Brainjacked (Review)

Brainjacked

Brainjacked (2009)

Directed by Andrew Allan

The tagline for Brainjacked is:

Drill the Brain, Command the Mind, Control the World

Well isn't that overly ambitious? But ambition and effort go a long way in this independent sci-fi gorefest. The production value is at the max and I appreciated the effort of such a project.

Andrew Allan's first feature length film is jampacked with holes in the brain, mind control, cult escapees and full figured nudity. You would think a formula like that would automatically warrant awesomeness. But you'd be wrong.

Brainjacked isn't terrible but it isn't uber awesome. It's a solid 90 minutes of indie horror fun but riddled with story, acting and pacing issues. But aside from that it's got a mad doctor drilling holes in people's heads. Yay.

Boring Plot-O-Matic

Sinister and stylish, Brainjacked tells the tale of Tristan Davis [Chris Jackson], a teenage runaway lured by the enchanting and beautiful Laney [Somali Rose] into a secret underworlde ruled by a psychotic nerosurgeon [Rod Grant]. The doctor's deadly prescription:Trepanation, the very real and gruesome practice of drilling bloddy hole's in one's head for mental relief and enhancement. Suffering from head-grinding migraines, Tristan submits to the doctor's drill. But surgery unlocks more than just Tristan's mental powers. It opens a dark realm of terror... Packed with sexy sirens, mutated abominations, and an army of murderous, mind-controlled teenage slaves.

Awesome Review-O-Matic

It's not everyday you can pack a shitload of gore and nudity and not get a high rating from the jaded viewer. But in the case of Brainjacked I have to say I was completely jaded. I've seen stellar boobs and I've seen generic gore. The movie has both but the story which from the onset seemed interesting went downhill during the course of the movie.

Tristan, our teenage runaway has a shitty life. Suffering from headaches and a family which he explains"My father killed himself, my stepfather’s a son of a bitch, and my mother’s his gang-bang party favor. I’ve got nowhere else to go." He's meets Laney (a super hot blonde) who takes him to meet Dr. Karas, who claims he can cure his headaches. Seems the good doctor takes in runaways and performs trepanation (which is just a fancy way of saying he drills holes in people's heads).

All is good until the blinks (aka blackouts) begin and soon Tristan realizes all is not what it seems. The doc seems to using his procedure for mind control and he's pretty much brianjacked most of St. Petersberg, Florida. With the help of a gang of rebels, his new GF Tristan tries to stop the doc from controlling the world.

It's not as cool as it sounds.

Brainjack follows the conventional formulas of a "destroy the cult" movie but with a sci-fi twist. It's got elements of Videodrome, Body Snatchers and every other cult movie you've ever seen. If the movie had not strayed from being a evil cult flick and not turned into a zombie/bad rock em sock em action, it probably would have worked.

The acting is a little cheesy though Chris Jackson as Tristan and Somali Rose as Laney do their best as the coupling that tries to save the world. Rod Grant's doc was very cardboardy and his dialogue in particular sounded robotic.

How do you make up for this? Add boobs! Our Nude-ipedia has tons of full frontal and even a Skinemax-ish love scene. You would think a indie sci-fi schlock movie like this would have fat women getting naked but the women are fuckin hot and I appreciated the effort of getting top notch babes to show some flesh.

The Gore-ipedia is solid with some no cutaway drilling brain closeups. It's definitely non CGI kind and we get the blood deep red. The final gore scene is pretty gruesome and gave me a happy. You only get this good splatter from the indie horror filmmaker and Brainjacked is maxed up on the gore meter.

So should you watch this movie or drill a hole in your brain? It's worth a watch as a scifi-horror fan. The indie spirit is there to make you happy and it's loaded with tons of stuff you'll enjoy. Hot looking women, ample amounts of gore and an interesting concept. If you can forgive the cheesy acting and the uneven first and second halves of the movie, it won't give you a headache.

And if you do get one, just take some aspirin instead of drilling a hole in your head. I think that's good advice.

WTF moment

The ending and than the ending after the ending (watch for a scene after the credits)

The Jaded Viewer's Final Prognosis

Brainjacked is being released on DVD on August 31st via Breaking Glass Pictures. The DVD will have these features:

• Commentary with the Director Andrew Allan and Producer Andy Lalino
• Commentary with Director of Photography Wes Pratt, Sound Designer & Composer Eddie "Enotide" Sturgeon, and Director Andrew Allan
• Commentary with Actor Rod Grant, Special FX Artists Marcus Koch, andindie horror funny man Shelby Mcintyre
• Behind the scenes featurette
• Brainjacked location tour
• Spaventare [Bonus Short Film]
• Trailers

Also check out Unearthed Films as well as Film Ranch International (the official site) for more info.

Rating:
Check out the trailer below.