Movie Review: Donovan's Brain (1953)

Synopsis: Working out of a laboratory at the mountain retreat he shares with his wife, Janice, Dr. Patrick Cody is trying to find a way to keep a brain alive outside the human body as a way of helping severely injured patients. His experiments have been conducted using monkey brains but when the wealthy Warren Donovan is fatally injured in a crash and dies at Cody's home, the doctor sees an opportunity for human experimentation and steals Donovan's brain. His experiment proves to be successful. However, the disembodied brain soon begins to use telepathy to take control of Cody.

Who's in it? The movie stars Lew Ayres, Gene Evans, Nancy Reagan (as Nancy Davis), Steve Brodie and Tom Powers.

Review: I came across Donovan's Brain while scrolling through movies last night and ended up picking it for my morning movie mostly because I saw it starred Nancy Reagan and I haven't seen a whole lot of films with the former First Lady of the United States. Overall, it ended up being an OK choice.

I will start out by saying the movie is a little dull at times. This is because, while the brain takes control of Dr. Cody (Ayres) relatively quickly, there didn't really feel like there was any sort of life-or-death urgency. In fact, if anything, the movie was a bit more of a mystery because Cody's actions on behalf of the deceased Donovan were just vague enough to make me question what the dead millionaire was attempting to do.

That said, there was quite a bit to like about the film too. For one, I liked how his wife, Janice (Reagan) was quick to notice the changes in her husband and attempt to do something about it. This was a bit refreshing compared to other movies, where supporting characters seem to be a bit too clueless.

There was also a question about how Cody would be able to get out of the mess he was in. The brain controlled almost all his impulses by the end of the film, and he was also limited on where he could get help because he did commit a crime just by stealing the brain and there was no definitive way to prove his actions after stealing the brain weren't his own. 

It was a situation where he could wind up dead or he could wind up in prison and no clear path to a third alternative that saw him living happily ever after and kept the movie from being as predictable as it could have been. I always am going to prefer that to a movie with an ending I saw coming from a mile away.

Final Opinion: As I mentioned, it could have used a little more urgency, but it proved to be a solid science fiction movie that I enjoyed watching. I'd recommend it.

My Grade: B+

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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1953:

Movie Review: Count the Hours! (1953)

Movie Review: War of the Worlds (1953)

Movie Review: The Blue Gardenia (1953)