Directed by:
Len WisemanCinematography:
Paul CameronComposer:
Harry Gregson-WilliamsCast:
Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, Bokeem Woodbine, Bill Nighy, John Cho, Will Yun Lee, James McGowan, Michael Therriault (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Total Recall is an action thriller about reality and memory, inspired anew by the famous short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick. Welcome to Rekall, the company that can turn your dreams into real memories. For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), even though he's got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life - real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police – controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the leader of the free world – Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen. The line between fantasy and reality gets blurred and the fate of his world hangs in the balance as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love, and his true fate. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (11)
I was expecting a new version of a Dick’s story, but what I got was an excruciatingly boring cover version of a great film. Aside from the good visual effects and the idea of dusting off the "good old" idea of displacing the inconvenient inhabitants of Great Britain to Australia, nothing in the new Total Recall impressed me at all. This bland story full of stupidities and clichés, which doesn't manage to do anything more imaginative than quoting from the original, is not even close to Verhoeven's bloody sci-fi anecdote. Colin Farrell is awkward, Bill Nighy underused, the female characters useless. Just like this whole movie. Perhaps one thing worked - watching it made me want to watch all the much better films it had ripped off again.
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The original didn't appeal to me in the slightest, so the reconciliatory three stars are a small victory for the new Total Recall. It's pleasing that they got rid of Mars and put more emphasis on the versatile wife, but unnecessary logical flaws and the slightly excessive running time are annoying. Len Wiseman saves a lot of things with the action (led by the premature climax of the movie in the form of a chase in elevators) and the reinvented Kate Beckinsale helps him out the most. And yet the courage of the producers to pour so many dollars into this particular vision defies comprehension.
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Len Wiseman seemingly had all the trump cards in his hands - a well-known and successful book, stars with a wide acting range, a big budget, and new film technology. Despite all of this, he not only failed to surpass Verhoeven's version but didn't even come close to it. And to be honest, I was never even particularly intrigued by the old version; Verhoeven turned an interesting story about hidden identity and complex conspiracy into a pop spectacle that avoids any deeper thoughts. However, it must be admitted that the Dutch director was successful in what he tried to do. Apart from The Terminator, it is the only film where Arnold's acting is somewhat worth mentioning as Verhoeven managed to extract the best from the physical specimen. His trashy aesthetics were interesting, and he consistently came up with catchy scenes and elements and it was never boring. Wiseman attempted to make an action blockbuster but blatantly parasites his predecessor, clinging too much to proven genre formulas, and in a flood of unrealistic action and bombastic spectacle, he fails to surprise or impress. He can't even properly sell his characters. In the end, another typical film came out of his workshop with grand ambitions that it couldn't fulfill. Overall impression: 25%.
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A passable remake, adapted to today’s hurried times. Perfect craftsmanship, Wiseman lays action scene upon action scene on the viewer and the shots of his wife (Kate Beckinsale) are filmed with such care that it’s a pleasure to watch. Also, she’s a thoroughbred terminator, but with a smile to fall in love with your dying breath. Poor old Colin Farrell doesn’t have much acting to do, but he tries hard. Bryan Cranston is fine too. The visual side of the movie is superb. A combination of Blade Runner and Minority Report, with a pinch of Star Wars. It’s over the top and gets away with it. It’s fantasy, after all, isn’t it? ;) If I’m not me, then who the hell am I?
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I had forgotten Wimmer's name in the screenwriter column and went into it with no greater ambitions, but also without any fear. So as long as Wiseman reminisces about his childhood spent at arcades, it goes pretty well, although Colin doesn't really enjoy it and Jessica definitely doesn't. The entire film is carried by Paul Cameron's circling camera and Kate Beckinsale enjoying her unacknowledged role as the Terminator. However, it gets worse with each new dialogue that you just can't get out, even if you had half a kilo of coke shoved into your head in Recall, so I found myself smiling at times, even though the creators didn't intend for that to be the case. For a hundred and twenty-five million, it’s a pretty decent ride, but it should have taken at least half an hour less.
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Gallery (109)
Photo © Columbia Pictures
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