Brainstorm (Douglas Trumbull, 1983)
"I want you to knock my socks off!"
Douglas Trumbull was the special-effect maestro on Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Trumbull's first directorial effort was the excellent 1972 film 'Silent Running'. 1983 saw the release of Trumbull's second full-length feature 'Brainstorm', an excellent movie about virtual reality. Christopher Walken & Louise Fletcher play researchers who have created a machine that can record an individual's thoughts onto tape, which can in turn be experienced by another individual.
Trouble arises when their boss (Cliff Robertson) turns their research over to the CIA, in order to turn it into a psychological weapon.
Not only does the film boast an exceptional cast (Natalie Wood sadly died whilst filming), incredible visual effects similar to 2001's 'Jupiter sequence', but it also includes a highly original scene of genuine horror, not dissimilar to a scene of in 'The City of Lost Children'.
Warner's 2009 re-mastered standard-definition release is excellent, but the video does switch between letterboxed 4:3 and 21:9 widescreen aspect ratios, apparently 'preserving the 35mm theatrical exhibition'... Hmm, slightly irritating methinks. Also the 5.1 audio has a wide dynamic range. That said, this is the best version I've ever seen (sadly, I never saw it at the cinema).
I'm happy it's been re-issued... perhaps an HD copy will rise up soon. In the meantime, I recommend it highly. It really hasn't dated that much, mostly due to Trumbull's superb special fx.
Sadly, due to, er, 'creative differences' between the director & the then MGM/UA execs, this was Trumbull's final Hollywood movie as a director. Trumbull has spent a great deal of time producing a variety of work for IMAX, but his SFX work for '2001', 'Close Encounters...' & 'Blade Runner' have made him a true pioneer. Brainstorm confirms this.
