MovieChat Forums > Brainstorm (1983) Discussion > Uhm... the ending? (SPOILERS)

Uhm... the ending? (SPOILERS)

posted 21 years ago by elvogt
14 replies | jump to latest

Am I the only one who thinks that the ending (actually, the whole climax) of the film was a bit... weird?

I mean, the Project Brainstorm is about to be taken over by the military, the project has been snatched away from Walken, his colleague Fletcher died, etc. Now, Walken & Wood make a really big mess out of their research facility, just so Walken can get his kick from seeing Fletcher's death experience... then he says something to the effect of "We've managed it", and that's it, and everybody's happy?

Did I get just a weirdly cut edition (it ran on German TV, and sometimes they do pretty bizarre things to their films), or is that the vanilla ending?

I mean, Walken & Wood would be in big trouble for wreaking havoc on the facilities, and Walken would certainly not get his project back, nor would he be in any position anymore to fight abuse of the project by the military... so why should he be happy with everything?

I enjoyed the movie pretty much, but the ending put the whole thing in question... either the military sub-plot was pointless, or Walken really played just a stupid selfish git.

Help!

[–] pufferini 21 years ago

Yes, Walken has lost his project etc, but he's just witnessed death, all (well, nearly all) it's mysteries and ultimate questions and come back. He has faced "the scariest thing a person ever has to face" and it has refocussed his life's ambitions on love and indeed life itself... I think he believes his work is now done. The abruptness and therefore incomplete plot tidying of the ending may have been due to Natalie Wood's death during filming... even though Douglas Trumbull is an SFX god not even he had the 1981 wherewithall of digitally resurrecting Ms. Wood as Ridley Scott did with Oliver Reed in "Gladiator."

Pufferini- Greatest Cat in the World. He is with Natalie.

[–] jejules32 21 years ago

I think the way the ending was pieced together at the end was due to the death of Natalie Wood. The movie was filmed in North Carolina (where I live) and the local media reported that several key scenes of the movie had yet to be filmed when Natalie Wood died. Several scenes involving Christopher Walken were filmed after Natalie Wood's death. One scene in particular was when Christopher Walken was playing the tape that Lillian Reynolds made when she died for the first time. At one point I heard that the movie was going to be scratched because the producers felt they didn't have enough footage to finish the movie. Natalie Wood died in November of 81 and I think the movie was released in October of 83 (almost two years later). Overall, considering one of the main characters died during filming, the editors did a decent job of putting a cohesive (although shallow) ending to the film.

[–] 21 years ago

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[–] Janebo 20 years ago

i believe the 2 other friendly posters on your question, are both right. i know n.w. had died prior to the end of shooting & they had to use body doubles & stuff...
it's definitely slightly dated, but a good one nevertheless---& the concept is so completely awesome & so completely terrifying all at the same time...

the higher...the fewer

[–] 20 years ago

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[–] Tony-166 20 years ago

I have always wondered about Christopher Walken's lines at the end of this film. He says a couple of times "He made it". I suppose we are meant to take "He" as being God, but I also wonder if this was an earlier shot from a different version of the script which might have involved the death of a male character. I think they did a good job in getting this film completed and released. It always brings a lump to my throat when the dedication to Natalie Wood comes up on the screen.

[–] 20 years ago

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[–] verb80 19 years ago

Lets keep in mind herre Walken was really blooming in this movie, as a long time walken fan I'd have while even deer hunter you started to see the great master its the amazing one-line bits that walk can deliver, that nearly make me smile and laugh at the same time. He truly is a master of words. While he is looking albert in his room he says the words "Success" Gota love walken and corney ways he gets off a line, but thats why so many love him. WAlken would be one of the few people I'd actually want to hang out with from hollywood.

[–] freelancergal 19 years ago

"He made it"

I heard this as "I made it" and took it as a reference that he had managed to finish watching the tape. He was feeling euphoric about reaching "the light" and didn't care that watching the tape to the end was actually killing him. That was my interpretation...

And here's a cheesy question: Who else got teary-eyed (or even cried a bit) during the end when the "butterfly thingies" (I'm assuming souls?) appear? I'm not certain why it had such an effect on me, but I sure enough shed a couple of tears. It just struck me as one of the most beautiful near-death experiences ever portrayed on film. Calm, safe, hopeful... (and this coming from an agnostic)

Anyhoo...

