about a bunch of underwritten, one dimensional characters. But the worst thing about "Mac And Me" is that the filmmakers tried to emotionally manipulate the viewers with "cute, emotional" scenes, and in the process, they tried to sell us a burger and a Coke. And the final scene is just pathetic: the aliens become U.S. citizens. Oh, I guess that the entire Universe is willing to travel across galaxies and planets to achieve the ultimate goal: to drink Coca Colas, dance in McDonalds, and of course, to become an U.S. Citizen.

"Mac And Me" is, by far, one of the most hideous, boring, opportunistic films of all time. Only recommended to people who enjoyed "Howard The Duck" or "Battlefield Earth".

Jays review on a childhood classic
This movie was my all time favourite movie when i was growing from the first time I watched it on the old TMN movie network.
This movie is a great movie with alot fun attached to it. It was and always will be a cult classic to me, it helped me grow up and its tremendous grasp of a boy who falls in love for a being greater then man. and shows a compasion that is lackingin our day and age.
I rate this movie an easy 10 if but since I can only go too 5 I will have to settle for that. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A great movie for all ages!
It's a great tale about a young boy who becomes a friendly hostage of a grizzly bear while on a bear hunting expedition with his father in the northwest. Things go awry and the boy is taken by the bear only to be chased by his father and his team of men. The rugged adventure is only the beginning of this entertaining and relationship bonding movie between man and animal. It's perfect for all ages. Kids can watch it as the movie offers good moral values without hard language or adult situations.

A wholesome family movie.
We rented this movie two nights ago, and our whole family thoroughly enjoyed it. It is the story of a boy and his father who go on an expedition in the Rocky Mountains, to catch a grizzly bear and bring it back alive. Along the way, the boy gets separated from his father and ends up with a momma grizzly bear who has taken a liking to him. She takes care of him as they journey together to find her cubs. During this time, the father is on a desperate hunt to find his son. The scenery is beautiful, the animals are wonderful, and the entire movie is excellently produced. The father and son learn a lot about what love and respect for nature really means. I was impressed with this movie. It is rated PG for what they called "nature violence", which is some animal attacks on other animals, and one time where the grizzly attacks one of the men in the hunting party. This may scare small children, but my son is 7 1/2 and he loved it. He was so interested in the story, that he didn't talk all the way through it, he just watched as amazed as I was. I also didn't hear a foul word in the whole movie. There may be a "damn" in there somewhere, but I didn't catch it. I never saw this movie come out in the theaters, but it sure is worth renting. I would recommend it to any family with school age and above. My husband and I liked it just as much as our son. We give it an A+.

Prime Family Entertainment
Grizzly Falls makes for an excellent form of entertainment for the family. Everything that is needed for a good, wholesome, and exciting storyline is present in this movie. Pop the corn, pour the soda, and sit back and enjoy! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I love the Wilderness and Nature in this Film
The movie is filled with scenes of wild animals and nature! These are what make the movie worthwhile to watch. I love the outside so this movie can bring that to you if you have been in the house or worked and haven't had the opportunity to surround yourself with nature. I would love to British Columbia and the Uinta Mountains of Utah where this was filmed. The story line is kind of plain and simple. A bank robber who is a professional gambler is on the run. He finds two kids alone trying to make it to Oregon and hooks up with them after many trys to win them over. It is a good kids film! If you like Little House on the Praire, it has similarities. Another movie like this could be The Wilderness Family.
Lisa Nary

Inspiring for Children
I recall this one from my cable TV junkie days. As a child it opened my eyes a bit to the fact that there was a world beyond the suburbs. The children in this movie conquer obstacles far greater than acquiring designer clothes. I'll update my review after I watch it with my kids... it's been quite a few years since I've seen it. I still remember the music, though. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

This is One Solid Movie*UPDATE*4-2-04
It doesn't get much better than this with action, adventure, good humor and everything goes wrong.
Four layed off guys hear a rumor about a drug lord(James Coburn) who keeps 5 million, in cash, at his hacienda in South America. Of course, they need firepower(Ernest Bourgnine), they run afoul of local banditos(Anthony Quinn), pick up an expatriated American(Lindsey Wagner), land in jail, are shot at, beat up and are depending on a couple of dope smoking, vietnam vets in a badly missing and sputtering plane to rescue them. it is a very fun and exciting ending when it all comes together.
I recorded my copy from the TV, with ads and cuts, because i can't find a commercial reproduction. i would buy a good quality DVD for sure.
*UPDATE* 4-2-04 my dvd is on the way!
you should give this movie a try. it's only $[price]. a bargain!

