Directed by:
Paul VerhoevenCinematography:
Jost VacanoComposer:
Jerry GoldsmithCast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Ronny Cox, Michael Ironside, Marshall Bell, Mel Johnson Jr., Ray Baker, Michael Champion (more)VOD (5)
Plots(1)
When a man goes for virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real, or does he? (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (10)
It might be the best known, but it’s certainly one of Verhoeven's weaker films in terms of craftsmanship. In particular, the passage set on Earth is very stylistically bland and, as an intro to a bloody space carnage with a western-like structure, it feels a bit like a shy virgin next to Robert Rosenberg. Fortunately, there is an original story with a generous quantity of gradually dosed twists, a lot of convincing old-school effects, even more action, and most of all Arnold, who’s simply amazing in a role that underlines his golden Hollywood period. Some of the moments (and there more than a few) are too reminiscent of certain B-movie gems from the lower leagues of filmmaking in their technical execution and dysfunctional rustic logic, but there’s no other film I’d be more willing to forgive for that. Oldies Goldies.
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Sometimes all a successful sci-fi movie needs is to set the scene and intensify the music. Paul Verhoeven takes a somewhat questionable approach, unleashing his twisted taste and giving Arnold Schwarzenegger the feeling that he's acting in a cleverly packaged trick on the viewer against all the evil members of society. Nope, not like this. The blood is better suited to Robocop and the unconventional marital crisis is better suited to more open satire.
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The 1990s brought a lot of good things (like me :-D), but this sci-fi is not one of them, at least for me. Terrible sets (even sci-fi from previous years had a much better idea of the future), a story that really scrapes, music that likely didn't even make it to my ears. The only plus is Arnold's accent... Unfortunately, this cult didn't enchant me and left me cold. But definitely check it out – if there’s at least two of you – it will bring a little education. :-)
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Paul Verhoeven keeps playing the same song and it’s not out of tune even for the umpteenth time, though the basic melody is starting to become a bit tired and boring. Total Recall is a fine wild ride with lots of blood, a brilliantly clumsy main protagonist (his facial expressions in some close-up shots are adorable) and a two-digit number when it comes to the body count. But the similarly styled music and distinctive visual signature (which doesn't always mean high quality) didn't really touch my heart in any special way. The Martian setting is overly exhibitionistic, just like the rebel leader, the woman with three breasts, the mutants, the face explosions, and similar things. The director is too over-the-top sometimes, and it's not always my cup of tea. Nevertheless, the well-executed action scenes are cool.
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This whole Dick adaptation has one little hitch. Namely that they didn’t cast a more restrained actor than Arnie for the main role. I like him a lot, but he doesn't really fit into the paranoid adaptation of Dick's work with his character, even though he tries his best. Otherwise, everything is as it should be. Pace, effects, direction, and vision of the future. Along with the unbeatable Blade Runner, this is clearly the best movie adaptation of P. K. Dick.
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