BobbyT24 I loved this movie when it came out in 1983. It was original, cutting-edge, provocative. Imagine the unlimited possibilities of not only seeing but FEELING the same emotions and thoughts of someone for all to see for all-time... Not only watching a Bon Jovi concert, but actually BEING Jon Bon Jovi at that concert! What about the rush of adrenaline and terror of an astronaut at the moment of liftoff - and their first spacewalk? How about standing at the plate with bases loaded, full count in the ninth inning of the seventh game of the World Series??... Makes your mouth water, doesn't it?The concept of this story was excellent. The genesis of recording personal thoughts and impulses onto transferable media for download at your leisure was fresh. Christopher Walken cast as Michael and Louise Fletcher as Lillian were excellent together. The special effects are dazzling and thought-provoking. On BluRay, the screen switches between full-frame for the story and widescreen for the "virtual reality" sections. It's really marvelous to watch actually. But that's where the awesomeness ends...It was the rest of the cast that absolutely killed whatever positive momentum this story had going for it. The wooden acting, cut-and-pasted story lines and timelines, the military ALWAYS getting into the act and becoming the bad guys... It lost all it's charm after the first 30 minutes.Natalie Wood, although a fine actress from another era, was completely wasted in her last role. I know this movie was threatened to not be completed when she died suddenly in the middle of production. While sad, the movie was bigger than her small but pivotal role. She just sat there and watched Walken and Fletcher do all the heavy lifting. She smiled pretty and cried pretty and made the halo pretty and... That's it. She just... existed in the movie. I have to believe had she survived, this movie would have been soooo much better.How Cliff Robertson kept getting the same roles where he played the rich, good-looking good guy-who-becomes-the-bad guy over and over again is beyond me. His character's arc could be seen the moment he said "trust me". Sure. He's done the same slick and sinister character since "3 Days of the Condor" and it never got any better. It just got old. Using ANYBODY else would have at least given us a sense of suspense. In this case, it was more like "here we go again...". And when the military showed up halfway through and basically created a covert "Brainstorm" project while locking out the original creators of the project in the first place... Maybe those things happen in real-life but they're clichéd to death in sooooo many movies. This one just looked inept by the end. Hint to "future military takeover bad guys in movies": Make sure to remove all the backdoors of the good guys BEFORE you take over the world. They can come back to bite you.And whomever cast the slimy Andy Warhol-lookalike as the sneaky traitor to the project should be positively fired on the spot. If the character is unbelievable the moment he shows up on screen, there's no way another SMART (i.e. Louise Fletcher) character would ever trust the guy. Someone with no talent should never, ever translate into MORE screen time. He was supposed to be some kind of genius that robbed people of their creations? The guy couldn't even quote his lines properly let alone be crafty enough to steal someone's life's work. The moment that guy showed up, the movie ended being interesting and became just another "screw 'em so they can fight back" movie. And the son was literally not needed at all. He was talentless AND took away from the story. How do people get roles in Hollywood anyway? Sorry, I'm not normally THIS harsh on actors since I can't act either but when I CAN act better than they do then they literally killed a great story.Christopher Walken was great in his role, although he was left to stare at the camera while in his halo for far too many minutes of the film. And Louise Fletcher was positively excellent as the most interesting character - and then she dies to further the storyline. It was perfect for the story. But it was still a shame to kill off your best character.So besides those two leads being good, and an EXCELLENT concept, this movie drags everywhere. Don't let the polyester suits fool you. This movie, although dated, was cutting edge in it's time. Unfortunately, it has aged badly - just like the polyester. And the acting positively killed what could have been a truly enjoyable tale of "what could have been". Instead, we're left with wasted opportunity.For the concept, this is easily a 10. I truly, genuinely wish they would remake this story today with a capable cast of actors. But because of the horrible acting - with the exception of Walken and Fletcher - this is a 5. I'd rate this a 6 overall compared to other movies. Sad. This could have been one of the great ones.

randolphpat On September 5, 1921, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle; a well liked comedic actor attended a San Francisco party at which a starlet who crashed the affair died five days later of a ruptured bladder. This served as ample time, however, to allow her to accuse Mr. Arbuckle of rape. She had done this before, but William Randolph Hearts' publishing empire, looking for a scandal picked up the story, resulting in three murder trials and the ultimate acquittal of Mr. Arbuckle. He never appeared on film again. So too is the backstory of the film "Brainstorm", Douglas Trumbull's accidental magnum opus. It is impossible to tell the story of, or review this film without mentioning the drowning death of it's star vehicle Natalie Wood, near the end of its filming. I will leave you to your own research if you wish to learn more about those tragic events. At the beginning of an albeit shortened career, Christopher Walken heavily uses cues from Ms. Wood, and the fantastic character actor Louise Fletcher, who turns in her best performance in this film. And while the creepy editing which allowed for the completion of a film whose star died part way through filming, the scandal made it hard to watch in theaters, especially as much of the audience suspected Mr. Walken of knowing more than he was saying publicly regarding the death of his co-star. One wonders, as great as this film is, how great it might have been without the scandal. One also wonders if the audience knew how remarkably accurate Trumbull predicts future technology, if that would have made a difference. But now, 32 years later, with Christopher Walken again on everybody's top actor list thanks to his Quentin Tarantino sponsored revival, and the scandal just a spec in history's rearview mirror, this film stands on it's own, and it is remarkable. The story is about the development and use of a technology that allows people to record their thoughts an feelings on a device using a 300 baud modem and optical tape library. So we suspend disbelief a little for that. Walken is the junior partner to Fletcher who leads the project, Cliff Robertson directs the project from a corporate and funding level. Robertson is so good at this role, that having worked in a similar environment makes my skin crawl. The two scientists live in the newly developed Research Triangle Park, which serves as the perfect setting for this strange and wonderful research. Natalie Wood also works for the same company, and at the beginning of the film is in the process of divorcing Walken whose creationis obsession with the project has resulted in their separation. While planning their divorce, they also work together in the development of the device that will bring it out of the lab to the consumer. Wood, in an empowering role for a woman at the time, plays a major role in breathing life into this product. As the film continues to focus on how the characters react to the existence of the new technology, Robert Trumbull puts his unique stamp on the evolution of the product, taking us through the production, data storage and even cyber security issues surrounding the technology. With the photography, lighting, and soundtrack all spot on, we are whisked away into this world of technology that in 1983 was just a fantasy, but seems very real today, almost as though we are actually viewing a true account. Sadly it is hard say what Robert Trumbull may have gone on to do had this film been met more favorably. But just as Altman had his "Shortcuts", Paul Thomas Anderson has his "Magnolia", Robert Trumbull has "Brainstorm", clearly a very personal and special film.

Armand 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.

Mike Roman This is not so much a review as it is an observation of some co-incidences relating to this film and Bertrand Tavernier's 'La Mort en Direct' (1980). I would be surprised if Trumbull had not seen Tavernier's effort as both films do seem to share a common fixation on death and the brain. Anyway, to get to the point, both lead actresses, Wood in Brainstorm and Romy Schneider in La Mort en Direct died in the year they made their last films, at the same age of 43, rather unexpectedly it has to be said. I find all this goes quite beyond 'coincidence' and delves into the realm of what Freud called the 'uncanny'. The fact that both films are about the nature of consciousness (in some small way) and death further provokes the mystery. It could be said that there was something of a self-fulfilling prophesy going on.... maybe. At any rate, the mere thought is capable perhaps of shiver-deliverance.....