There's a reason why the only times you ever hear about this one are when people discuss Natalie Wood's sudden and mysterious death. And that's because, in pretty much all other regards, there just isn't a whole lot worth talking about.
Okay, maybe that's a bit harsh. I suppose Brainstorm has value. The premise, for instance, about technology that can project one person's consciousness and sensations onto another via headset, is pretty creative and ahead of its time, and the sci-fi visuals are generally quite stunning. But that's basically where my compliments end. Everything else feels off to me, from the weak acting (Wood looks bored, Louise Fletcher is all over the place, and I don't even know what Christopher Walken's going for) to the atrocious dialogue to the choppy editing to the uneven sound mixing. And the result is a bewildering, insta-dated misfire, at least in my opinion.
Even the alternating aspect ratios, which, sure, probably look really cool in a theater setting, are mostly jarring on a home screen. All the non-virtual scenes (which is ninety percent of the movie) are now covered by both vertical and horizontal black bars, which causes everything inside to look boxed-in, small, and inconsequential. Makes the whole experience feel less cinematic to me, not more.
Grade: C
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