MovieMonday.com - Brainstorm with Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood, Louise Fletcher, Cliff Robertson

Techno Films

Brainstorm (B)

STARS...
Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood, Louise Fletcher, and Cliff Robertson.

PLOT SUMMARY...
When two scientists create a device, capable of recording and playing back for others a person's first hand experiences, their boss wants to turn the device over to the military.

QUICK SCAN...
This film could be compared to "Altered States". The late Natalie Wood is winning as the wife of dedicated scientist, Christopher Walken. An FX scene, depicting souls flapping their way to God, is amazing, and a highlight of the film. Louise Fletcher (Exorcist 2), as a chain smoking scientist, steals the show.

DIRECTOR: Douglas Trumbull
YEAR & RATING: 1983 (PG)

BEST BETS:

Dreamscape
Altered States

Behind The Scenes
SYNOPSIS...
After years of work, two scientists, a man and a woman, have developed a helmet which can record anything a person sees, tastes, feels,( etc)., and then it can play back such experiences for someone else to experience. The female scientist gets really angry when she finds out that their boss plans to bring the military on board.

Later, the chain-smoking, female scientist suffers a heart attack in the lab. Before she dies, she hooks herself up to the recording device. Her boss confiscates the tape,and brings in the military.

Determined to experience the female scientist's tape, and find out what happens after you die, the male scientist has to overcome numerous obstacles to achieve his goal. Eventually he succeeds, discovering that death is a beautiful journey.

Review:

BRAINSTORM, Directed by Douglas Trumbull, is a thought provoking, visually fascinating Sci-Fi head trip.

BRAINSTORM almost didn't get released because Natalie Wood died during production, and MGM/UA claimed it hadn't filmed some key, critical scenes with Wood. Based on the coherency of the final product, I guess MGM/UA was wrong, or just greedy for the multi-million dollar Lloyds of London insurance pay out they ultimately didn't receive.

Natalie Wood (Rebel Without a Cause) plays the estranged wife of Christopher Walken (Batman Returns) a scientist working on an amazing new communications device which allows people to record their thoughts, experiences, and feelings, then have someone else experience it all on playback. She looks beautiful, poised, radiant, and much younger than her fifty-something years.

Walken and Academy Award winner, Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) have been working on the device for several years, under the watchful eye of powerful boss, Cliff Robertson ("Charly"). When Robertson learns of their new breakthroughs, he demands a demonstration.

Although BRAINSTORM was designed to introduce a process called Super Panavision, a new improved kind of 70mm screen image, at home the effect is frequently flat, mostly composed of fish eye images from cameras strapped to roller coasters, race cars, etc. This is particularly true during the early demonstrations of the device.

Later on, as the plot thickens, the visual effects improve. When chronic smoker Fletcher suffers a heart attack at the lab, she straps on the device to record her thoughts and feelings, ultimately dying in the process. The imagery here is much more effective, as we rise up through the ceiling, and then encounter numerous floating spheres, each containing a thought or memory of Fletcher.

After Fletcher dies, boss Robertson calls in the military, who have been secretly funding the project all along, and throws out Walken, confiscating Fletcher's death tape in the process.

While the film is primarily designed as a visual experience, the film has some good lines, however. During a meeting with Robertson, Fletcher has a coughing fit. When a concerned Robertson asks her, "Do you want a doctor,?" Fletcher testily replies, "I am a doctor!"

The unusual looking, and eccentric acting, Walken seems well suited to the role of the individualistic scientist willing to risk his life in order to vicariously experience death. It's similar to the character William Hurt played in "Altered States", but Walken plays it farther around the bend, and yet evokes a more sympathetic response from the viewer.

James Horner's Music Score aptly contributes to the film's quasi-mystical mood. Production Designer, John Vallone, works up an appropriate high-tech look for both home and office.

After trials, tribulations, and setbacks, Walken eventually gets to experience Fletcher's death. The experience is worth waiting for. The final images of her experience, depicting what looks like numerous luminous "souls", slowly flapping their way toward a huge source of bright light is beautiful and moving.

BRAINSTORM should be watchable for fans of Sci-Fi movies like "Flatliners", "Dreamscape", and "Altered States". Natalie Wood and/or Christopher Walken fans will be jazzed. BRAINSTORM dazzles the eyes, leaving something for the mind to ponder about later.

