Rating: 
Summary: A sci-fi film with meaning and soul
Review: Is this a great film? No, let me say that is a great concept, truly stretches ones imagination, and it is a good film. The concept is wonderful, although the film itself leaves you just tantalizingly short of where it could have gone.The basic premise is a scientific discovery where a person's thoughts, emotions, and experiences can be captured on "tape", recorded, and then experienced by someone else by simply playing the tape. The concept is fascinating. While the special effects are excellent for a film this old, the most powerful scenes for me were the depictions of a couple on the verge of divorce getting to experience the other's perspective of shared events. The experience of seeing themselves and their behavior though the other's eyes changes their relationship forever. This aspect of the concept is not played out as fully as it could be. This film is also the last movie of Natalie Wood, who died tragically during the production of the movie. Christopher Walken is excellent as the lead actor. The ending of the film touches on something so fascinating that they simply couldn't pull it off. Overall, I recommend this movie, as a fascinating concept that will leave you thinking after the film is over. Always a sign that the movie is worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: A sci-fi film with meaning and soul
Review: Is this a great film? No, let me say that is a great concept, truly stretches ones imagination, and it is a good film. The concept is wonderful, although the film itself leaves you just tantalizingly short of where it could have gone. The basic premise is a scientific discovery where a person's thoughts, emotions, and experiences can be captured on "tape", recorded, and then experienced by someone else by simply playing the tape. The concept is fascinating. While the special effects are excellent for a film this old, the most powerful scenes for me were the depictions of a couple on the verge of divorce getting to experience the other's perspective of shared events. The experience of seeing themselves and their behavior though the other's eyes changes their relationship forever. This aspect of the concept is not played out as fully as it could be. This film is also the last movie of Natalie Wood, who died tragically during the production of the movie. Christopher Walken is excellent as the lead actor. The ending of the film touches on something so fascinating that they simply couldn't pull it off. Overall, I recommend this movie, as a fascinating concept that will leave you thinking after the film is over. Always a sign that the movie is worth watching.
Rating: 
Summary: Good movie with bad ending
Review: Its a good movie about Virtual Reality with some plot holes but still should deserve 4 stars,why i gave it 3 stars i because of the bad ending.The "What happens after death" scenes was too common(Althought the "hell" part was kind of shocking) with angels and beings of light entering heaven(It did look like the galactic core,might be a hidden message).Still a enjoyable movie.
Rating:
Summary: A prequel to a mid 90's cult sci-fi movie?
Review: Many people may not think of it this way, but I think "Brainstorm" works as a sort of prequel to 1995's "Strange Days". In "Brainstorm" we see the technology in it's developmental stage, and then in "Strange Days" we see how the technology has become a black market commodity. I wonder sometimes if when James Cameron wrote "Strange Days" he perhaps thought of his movie as a pseudo-sequel to Doug Trumbull's.
Watch the two films and see for yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Fletcher and Wood at the top of their game
Review: My god has it been 17 years since this film was released in theatres! I saw it as a kid and was absolutely blown away by it. Louise Fletcher deserved at least an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress...she tears through her limited screentime with a ferocity and vivacity that is rarely seen these days. When she's confronting the government types who want to steal the "mind-recording" machine she and fellow scientist Chris Walken have invented, it is truly a great acting moment. Her barking at boss Cliff Robertson to "don't you goddamn me, sweetheart" and then proceeding to almost have a heart attack in the ladies room is a classic cinema moment. Natalie Wood had not finished filming all her scenes before her tragic death, but its hardly noticeable. She had that most incredible, expressive face and director Trumbel chose to hold on that in many key moments. When Walken plays back his memories of her (Wood and Walken's marriage is crumbling), the joy on her face is so real. The music for the film is also amazing...from the haunting opening score to the joyous music that surrounds Walken and Wood on their journey. Fletcher's heart attack, where she records her own death experience, is truly disturbing, and Walken's attempt to play it back (which almost kills him)is also terrifying. A beautiful, brave film. Fletcher needs more work like this. And of course, Natalie Wood is missed greatly.