Don't Buy the DVD
The movie HIGH RISK is a good movie. But don't buy a copy of the
DVD. It is the worst looking copy of a film on DVD I have ever
seen. The film looks totally washed out and blury...

a true buried treasure for the action/adventure afficiando
Released in 1981 HIGH RISK suffered the "back of the bus" treatment while higher profile adventure epics like DRAGONSLAYER, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, CLASH OF THE TITANS, and an obscure little flick called RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK took the best seats with reviewers and moviegoers. And it's a bloody shame because this "DELIVERANCE for chuckles" features a crackerjack cast (James Brolin, Cleavon Little, Chick Venera, Lindsay Wagner, Bruce Davison, Anthony Quinn, James Coburn and Ernest Borgnine) all at the top of their game; a tight plot and swift sure-handed direction by Stewart Rafill (THE PHILADELPIA EXPERIMENT); a fast paced Latin-Jazz flavored score by Mark Snow (THE X-FILES); and a cheerful glee in toying with every action/adventure movie cliche' in the book ("what would really happen if you tried to knock someone out with the butt of pistol" - hilarious.The only drawback is in the VHS tape itself - most available versions are recorded in the LP mode and the colors aren't as crisp as they should be. But if you can find a used SP version or you've got to have a grade-A action adventure fix ... you can't do much better. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

This is One Solid Movie*UPDATE*4-2-04
It doesn't get much better than this with action, adventure, good humor and everything goes wrong.
Four layed off guys hear a rumor about a drug lord(James Coburn) who keeps 5 million, in cash, at his hacienda in South America. Of course, they need firepower(Ernest Bourgnine), they run afoul of local banditos(Anthony Quinn), pick up an expatriated American(Lindsey Wagner), land in jail, are shot at, beat up and are depending on a couple of dope smoking, vietnam vets in a badly missing and sputtering plane to rescue them. it is a very fun and exciting ending when it all comes together.
I recorded my copy from the TV, with ads and cuts, because i can't find a commercial reproduction. i would buy a good quality DVD for sure.
*UPDATE* 4-2-04 my dvd is on the way!
you should give this movie a try. it's only $[price]. a bargain!

Don't Buy the DVD
The movie HIGH RISK is a good movie. But don't buy a copy of the
DVD. It is the worst looking copy of a film on DVD I have ever
seen. The film looks totally washed out and blury...

a true buried treasure for the action/adventure afficiando
Released in 1981 HIGH RISK suffered the "back of the bus" treatment while higher profile adventure epics like DRAGONSLAYER, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, CLASH OF THE TITANS, and an obscure little flick called RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK took the best seats with reviewers and moviegoers. And it's a bloody shame because this "DELIVERANCE for chuckles" features a crackerjack cast (James Brolin, Cleavon Little, Chick Venera, Lindsay Wagner, Bruce Davison, Anthony Quinn, James Coburn and Ernest Borgnine) all at the top of their game; a tight plot and swift sure-handed direction by Stewart Rafill (THE PHILADELPIA EXPERIMENT); a fast paced Latin-Jazz flavored score by Mark Snow (THE X-FILES); and a cheerful glee in toying with every action/adventure movie cliche' in the book ("what would really happen if you tried to knock someone out with the butt of pistol" - hilarious.The only drawback is in the VHS tape itself - most available versions are recorded in the LP mode and the colors aren't as crisp as they should be. But if you can find a used SP version or you've got to have a grade-A action adventure fix ... you can't do much better. ... Read more