646f9e108c A psychic's investigation into the disappearance of a Senator's daughter leads her to a dangerous cult and the truth about her mysterious past. In 1985, the NSA's Dr. Parish's team trains paranormally gifted children in a new, secret Honduras base, where sergeant 'Uncle' Walter Golden is the closest thing to a parental figure for the eldest, most advanced boy, Malcolm, and his favorite Tracy. During director Bill Armitage's inspection visit, it is devastated by Soviet commandos. About fifteen years later, adult Tracy Wellman is a reckless private investigator and presents her boyfriend and protector, FBI agent Daniel 'Dan' Oliver, to her step-dad Angus, who never told the details of her traumatic amnesia at age 9, which still causes disturbed flashbacks. The FBI brings Tracy to -now- senator and presidential campaign nominee William 'wild Bill', who hires her discretely to retrieve his rebellious, since ten days missing daughter Rayanna 'Ray' before the press turns the story into an electoral nightmare. Rayanna is in the Congregation of Friends, charismatic, also psychic preacher David Mendez's New Age cult, and writes to dad he must leave her on Mendez's ranch in Yakima, Washington, or she'll turn to the press. Dan finds the cult is dangerous, building up an armory, and Mendez has absolutely no known past. Armitage asks help from Dan's boss Angus, who agrees he goes to ex-cult member Jeannette Long, in the witness protection program; they are attacked by helicopters while she tells Dan her ex-lover Mendez is in league with heavy criminals and obsessed with revenge on the senator. Mendez manages to rekindle Tracy's Honduras memories, says he's the late Malcolm's spirit in a dying Russian soldier's body and asks her help to stop Armitae and the likes by training enough people's psychic powers in the cult, finally revealing they are siblings. Yet Tracy refuses to become co-leader, calling David/Malcolm a schizophrenic brainwashing rapist, so she's tied up while the FBI including Daniel beleaguers the ranch, but Mendez has planned ahead… It was a sad day several years ago when film company PM Entertainment closed its doors and producers Joseph Merhi and Richard Pepin went their separate ways. I have been trying to follow their separate careers since, though they haven't made as many films as they did when they were together. When "Mindstorm" came up on the Canadian Sci-Fi channel, I watched it because not only was Richard Pepin a producer, he wrote and directed the movie as well.<br/><br/>The movie was obviously inspired by "Scanners" (and the fact that "Scanners" star Michael Ironside was cast here probably wasn't a coincidence.) But despite not being totally original, I found the movie surprisingly compelling. It unfolds slowly, keeping you curious as to what will happen and what secrets will be revealed. Also (probably in part due to the low budget), the movie is more character-based than action-packed. Not only are the characters fleshed out, the cast is more than up to the challenge of acting these parts. Underrated actors Eric Roberts and Ironside as usual do a first-rate job, and even Antonio Sabato Jr. and Clarence Williams are decent.<br/><br/>Is there anything I didn't like about "Mindstorm"? Well, there is one action-oriented part that extensively recycles footage from the remake of "Narrow Margin". That was kind of annoying - I would have preferred they had used completely original footage throughout, even if it would have meant one less action scene. But aside from that, the movie is very good, even though it also happens to be a Canadian film. Probably the fact that it wasn't funded by the snotty art-minded government explains why it's so good. Just recently released on DVD and video, Mindstorm gathers as many B-listed stars as possible in a muddled attempt at mindreading, cult fascination and genuine thriller. The cast has all been seen before: Antonio Sabato Jr, Michael Ironside (looking as if he thought he was in Scanners VI), Eric Roberts, Clarence Williams III and Michael Moriarty (who talks as if he as marbles in his mouth). We've seen all of these actors before, just not in a starring role, and no wonder. Although each actor does their best with the screen time they are given, none can rise above the stale plot which leads us to an expected conclusion. I do give credit for the lack of special effects. This movie could have used F/X in an attempt to try and lure a younger audience, but instead it tried to rely on the characters and the story. Valiant effort, but misguided.
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