Rating:
Summary: Rating Brainstorm on what it should have been
Review: Not too many people have seen Showscan movies. For some reason, they were released in (I think) selected Chucky Cheese's pizza shops. Some friends and I drove 2 hours across Missouri to see Showscan and it was the most realistic picture we had ever seen. Showscan was a 65mm film presented at 60 frames per second (fps). Studies had shown this to be the frame repetition rate at which the brain would integrate the frames seamlessly and accept it as true motion. Most movies are 24 fps, although each frame is shown multiple times to reduce flicker. But you can tell that it's not real. US TV, which operates at 60 fields per second approximates the Showscan presentation. The difference between this and normal films is obvious - most people can tell a video source from a film source. They may not know why the video seems to have more presence, but the frame rate is the answer. Brainstorm was originally produced to use Showscan projectors for the times when people were experiencing "reality" with their headsets. This would have clearly stood out from the rest of the film, and would have seemed much more real. Perhaps only Doug T. saw the project in the 24/60 fps version. I know I didn't. However, from my experience with Showscan, I can state without reservation that this would have been one hell of a film as originally conceived. The "reality" changes would have more than made up for any other problems with acting or scripting. The "WOW" factor would have overridden all other criticism. As for the dialog and acting being a little clunky - well, have you ever seen early stereo or 3D movies? They tended to concentrate on exploring the technology instead of the picture. Perhaps Showscan could have evolved to the state that 3D did with Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder." Or perhaps not. In any event, this would be an excellent roadshow movie (like the restored version of "Lawrence of Arabia") to show what the movie should have been. And perhaps on a future DVD we'll have the helmet versions of reality replaced with 60 fields per second video. The difference should be obvious. Thanks, Doug, for trying to pull this off. If you ever want to invite me to see your master copy with Showscan, I'll be out in California in an instant! Rick
Rating:
Summary: Into The Depths Of The Mind
Review: Now sadly better known as the last film Natalie Wood worked on (she died during production in November 1981), BRAINSTORM is actually a painfully underrated science fiction/suspense thriller with a fascinating and sometimes chilling premise. Christopher Walken and Louise Fletcher are the lead scientists in an experiment to develop a device that can transfer the sights, sounds, thoughts, smells, and impressions of one person to the mind of another. When success finally comes as the result of a series of tests, first with their principal backer (Cliff Robertson) then a group of willing participants, they know that they've created one of the great scientific breakthroughs of all time. Problems, however, arise when government agents step in, putting their own design on the device for something much more sinister--Brainwashing. When Fletcher dies of a heart attack, they see their way into taking the machine by force. But Fletcher has also recorded a tape of her death throes, and Walken becomes so obsessed with playing that tape that he is forced into a conflict with both Robertson and the feds. As he tells his wife (Wood), this is a chance to take a scientific look at the scariest thing a person ever has to face. Combining science fiction with metaphysics, BRAINSTORM is effectively directed by Douglas Trumbull, the special effects maestro behind the landmark effects work of Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, whose first film, 1972's SILENT RUNNING, is now a minor sci-fi cult classic. The special effects work here remains incredibly first-rate, and the music score by James Horner, a mix of orchestral and choral elements, is absolutely right for the film. That such a film should be concerned with metaphysics and the afterlife is not surprising; the story (which screenwriters Robert Stitzel and Phillip Frank Messina adapted for the screen) is by Bruce Joel Rubin, whose 1990 screenplay for GHOST would win an original screenplay Oscar. Though some of the dialogue is a bit clunky and the acting doesn't work all the time, one could do far worse than BRAINSTORM. To this day, it remains a visually stunning and emotionally moving experience like few before or after it.
Rating: 
Summary: DVD Quality Mediocre
Review: The brainstorm movie is a good one, but I was VERY disappointed by the quality of the prints and compression used for this DVD. The picture makes you want more vibrant colors and sharpness. More like a VHS quality picture. Many compression artifacts. One of the worst picture quality I have seen. They need to re-release this thing and remaster it. This one is just not up to the promise of DVD's. I have seen other DVD's, like the Philadelphia Experiment that have incredibly good quality transfers.
Rating:
Summary: Great sci-fi thriller
Review: The premise of this movie is great - they find a way to record all five senses, and when Louise Fletcher (awesome acting as the chain-smoking scientist) records her own death, the movie just takes off. Christopher Walken is great, and It think this is Natalie Wood's last movie. The post-death scenes are well done - great effects for 1983. Definitely worth viewing.
Rating:
Summary: Great film!!!
Review: This is a fascinating film with a great story. Although the actors give excellent performances, it is nice to see Natalie Wood in a film like this one. The music by James Horner is also brilliant!
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