Brainstorm
review by David G.
Rated PG
Studio: Warner Bros.
Running Time: 106 minutes
Starring Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood, Louise
Fletcher, Cliff Robertson
Written by Robert Stitzel and Philip Frank Messina
upon a story by Bruce Joel Rubin
Directed by Douglas Trumbull
Retail Price: $19.99
Features: Theatrical Trailer
Specs: Non-Anamorphic Widescreen, English Dolby
Surround, French Dolby Surround English, French and Spanish
Subtitles, Chapter Search
In a top-secret laboratory, a team of scientists leading
by Lilian Reynolds (Louise Fletcher) and Michael Brace
(Christopher Walken) discover a way to transfer the emotions
and sensations from one person to another. In their mind,
this technology could help in situations where language or
images fail: people could understand each other by directly
feeling the thoughts. Michael is first to try this invention
with his wife Karen (Natalie Wood) with the hope it will
break the silence that separate them more and more.
Of course this exciting machine is desired by the army
but the researchers do not intend to leave their invention
to military applications. Unfortunately, Lilian dies from a
heart failure but she manages to plug herself to the machine
before to go. By now, the tape is wanted by the army, and by
Michael who sees here a way to contemplate the afterdeath.
Douglas Trumbull, the special effects maker of "2001: A
Space Odyssey" and "Blade Runner", directs a great sci-fi
movie. Surprisingly, this movie does not contain a lot of
special effects except in the last quarter, and this is very
interesting because he gave the time to the characters to
express themselves, and made us understand the implications
of such an invention: the good side allowing peoples to
understand themselves without words and the bad side: the
army (like always) wanting this machine to make more
sophisticated weapons. But beside this already known plot of
good scientists vs. bad army, Trumbull go further and
centres his story on the tape recorded by the dying Lilian
and so taking the opportunity to shot his vision of
afterdeath. Of course, his vision is not different of the
classical hell-suffering-heaven-angels canvas, but the
images are beautiful although a bit dated.
In conclusion, Trumbull directed a real, pure sci-fi
movie with great characters. Buy this if you love the movie.
Brainstorm is presented in non-anamorphic and for a movie
from 1983, the picture is pretty clear despite the
unavoidable artifacts that pop up now and then. Good work
here.
Two soundtracks are proposed : English and French Dolby
Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles. The
movie, being a bit old, does not sound so exciting.
The main menu is animated and the only extra is the
theatrical trailer.
Technically, this is a good DVD, nothing more nothing
less.Before buying this movie, I suggest you to rent it.
 (4/5, NOT included in
final score)
 (4.5/5)
 (3.5/5)
 (.5/5)
(3.5/5, NOT an average)
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