The Philadelphia Experiment

A group of scientists trying to create a cloaking device accidentally conjure up the USS Eldridge, a ship that disappeared in 1943. Now their only priority is to send it back.

While I did not see the 1980s version of this story, I am familiar with what allegedly happened in real life. I think this is a fine plot of what could have happened, even if it does not necessarily make logical sense.

Director Paul Ziller is SyFy's go-to guy and has made quite a few of their productions now, with varying degrees of success. I feel like Ziller really has a handle on how to make a low-budget science fiction film, as he has the formula down. The weakest part is always the special effects (the computer-generated effects), which are out of his control.

Of course, this film also suffers from having Emilie Ullerup, one of the worst actresses in the history of the universe. Her character is a bit hard to believe (a world-class hacker working as a waitress in a small town diner), but even if we accept that, Ullerup just kept overacting repeatedly. I felt no sympathy for her and think the film would have been much better if her scenes were just cut out completely.

And why did the police officer wear jeans?

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.

I had looked forward to this and I was so disappointed. What a wonderful movie the first was ..... and now this

Acting awful despite good actors .... must be the directors fault.

There are under-laying music during the whole movie which is properly the only way they thought they could get excitement up with the viewers.

Its just awful, awful, awful.

What a shame ....... it could really have been good

Why would anybody do this and spoil the memory of an excellent movie is pitiful.

This remake of the 1980s cult movie was doomed from the start. It was made by Canadian filmmakers (strike one!) with Cinetel Films (strike two!) for the SyFy network (strike three, you're out!) Now, I will say that the screenplay does have a few good ideas here and there, though they are minor details instead of something bigger. The screenplay as a whole is a mess, however - there are a lot of things that are simply not explained or are completely missing. The movie felt like a quick first draft instead of something that had been gone over many times to patch up any shortcomings. Though had the screenplay been better, the movie would have suffered from a shabby look. The movie looks real cheap, even the scenes that don't depend on special effects or sets. The original movie wasn't anything earth-shaking, but it was a lot better in every department you can think of.

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