Dec 18: Total Recall

“A factory worker, Douglas Quaid, begins to suspect that he is a spy after visiting Rekall – a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led – goes wrong and he finds himself on the run.”
Directed by: Len Wiseman, Rated: PG-13, 118 minutes

One of my favorite sci-fi films of all time is 2002’s Minority Report. Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise, it introduced us to a futuristic world that seemed closer to reality than we could ever imagine. Little did I know that the film was originally meant to be a sequel to the 1990 ‘classic’, Total Recall, another great sci-fi flick and easily Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best movie. Both movies are based off of Philip K. Dick short stories so it’s easy to understand that they may be set in the same universe. However, when you compare the two, it’s pretty difficult finding that many similarities. With this year’s release of Total Recall‘s remake, starring Colin Farrell, everything clicks. Clearly inspired by Minority Report, Total Recall runs with the theme of a dystopian future and injects those same ideas of a technology that’s closer to reality than you’d expect. Critically, Total Recall is a failure and has had a ton of hate thrown at it, but, my dear readers, I completely disagree.

In the future, the world is divided between two sections, the United Federation of Britan (U.F.B) and The Colony. Those of the UFB are considered superior to those who dwell in the Colony and actually have the Colony citizens work for them. Each day, factory workers like Douglas Quaid (Farrell), travel through something called ‘The Fall’ from the Colony to the UFB (it literally travels through the center of the earth), and work their asses off for the “greater good”. With Quaid, he feels he’s worth much more than being a lowly grunt and tries his hardest to be something greater. Frustrated with his situation  Quaid enlists the help of Rekall, a company that you pay to implant false memories into your mind to create a false happiness and other emotions to get you through each day. You can fulfill all of your fantasies, from having a mistress to being a spy, and Quaid decides (reluctantly) to give it a chance. As Quaid is being hooked up to the machine, hidden memories of being a special agent re-emerge and all shit breaks out. UFB agents storm into Rekall and Quaid disarms all of them with abilities he never knew he had. Struggling to figure out what’s happened to him, Quaid flees in panic and tries to put together his broken memories. Hot on his tail are Lori (Kate Beckinsale), Quaid’s thought to be wife but actual UFB undercover agent and Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), an evil politician looking to destroy the Colony (along with a bunch of his robot henchmen). Teaming up with Quaid is the beautiful and somewhat familiar, Melina (Jessica Biel), an agent for the Resistance, a group of people led by a man named Mathias (Bill Nighy) who hope to give the Colony a greater voice.

Unfortunately, this screenshot is almost the entirety of Bill Nighy’s screen time.

If reading the above synopsis left you a bit confused, you’re not the only one. Total Recall‘s biggest downfall is its plot. While it’s far from being incoherent, it’s rather confusing and you’re left to think a bit more than you’d want when watching an action flick. Unfortunately  even when you think about it and realize what’s happened, you get rather frustrated with the countless plot holes and inconsistencies. None of them ruin the film entirely, but you’re still left a bit dumbfounded that the writers would allow such flaws and poke a few jabs at the intelligence of the audience. If you can get past all of this, however, Total Recall is glorious. The action sequences are phenomenal and are so fun to watch. Director Len Wiseman (Underworld) knows how to craft great chase sequences and Total Recall has plenty of them. From rooftop pursuits to futuristic car chases, Total Recall has it all. And they’re long and substantial. We’re not just giving a quick shootout or fist fight but we’re treated with full, epic, large scale sequences that show off the world that’s been created and the technology that drives it. There are several moments I found myself smiling for long periods of time and even getting jealous of the technology I witness being used on the screen (I want a hand phone, please). Many complain that the film is far too serious compared to the original, but, personally, the action is more than enough fun to keep me interested. Colin Farrell proves he’s leading action star material and can kick as much ass as Jason Bourne or James Bond (although his character is far from being as developed as those two icons).

This scene was shown in every trailer for the film, but it’s still awesome.

As I stated, through these action scenes we get a chance to explore the futuristic world Wiseman has created. Given the subject matter and setting, you’d expect a large use of CGI and green screen to create the world, but Total Recall surprises us with incredible set design to really bring the world to life. Combined with great stunt work (some done by Farrell himself), the suspense increases tenfold. We’re not watching computer generated people flying through the future, jumping from buildings, or fighting robots, but we’re watching actual, breathing, people get their asses kicked and thrown fifty feet by an explosion. As I have stated over and over, I am a huge fan of practical effects and great stunt work  so seeing as much as I see in Total Recall leaves me a happy man. If anything, it’s through these scenes that remind us of the 1990 film.

One is hilariously awesome. One is just badass.

Total Recall is vastly different than the original. Sure, it makes nods towards the Schwarzenegger hit, but it’s still its entirely own picture. I think it’s because of this fact that the film has received as much hate as it has and I feel it is completely unjustified. Total Recall is a remake in the best sense of the word and literally re-does everything we knew about the story. Sure, it’s similar (it’s the same damn source material), but it’s set in an entirely different world that’s much larger than what we got in 1990. While I find it hard to argue that the remake is superior to the original (Paul Verhoeven’s style is hard to beat), Total Recall is still a solid action flick that is worth your time and attention. It throws us face first into a world I want to continue to explore and presents us with action sequences that are genuinely exciting and fun to watch. If anything, watch the film for the technology and the gadgets the character’s use and cross your fingers that what we’re seeing is on its way to our stores (probably thanks to Apple). To wrap things up, I want to plead with you to give Total Recall a chance and ignore what you’ve heard. I sincerely think it’s worth it. If that doesn’t sell you, see it for Beckinsale and Biel. They fight. Meow.

The Good:
impressive action sequences that are incredible to watch unfold on even greater sets (and Farrell)
The Bad:
a plot that’s a bit too confusing and riddled with holes
The Ugly:
not being able to understand the almost universal hate for a film I genuinely enjoyed

Overall: 7.6/10

Discussion Question:
What other remakes can you think are completely different than the originals?

Trailer: