Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
AMAZING! ASTOUNDING! And A Pretty Good Little Movie, Too!, March 6, 2002
There is something grotesquely ironic about seeing former First Lady Nancy Regan as the caretaker of a disembodied brain bent on world conquest--but at the time the movie first appeared the great irony in casting concerned actor Lew Ayres, who was best remembered as for his screen series as the respectable and responsible Dr. Kildaire, and who here plays a mad scientist. One way or another, cult-film enthusiasts will have tremendous fun with this one. But even so, DONOVAN'S BRAIN has a lot more going for it than cult-film appeal: the story line continues to resonate in the modern era of medical ethics issues, the script is surprisingly intelligent, and the director and actors play it out at a snappy pace.Based on a successful novel, DONOVAN'S BRAIN concerns a scientist (Ayers) who is experimenting with keeping monkey brains alive in tanks--and when a nearby plane crash lands a terminal accident victim on his surgery table he presses his wife (Nancy Davis, later Regan) and surgical sidekick (Gene Evans) into recovering a human brain for his work. And he succeeds beyond all expection. Trouble is, the brain belongs to a truly evil multi-millionaire who wants to take over the world, and under Ayres care the brain grows... and begins to exert an unexpectedly nasty psychic influence on those around it. Ayres was a gifted leading man whose credits ranged from ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT to JOHNNY BELINDA, and the film owes much of its success to his talents; Gene Evans is also quite good as the drunken surgeon Ayres befriends. As for Nancy, she is clearly a B-Movie actress, but she is a surprisingly competent one. Cult fans will have a field day, but the movie is too interesting as a whole to be designated such pure and simple; it has a lot going for it, and just about every one who sees it will have a good time. Recommended.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cool 50's "Brain" Flick, June 3, 2001
This is a neat movie based on Curt Siodmak's novel about Dr. Pat Cory (Lew Ayers), his assistant Dr. Frank Shratt (Gene Evans), and his wife Jan (Nancy Davis, who would later become First Lady, Nancy Reagan) experimenting on a monkey's brain, trying to keep it alive on its own, when an airplane crash happens near by. Requiring the doctor's assistance, he uses his house to perform an operation on the only survivor, the multi-millionaire Warren Donovan. This fails, but Cory hits upon the idea of using Donovan's brain for his experiments, with some unexpected results. This isn't a gory movie by any means, but it is very effective with good performances all around. The print that was used for the DVD is very clear and detailed, which sometimes shows the movie's shortcomings (some inferior stock footage for a car crash sequence and a poorly "matted" rain shot). This budget DVD comes with a theatrical trailer and is closed captioned. If you're a sci-fi fan, I highly recommend it.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great lesser known title!!, April 8, 2005
Donovan's Brain is a perfect example of how enjoyable a good 50's sci-fi flick can be. Great script and solid acting with adequate special effects makes this one a real winner.
I enjoyed this brainy excursion and think it has great potential for repeat watchability. If you enjoyed this film, I also strongly recommend Creature With The Atom Brain, another very enjoyable sci-fi effort with a similar story.
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