``Brainstorm'' directed by Douglas Trumbull, who overcame difficulties to create it (Part 2)

This time, I will be talking about ``Brainstorm'' (1983), one of the two feature-length feature films directed by Douglas Trumbull. It was a project that had a hard time getting off the ground, but we finally got it going. But the real trouble awaited him after this. * Click here for the first part

“Brainstorm” synopsis

Brain Scan is a device that allows others to relive the memories and sensations experienced by humans. A research team at the Evans Electronics Research Institute for Complex Future Industries, headed by Dr. Lillian Reynolds, has been experimenting with perceptual transmission toward the completion of brain scans. However, the military began to intervene in order to use the technology for military purposes. Lillian strongly opposes the military diversion of research. Eventually, an incident arises surrounding the brain scan...

Index

• Synopsis ③ Brainstorm Plan
• description of near-death experience
• Connection with “Blade Runner”
• death of natalie wood
• VFX work
• Near death experience VFX
• Pseudo CG image
• expression of the night sky
• After publication

Synopsis ③ Brainstorm Plan

Forbidden from entering the lab, Michael (Christopher Walken) goes to Hal (Joe Dorsey), a retired man, for advice. Haru simply told him to "look into Brainstorm." When Michael tries to hack into the Internet (*1) from his home, he discovers that ``Brainstorm'' is the name of a top-secret project. At this point, the military knew that Michael was trying to invade, but they dared him to swim.

When Michael connects to the reality recorder, Dr. Marks (Donald Hotton) appears and warns anyone involved that they must not replay what follows, as it will cause severe trauma and be dangerous. Then, the terrifying experience of being tortured hits Michael, and he throws the device away in a panic.

Michael tells Karen (Natalie Wood), ``We've been fooled by Alex (Cliff Robertson). He wants to sell our technology to the military and use it for brainwashing.'' Meanwhile, her son Chris (Jason Lively) attaches the device, which is still connected to the internet, out of curiosity. After experiencing prolonged torture, he faints from shock.

Alex arrives to see Michael and Karen, who have Chris admitted to the hospital. Michael asks about the ``Brainstorm Project'', but instead informs him of Gordy's (Jordan Christopher) death and forbids access to the ``death tape'' that records the process of Lillian's (Louis Fletcher) death.

Michael is now under constant surveillance by the military. So he pretends to have a fight with Karen and break up with her. He then destroys the laboratory's security system and remotely controls the reality recorder from the hotel while talking unrelated things on the wiretapped phone. Meanwhile, Karen, with Hal's help, physically destroys the data in the laboratory and the military reality recorder production line.

To escape from the military, Michael travels to the Wright Brothers National Memorial, the site of his memories with Karen, and connects to a reality recorder from a pay phone, playing the rest of the death tape. Karen also arrives and hugs Michael, who is tripping in ecstasy. Michael relives Lillian's death and confirms that she was taken to heaven.

*1 At this time, there was no Internet yet, but its predecessor, ARPANET , was in operation and was widespread mainly in American universities, military facilities, and research institutes. However, there were no optical lines yet, so in the movie they communicated using telephone lines and acoustic couplers .

description of near-death experience