Pretty Good

Perfect cast and a good story

Overrated

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Dr. Blake (David Gale) runs a TV show called "Independent Thinkers", which is sort of a Scientology-like self-help/religion program. But he is not making his audience think any more independently; with the help of an alien organism he calls the Brain, he is using brainwashing and mind control.It is always wonderful to see David Gale, who had far too few movie roles and we shall miss him. His role here is not one that requires a large amount of screen time, but he is a crucial part of the story.There are some cool monster effects here. Monster arms, jaws, a brain... definitely better than average and I hope the effects crew has gone on to do something notable.

"The Brain" is a harmless but brainless cheesy creature feature romp.**SPOILERS**Dealing with behavior problems, Jim Majelewski, (Tom Bresnahan) is counseled by his parents and principal that he should be sent to a psychologist. Sent to the nearby Psychological Research Institute run by Dr. Anthony Blakely, (David Gale) he is soon inundated with treatment to help cure him, but it only starts off a series of hallucinations that concern his friends Janet, (Cynthia Preston) and Willie, (Bret Pearson) to begin to question what's happening at the facility and attempt to break in, revealing a plan from the heads of the institute are putting a plan into effect that concerns a television show being used as the catalyst for the transmission of hypnotic brain waves from a gigantic alien brain to take over the world. With their influence controlling others, they race to stop them before they are put in control.The Good News: This was a really entertaining and cheesy effort. This one here really piles it on and offers up some real fun, mostly coming from the central brain. It's a wonderfully cheesy looking creature, with a demonic face and a mouthful of fangs that leave a great impression on first viewing. The plot itself is another example, and manages to include a lot of great cheese in it. The film, as a whole, simply reeks of cheese and there's a lot of fun to be had from that part. It's also got some great action scenes to impart some fun into it. There's a couple of car chases in here, all of which are quite fun and exciting. A fantastic sequence, where a family watching the show on TV doesn't notice when one of them slips upstairs. There, strange things begin to happen, as the teddy bear starts bleeding from his eyes and an arm crashes through her portable TV set and tentacles break through the wall. When the mother rushes in the room, all this paranormal fun disappears for a moment. Then it re-emerges and the girl repeatedly stabs one of the tentacles to get free. Outside of the girl's delusions, it's seen that she has actually just stabbed her mother to death. Then, frightened by the image of a brain with a hideous face coming at her from her mirror, the girl falls out of her window to her death. The fact that the last half of the film mostly consists of chasing through the town or the institute grounds means that there's very rarely anything dull happening and it stays upbeat and exciting for these segments to keep interest. There's also some nice blood and gore to be found in this, which is quite nice. There's a decapitation with an ax, several gunshot wounds, a chainsaw sliced into the waist that cuts in half and a couple of really impressive brain-devouring that look far more graphic than they should. Capped off with some mild humor moments and a couple of fun little sleaze bits, this one isn't that bad.The Bad News: This one here doesn't have a whole lot of flaws, but there are some. One of the main ones is that there's a large helping of cheese in here that might not be for everyone. The general plot itself may be enough to put some off the film altogether, as it's really as brainless and thought-less as it suggests. That's a knock that some might not get over, and it really manages to make that seem like something big and important, since it relies so heavily on something like that which is such a judgment call on most viewer's cases. From the fact that there's nothing to keep the thought going for what happens in the plot. There's way too many instances where it's way too easy to question the logic going on and force the film to a halt. It's pretty common, especially once it gets to the point where the television show comes in to force the viewers of it to do their bidding. It comes with a lot of areas that don't have to deal with intelligence that anyone can catch on but the characters don't. It leaves a few bad areas, but otherwise these here are what really hurt in the long run.The Final Verdict: Filled with cheese, often to the point of it being a crime, there's enough here for fans of the style to get some entertainment out of it. Worth seeing for the true hardcore cheese fans of the time or are in the mood for brainless fun, otherwise for low-cheese tolerance, seek caution with it.Rated R: Violence, Nudity and Language

I can't even count how many times I have watched this movie throughout the years. I consider myself lucky to even own a copy of this movie. This is easily one of my all time favorite bad films. If you're expecting something decent just walk away because The Brain is not for you. This is simply for the true lovers of bad cinema.The late David Gale has a show on TV that is a therapeutic type of show. Many people in this town watch the show and rather enjoy it. What they don't know is the show is being masterminded by a giant brain from outer space and it's sending brainwashing signals threw the TV. Only one teenage boy is able to fight away these signals and decides to take matters into his own hands after the brain brainwashes everyone in town making them think that the boy is murdering people.I can't say that the acting is anything great but David Gale is always a pleasure on screen, even if the script given to him sucks. Some of the special effects are good but most of them are just silly. The brain itself is actually pretty cool looking if you can put aside how ridiculous it looks. The brain does have an interesting transformation scene from just being a regular looking brain to what looks like a giant rotting monkey head.I have to say I really liked this movie even if most of my friends can't get through the first 30 minutes of it. But then again, I can sit through just about any garbage cinema you give me and find something enjoyable about it. 8/10 stars

Another horror flick in which a goof-ball teenager battles a madman and his supernatural sidekick who want to take over?! Yes, but the fact that this one was from Canada gives it a slightly different feel. "The Brain" has troublesome teenager Jim Majelewski getting put into a treatment whose leader turns out to be a cult leader aided by a big ugly "brain". Can Jim stop him? I guess that since our northern neighbor has accomplished all that they have accomplished, they're entitled to make at least one ridiculous horror movie. But still, they'll probably want to be known for having national health care and all.The bad guy had a brain. Why didn't the people who made this movie?