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] drfaustus58 17 years ago

I wouldn't call it a cheesy question. It's quite pertinent. That particular scene is quite moving. Whilst I didn't shed tears, it did have an emotional impact on me. There are still a lot of questions about NDE's - Is it just a massive hallucination before the lights go out? Or is it a short stay in the after life. Scientists seem to think that it is the former, although they can't prove it conclusively. Apparently fighter pilots when subjected to G forces in a centrifuge experience NDE's. They claim to see tunnels of light, meet with people who have long since passed on etc. And they claim that it all appears to be very real and powerful experience.

Various scientific explanations have been given for NDE's. Neurons start firing madly once the brain begins to lose oxygen. Endorphins flood the CNS. Ketamine is released by the brain when brain cells start to die very rapidly(Apparently this is to stop brain cells from dying and Ketamine is a powerful hallucinogenic). The brain has never had to face death before, so it does a lot of strange things once its faced with oblivion. This results in these other worldy experiences.

On the other hand people who have died and come back, claim that they're not afraid of death anymore. They claim that the experience was as real as you sitting at your computer, or having a meal with friends. It's bizarre seeing them being interviewed. Their descriptions of their experience are genuine, heartfelt, and you can appreciate the impact it has had on their lives. Scientists still can't explain fully the out of body experiences these people have, and how they are able to describe the medical equipment used in the revival process. It has been proposed that one's hearing becomes more acute when in the throes of death, and therefore these core NDEr's are able to put what they hear the medical staff talking about when trying to resusciate into a visual image. Consequently they can describe all the equipment in the room. Personally I find this hard to believe. But I wouldn't rule it out completely.

I tend to be agnostic about the whole thing. I've read both sides of the story - Moody's "Life after Life" which gives accounts of 50 Near Death Experiences and Susan Blackmores "Dying to Live", which explains NDE's as just a complex biochemical process which occurs once the brain becomes depvrived of oxygen and enters the throes of death. I recommend both books. They are very well written, and both writers seem genunine in their attempts to understand the NDE phenomena. One must admire Ms Blackmore for going against the grain. No doubt most people would prefer to read Moody's book because it has a "happy ending". I'm sure she had more trouble trying to get her book published.

[–] crazymanmichael 17 years ago

Wow. That has to be one of the most cogent, intelligent, informed, and interesting postings I've ever come across on IMDB. Good stuff, drfaustus!

While the whole issue of what REALLY happens when we die doesn't exactly make me lose a lot of sleep, it is something I do think about, more it seems as I get older (gee, I wonder why), and have read a couple of the books you mentioned on the subject. I would still call myself both a religious agnostic and an "agnostic" on the issue of whether the classic NDE is really some kind of journey to an afterlife, or whether it's really just a final neurological spasm. It's just too bad that nobody's really done a U-turn and come back to let us know for sure; one can't REALLY count the typical NDE, because of that "N". You can build a pretty strong case for those who've experienced one not really being dead, only on the doorstep.

I think it's only human nature to wish for some sort of continuance beyond this life... I mean, the whole "short time alive, long time dead" thing is a bit stark, isn't it...

And perhaps (to tie this all back to Brainstorm) that's why the final death-tape scene IS moving. I think there's a clear implication that those butterfly-y things are supposed to be souls (spirits, life-essences, whatever) all fluttering their way toward some sort of heavenly confluence, and I have to think that, somewhere in the back of our minds, our collective unconscious wants this to be real, and be in our future, as our final journey.

Of course, the music helped too, didn't it?

[–] badasscat 14 years ago

I love this movie,...and concept and hold the same beliefs that most in this topic hold...

So I was wondering,...does this movie effect agnostics this way,....and only them/us?

Seems like real religious types dismiss this movie,and atheists just use their usual "that's just silly" mantra.

But anyway,..also just wanted to bump this thread,...as it seem to me the most interesting about the end.

"She made it" was what I heard though,..to heaven.

But since they had a kid who was damaged by the tapes,...I wonder if the real ending was about him trying to see his kid(whom would've committed suicide if I'm guessing right)...one more time...and seeing him off,..through her death tape's key to the unknown.

Food for thought....

-
Sometimes,..I think it's a sin,.when I feel like I'm winning,..when I'm losing again - Lightfoot

[–] boomerang-3 19 years ago

The ending is very good, it explains the "essence" of the film, seeking
the truth about ourselfs.

At the end Mick says "We made it", it's so simple to understand this phrase.
They had finaly answered the most important mystery of life :
"What is death ...".

This end is moving, and stays in my mind, it's so simple and so beautiful.
"Look at the stars"