My Science Project Reviews

This entry in the well-worn "teenagers meet special effects" genre takes a different twist on the idea, following the fantastic adventures of some social outcasts rather than brainy, well-dressed computer geniuses. The results, however, are no different than the rest and feature some of the most dislikable teenagers of the year. When his science teacher (Dennis Hopper) demands that hood Michael Harlan (John Stockwell) turn in a science project, the conniving lad heads out to a military junkyard in hopes of finding something he can fob off as his work. He finds a piece of strange hardware that, unknown to him, is a leftover from a mysterious alien craft that had been destroyed in 1957. When the gadget is turned on, the school is plunged into a time warp. Hopper provides a mildly amusing self-parody, but this is tossed aside for the real star of MY SCIENCE PROJECT: the special effects. The result is just more proof that special effects are worthless if there are no solid characters or story. MY SCIENCE PROJECT is formula filmmaking with no substance, style, or entertainment to be found in its unimpressive package.