My Science Project | | Cast : | John Stockwell, Danielle von Zerneck | | Director : | Jonathan R. Betuel | | Studio : | Buena Vista Home Video | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | August 09, 1985 | | DVD Released Date : | February 03, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | March 13, 2005 | | Summary | Don't let this happen to you! | Content
 | It is down to the line and if you do nit come up with a good science project you can kiss you high school diploma good by. What luck a nearby abandoned military depot. You guessed it an alien engine is just waiting for the application of a little electricity.
This is what happened to a young lad, Michael Harlan (John Stockwell.) With the help of his friends he discovers new dimensions. There is time enough for adventure and time enough for love Ellie (Danielle von Zerneck.) A vortex sucks up the science teacher. And everyone is threatened. Only the original hand full of friends can curb the problem by fighting their way back in over numerous obstacles to remove the source of energy to the engine.
Can they curb the power before it is too late?
Will we ever see the science teacher again?
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| Rating | | | Date | January 05, 2005 | | Summary | "Is this like when you told us we could smoke banana peels?" | Content
| If I recall correctly, the last science project I did in school involved using a potato, nails, and a couple of pennies to make a kind of battery... okay, so I never threatened to disrupt the space/time continuum with my potato battery, but it was still pretty cool...My Science Project (1985), written and directed by Jonathan Betuel, who had a seemingly very short career in Hollywood writing 1984's The Last Starfighter and then sort of falling off the face of the Earth after his 1995 flop Theodore Rex, starring Whoopi Goldberg (she really has the Midas touch, but instead of turning things into gold, they turn into cr@p). Starring in the film is John Stockwell (Losin' It, Christine), Danielle von Zerneck (La Bamba), and Fisher Stevens (Short Circuit, Super Mario Bros.). Also appearing is Raphael Sbarge (Vision Quest, Carnosaur), Richard Masur (Risky Business), Barry Corbin (Stir Crazy), Ann Wedgeworth (Love and a .45) and Dennis Hopper (Blue Velvet).
The film begins with scenes at a U.S. air force base, circa 1957, and the decision, of the highest authority, to cover up a mysterious UFO that was found crashed nearby. The story then moves to the present (1985 being the present), where we meet Mike Harlan, a high school student and motor head (that's someone who's really good with cars), eagerly awaiting to graduate, but finds himself in the predicament of having to come up with a science project, or else his science teacher, Bob Roberts (Hopper) won't pass him. He scavenges the local junkyard (which used to be the air force base in the 50's), and comes across a strange, glowing thingy (all that was left of the UFO) and decides to try and pass it off as his project. Only problem is the strange thingy begins feeding on various power sources (Hey, let's hotwire it into an electrical outlet!), and soon begins creating trans-dimensional rifts in time and space, causing different time periods (the past, present, and future) to co-exist, along with drawing his science teacher into the subsequent vortex (I wonder how that will effect his chances of graduating). Will Mike and his friends be able to stop the alien thing-a-ma-gig from tearing the very fabric of the space/time continuum a new one?
My Science Project is one of those films from the 80's of which I had fond remembrances (much like Night of the Comet, which, as I write this, has still to make an appearance on DVD). While some of those films haven't held up as well watching them some 20 years later, for me, this one has...it's funny, engaging, and visually entertaining. Keep in mind this isn't a movie where the characters travel through time, but one where elements from different time periods appear in their reality. The casting is very well done, especially with Stockwell (who appeared earlier as Arnie's jock friend Dennis in John Carpenter's killer car film Christine) as the lead character of Mike, a seemingly single-minded fellow (he cares more for his red GTO muscle car than he does for relationships with people) finding there's more to life than carburetors and spark plugs (is it me, or does Stockwell seem to have just a really huge forehead, certainly more than the average person). Danielle von Zerneck (her most famous role probably as Ritchie Valens girlfriend Donna in 1987's La Bamba) also does well as Mike's would be girlfriend, a nerdy, bookish character who learns there's something to be said for living life outside her books. And Hopper as the hippy-ish science teacher seems a no brainer, obviously utilizing his past experiences to our benefit. The only character I didn't care much for was that of Vince Latello (Stevens), the stereotypical greasy Italian friend of Mike's. He was obviously the comic relief, and you will either love him or hate him, but I thought Stevens' performance a little too over the top for my tastes, and ultimately distracting. In case you're not familiar with Stevens, his sort of ambiguous ethnicity allows him to play many different kinds of characters, including his role as the Indian inventor in the 1986 Steve Guttenberg/Ally Sheedy film Short Circuit. The direction was strong, as Betuel manages to juggle a decent story with a few subplots well, keeping my interest throughout, and also throws in a couple of references, one to Stockwell's earlier film Christine, and one with Hopper's character showing up wearing the same outfit he wore in Easy Rider. He also develops the characters enough to get some of them (the important ones, at least) past the realm of being two-dimensional. I thought it kind of strange that he should have so little in the way of other credits to his name, as he shows here he can not only direct a film well, write a decent story. The special effects looked really good for the time it was released, and even hold up well to today's standards. I especially liked the Tyrannosaurus Rex in the school gymnasium, although it's no match for Spielberg's creation in Jurassic Park, it was still done well. They did tend to use the swirling vortex above the school a bit much for my tastes, but that's a relatively minor point.
The widescreen (2.35:1) picture, released by Touchstone, on this DVD looks pretty good, but there are a few, minor flaws, and I thought the audio a bit soft. There was an earlier release by Anchor Bay that featured both widescreen and full screen formats, but no full screen here. There are no special features available, not even a trailer, so given the lack of effort in the release, I have to go with three stars.
Cookieman108
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| Rating | | | Date | April 06, 2004 | | Summary | SENTIMENTALLY OUTRAGEOUS 80s FILM | Content
| This film is noteworthy because it is just so 80s and they just don't make them like this any more. I thought the time-space warp idea was used very effectively for a totally off the wall experience. I suppose you may have to have a pretty objective sense of humor to enjoy this film, however, don't judge it too harshly. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 05, 2004 | | Summary | Buy this | Content
| This movie is a classic, funny, action packed and really good !!
Buy it, its great 5 stars !! |
| Rating | | | Date | November 03, 2003 | | Summary | My Science Adventure | Content
| The story is good and the cast is decent as well. Who would know that Dennis Hopper would add some comedy relief. This is one of those sleeper movies like "Adventures in Babysitting" and "The Last Starfighter" that turns out worth your time.
If you like movies like "Explorers", "Goonies", and "Flight of the Navigator" you should enjoy it. This is a movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family. The sets, music, and directing is good. Even the special effects which are a bit dated now are still quite good.
A science project made from a hidden device in a secret military stockpile can lead to some unpredictable results. When the school starts to transform into periods of the Earths history including the dinosaur age, the students must keep on their toes to survive.
No extras with this DVD. Even if there aren't any this is a good price for couple hours of light comedy adventure. |
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