Brainstorm (1983)

A research scientist 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 the scientist wants to study the brainwaves of his late partner, he finds himself seriously at odds with his superiors -- not to mention several ominous-looking government types.This film had a bit of trouble with the production... there were budgets issues, studio interference... and most notably, an important actress (Natalie Wood) died in the middle of shooting and had to be cleverly replaced by her sister (did you notice?). Some say the acting is uneven, though that was not really an issue for me.Despite the hurdles, this should be seen as a minor classic, even if largely forgotten today. As Wood's final film it should be honored, and Christopher Walken of course went from being an Oscar favorite to an international wonder. He is surprisingly normal in this picture.

Every time I'm asked to list my top ten favourite movies, I always include 'Brainstorm'. Despite - or maybe because - of its flaws, it still remains one of the most beautiful and thought- provoking ideas I've ever seen committed to the screen, for which we have writer Bruce Joel Rubin to thank. Chris Walken is perfectly cast as the fiercely intelligent and angelically beautiful Michael, with his close friend the lovely Natalie Wood in this her final role. The chemistry between Walken and Wood is near perfect, and their struggles to understand each other in the wake of their break-up make for some of the most poignant and touching moments of the movie. I won't spoil the plot, or pretend that the film hasn't dated somewhat, but it really is an incredible story that will leave you thinking for days afterwards about the possibilities created by a machine that can record human memories and emotions.

the last role of Natalie Wood. the splendid performance of Christopher Walken. a seductive idea. and the brutal intervention as seed of evil. a different film for images and for its challenge/warning. a wise manner to drive the action and to explore each nuance of story. A S.F. who becomes slice from reality, mixture of its period anxiety and everyday realities of our time. it is not a great movie. only instrument of a message who, using the tradition of another films of same genre, desires be more than skin for common fears. after years after first view, it seems be one of admirable serious and thorough work products. that is its basic virtue. and source of strong emotions of its viewers.

Without a doubt, Brainstorm is one of the best science fiction films of the 80s, together with spectacular imagery and a wonderful story, make this film as unforgettable as Blade Runner, Close Encounters and Star Trek with which the director, Douglas Trumbull, of this film helped master with his experience in jaw-dropping special effects. Although this film never returned it's investment at the box office, we have to remember that, because of the dedication to his film, Douglas Trumbull didn't give up and give in to the insurance companies, who were trying to kill the film, due to the untimely death of Natalie Wood during the shooting of this film. Supposedly Natalie met her untimely demise in a boating accident at sea, which makes the film even more mysterious, since we soon discover that the whole plot begins to revolve around the recorded heart attack, death, and passing of the main researcher Lillian Reynolds played by Louise Fletcher.Long before you may have thought the story might go nowhere, we are slowly pulled into a story of broken dreams due to a failed relationship between the Christopher Walken's and Natalie Wood's characters who play a divorced couple still working on amicable terms for a high tech company on the verge of a major breakthrough.The story begins in the lab as two brilliant researchers Lillian Reynolds (Louise Fletcher) and Michael Brace (Christopher Walken) develop a system of recording and playing back actual experiences of people. Once the capability of tapping into higher brain functions such as thought is added in, one can literally jump into someone else's head and play back recordings of what he/she was thinking, feeling, seeing, in a Memorex fashion. Of course the impractical and practical applications are limitless. We soon find out the company owner Alex Terson (Cliff Robertson) has greater aspirations for his inventions and tries to convince Lillian to work with the FEDs in order to make the invention part of a defensive weapon for later use perhaps during war and espionage. As we follow this story, the applications for the project quickly spiral out of control. Without spoiling the film's final moments, we must give full attention to the detail of the ideals of this extraordinary technology as it changes the character's lives as they once knew, due to misunderstand and mis-communication. Each element of this film makes the previous seem important, sustainable, and impossible, however, when all the elements are finally presented, we feel complete in our understanding of our characters motives and unattainable humanity put into perspective with phenomenal beauty and eloquence.In closing, this film still holds its own after 30 years!