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Brainstorm (B)
	STARS... Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood, Louise Fletcher, and Cliff Robertson. PLOT SUMMARY... When two scientists create a device, capable of recording and playing back for others a person's first hand experiences, their boss wants to turn the device over to the military. QUICK SCAN... This film could be compared to "Altered States". The late Natalie Wood is winning as the wife of dedicated scientist, Christopher Walken. An FX scene, depicting souls flapping their way to God, is amazing, and a highlight of the film. Louise Fletcher (Exorcist 2), as a chain smoking scientist, steals the show.
DIRECTOR: Douglas Trumbull YEAR & RATING: 1983 (PG) BEST BETS: Dreamscape Altered States Behind The Scenes	SYNOPSIS... After years of work, two scientists, a man and a woman, have developed a helmet which can record anything a person sees, tastes, feels,( etc)., and then it can play back such experiences for someone else to experience. The female scientist gets really angry when she finds out that their boss plans to bring the military on board. Later, the chain-smoking, female scientist suffers a heart attack in the lab. Before she dies, she hooks herself up to the recording device. Her boss confiscates the tape,and brings in the military. Determined to experience the female scientist's tape, and find out what happens after you die, the male scientist has to overcome numerous obstacles to achieve his goal. Eventually he succeeds, discovering that death is a beautiful journey.
Review: BRAINSTORM, Directed by Douglas Trumbull, is a thought provoking, visually fascinating Sci-Fi head trip. BRAINSTORM almost didn't get released because Natalie Wood died during production, and MGM/UA claimed it hadn't filmed some key, critical scenes with Wood. Based on the coherency of the final product, I guess MGM/UA was wrong, or just greedy for the multi-million dollar Lloyds of London insurance pay out they ultimately didn't receive. Natalie Wood (Rebel Without a Cause) plays the estranged wife of Christopher Walken (Batman Returns) a scientist working on an amazing new communications device which allows people to record their thoughts, experiences, and feelings, then have someone else experience it all on playback. She looks beautiful, poised, radiant, and much younger than her fifty-something years. Walken and Academy Award winner, Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) have been working on the device for several years, under the watchful eye of powerful boss, Cliff Robertson ("Charly"). When Robertson learns of their new breakthroughs, he demands a demonstration. Although BRAINSTORM was designed to introduce a process called Super Panavision, a new improved kind of 70mm screen image, at home the effect is frequently flat, mostly composed of fish eye images from cameras strapped to roller coasters, race cars, etc. This is particularly true during the early demonstrations of the device. Later on, as the plot thickens, the visual effects improve. When chronic smoker Fletcher suffers a heart attack at the lab, she straps on the device to record her thoughts and feelings, ultimately dying in the process. The imagery here is much more effective, as we rise up through the ceiling, and then encounter numerous floating spheres, each containing a thought or memory of Fletcher. After Fletcher dies, boss Robertson calls in the military, who have been secretly funding the project all along, and throws out Walken, confiscating Fletcher's death tape in the process. While the film is primarily designed as a visual experience, the film has some good lines, however. During a meeting with Robertson, Fletcher has a coughing fit. When a concerned Robertson asks her, "Do you want a doctor,?" Fletcher testily replies, "I am a doctor!" The unusual looking, and eccentric acting, Walken seems well suited to the role of the individualistic scientist willing to risk his life in order to vicariously experience death. It's similar to the character William Hurt played in "Altered States", but Walken plays it farther around the bend, and yet evokes a more sympathetic response from the viewer. James Horner's Music Score aptly contributes to the film's quasi-mystical mood. Production Designer, John Vallone, works up an appropriate high-tech look for both home and office. After trials, tribulations, and setbacks, Walken eventually gets to experience Fletcher's death. The experience is worth waiting for. The final images of her experience, depicting what looks like numerous luminous "souls", slowly flapping their way toward a huge source of bright light is beautiful and moving. BRAINSTORM should be watchable for fans of Sci-Fi movies like "Flatliners", "Dreamscape", and "Altered States". Natalie Wood and/or Christopher Walken fans will be jazzed. BRAINSTORM dazzles the eyes, leaving something for the mind to ponder about later. MovieMonday.com * Super Star Index * Award Winners * CelebrityFrame.com