Review 184: Total Recall

Total Recall is a visually stunning, thrilling sci fi film ever made and one of Paul Verhoeven's best movies and one of the best PKD adaptions.

Loosely based on the short story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick, The year is 2084. Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a board construction worker who, every night, has horrible nightmares about the planet Mars and dreams of visiting there Doug visits Rekall a company that plants false memories into peoples brains, in order to experience the thrill of Mars without having to travel there.
But something goes wrong during the procedure; Doug discovers that his entire life has been a false memory and that the people who implanted it in his head now want him dead. All the while wondering: Is the events of Rekall, being chased by assassins and going to Mars really happening? Or is it all a dream?

The plot is a simple yet creative and keeps you guessing the whole time. The 113 minute narrative moves at ferocious pace as twists and turns . 

It treads a very thin line between silly and absurd action and clever and intelligent sci fi.

intriguing, thought provoking ideas: Is your identity tied to your history or your actions? What defines you when one is removed from the other? 

The core of the film is whether or not Quaid's experiences are real or a dream induced by his failed ReKall memory implantation. Verhoeven wisely and intelligently leaves both possibilities to be viable. Quaid's rejection of the Hauser persona can be seen as an example of self-determination and American exceptionalism, but in doing so he avoids responsibility of punishment for Hauser's acts which can be interpreted as moral cynicism.

Much like Verhoeven's previous film RoboCop, Total Recall is fiercely critical of Capitalism and Corprotism. Therefore, Quaid's one-man army approach to overthrowing Cohaagen's opressive system being a delusional fantasy is also cynical because this could never happen. But

Paul Verhoeven's directing is stylish, the cinematography is gorgeous and captures the beauty of the dystopian 2084 Earth and Mars, the production design (creating a dystopian 2084 Earth and a colonised Mars) is brilliant, the costume design is majestic, the score by Jerry Goldsmith is fantastic, the make up is rich and full of detail, the special effects are terrific; the anamatronic and model work is spect, the action scenes are brutal, it has a great sense of humor as the film progresses the tension keeps knotching up and the ending was beautiful.

The acting is terrific, despite his imposing, physical presense, Arnold Schwarzenegger impresses as Doug Quaid, expertly embodying the unasuming, confused everyman. He isn't a superman this time, although he fights like one. He's a confused and frightened innocent, a man betrayed by the structure of reality istelf. His vulnaerability factor opens Total Recall to be more than just a simple action The odds are always against Quaid so seeing him survive so often by the skin of his teeth is emotionally satisfying.

all the while dishing out verbose bits of exposition and silly one-liners and being extremely entertaining in the process.

As freedom fighter and Quaid's former love Melina, Rachel Ticotin is fierce, sexy and headstrong.

 

However, Sharon Stone steals the show as Quaid's "wife" Lori. Outwardly, the loving wife, she's later revealed to, ostensibly be involved with Cohaagen. Sharon brought a lot charisma to the role while also channeling her inner femme fatale. Stone flips between the two faces seemlessly 

 

Michael Ironside and Ronny Cox are brilliant as Richter, Cohaagen's chief lieutenant  They may be playing archetypal villains but that dosesn't stop them from being menacing, firecely entraining and fun to watch. They're extreme overacting can sometimes  

 

Get your ass to Mars, 3.5/5.

The Anonymous Critic.