Brainstorm (1983) Reviews

Brainstorm (1983)
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Natalie Wood made her last screen appearance in Brainstorm; in fact, she died before the film was completed, necessitating extensive rewrites. Wood's character is secondary to the one played by Christopher Walken. A research scientist, Walken has been experimenting with a revolutionary brain-reading device. This wondrous machine is able to read a person's thought processes and translate these to videotape. When Walken wants to study the brainwaves of his late partner Louise Fletcher, he finds himself seriously at odds with his superiors-not to mention several ominous-looking government types, headed by Cliff Robertson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood, (more)
Director(s):
Douglas Trumbull
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
PG
Format(s):
DVD  | Digital SD & HD
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Average Ratings

(10 member reviews)  

Member Reviews

Bret H.

This movie is about scientists discovering the ability to store and transfer one's thoughts, and all the senses to a storage device or directly to another person. Walken, Wood and Fletcher make a great cast, along with Cliff Robertson. As you probably know this was Natalie Woods last movie as she died before its completion. If you like Sci-fi this is for you.

Yes   |   No


Eric H.

Review 400: clever psy-fi lead by a brain scientist's mind reading machine that makes great fantasy possible in a lame 80's world.

Yes   |   No


BUD F.

entertaining sci fi tale... very good acting by Walken; good acting by Wood and Robertson.

Yes   |   No


Leonard O.

I recommend watching the full screen version on an old-fashioned CRT television so that you feel in touch with the technology of the era. Cliff Robertson sort of reminds me of Steven Jobs leading a technology revolution, although I doubt the military has any evil plans for iPhones. Overall the movie is entertaining and not too dated.

Yes   |   No


Lewis F.

It was a good movie, it is so very sad that it was Natalie Woods last before she was killed. I had a crush on her since "Rebel Without A Cause". The movie was good enough that it did end her career well.

Yes   |   No


Timothy W.

This was back in the days when Christoper Walken was still just creating the fractured, driven original characters in film that he became known for to most other actors best Marcia Brady impressions. Here that tension works to great effect in a story about a man who is about to be swallowed whole by his own invention. Don't let the paramilitary types play with the settings on the Thought Machine while you're not looking. This is that epic story that plays so well about the search for great understanding nearly being eclipsed by seriously demented types bent on fear and loathing for PROFIT. Who plays what part in that tragedy? Watch and find out. You will enjoy the trip.

Yes   |   No


Mike K.

Influenced by the influx of home-video in the late-'70s, the development of EEG and rumor of government psy-ops experiments done during Vietnam, Brainstorm takes the concept of "what it's like to be there" & mind-reading to the highest level: Capture on-record & playback of the full-sensory first-person experience, including what one's mind goes through... And it's usefulness as a tool. Although the "prop" technology & simulation and dream-state CGI special-F/X imagery looks "dated" by current standards, it was still quite cutting-edge at the time. And the overall-concept presented in this movie still has yet to be grasped, even by the most hardcore techno-futurists.

Yes   |   No


Georgiana H.

The movie is slow. I had seen it years ago, but the acting is fragmented as well as the plot. The technology looks very dated!

Yes   |   No


Steven B.

The Full Frame version on this DVD is awful looking. Looks like it had been heavily processed with DNR. Overly soft to the point of being slightly out of focus most of the time. But as bad as the Full Frame version, the Wide Screen version is a joke. All they did was take the FF version, crop the top and bottom, and zoom in a bit...to make it look like it was a wide screen version. Except it's NOT! The sides of the frame have not more information that the FF version did and you've lost some of the top and bottom of the picture. Plus, due to zooming in, it's even more out of focus. This was THE SINGLE WORST look DVD I've encountered.

Yes   |   No


Diane R.

Couldn't even finish it. It's a shame this was Woods last role.

Yes   |   No


 
 
 

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    Member Reviews
    Read all (10)
     
    Bret H.

    This movie is about scientists discovering the ability to store and transfer one's thoughts, and all the senses to a storage device or directly to another person. Walken, Wood and Fletcher make a great cast, along with Cliff Robertson. As you probably know this was Natalie Woods last movie as she died before its completion. If you like Sci-fi this is for you.

    Yes   |   No

     
    Eric H.

    Review 400: clever psy-fi lead by a brain scientist's mind reading machine that makes great fantasy possible in a lame 80's world.

    Yes   |   No

     
    BUD F.

    entertaining sci fi tale... very good acting by Walken; good acting by Wood and Robertson.

    Yes   |   No

     
    Read All 10 Reviews
       

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