Total Recall (2012)

Okay, a few years ago I rewatched the Arnold Schwarzenegger-Paul Verhoeven version of Total Recall and gave it 10 stars. So I just now watched the Colin Farrell-Kate Beckinsale-Jessica Biel version and while I still prefer the previous version, this one wasn't so bad either. I mean, there are hardly any one-liners that Arnold did like that "divorce" line he gave to Sharon Stone then but there is still that dangerous edge that the original had that made this a worthy remake to watch. And the ending also provided a different twist than that of the original so that was also a good thing for me. So to make comparisons, I still prefer the Arnold version but this Total Recall gets a recommendation from me as well.

Fmovies: What can i say, i really enjoyed this movie. There are similarities to the original but the new twist was very entertaining. It is definitely a special effects lovers dream come true.

I don't really understand why some people gave this movie a bad review when clearly this is much better than most of the c*ap out there. I presume that most of the haters are either somehow against the movie to begin with or just don't acknowledge a good movie when they see one.

Overall i give it an 8 out of 10 and would recommend this movie to everyone. It was just as entertaining as the original albeit with new theme.

I was completely exhausted after seeing this film. If you like chase scenes and a lot of action, then this is the film for you. I think that people who have seen the original Schwarzenegger version will not be too thrilled with this film, me included. In the original film there were more mind games while this film is diluted with action sequences. I am not saying that the action parts were not good, there was just too many of them. I have to say that the futuristic look of the United Federation of Britain and The Colony (Australia) was pretty cool; although there were times that I thought that I was watching a video game. Also, the concept that you could travel between the two locations (which are on opposite sides of the earth) in roughly 17 minutes in a tube called "The Fall" was utterly ridiculous. I can't even imagine how fast that thing would have to travel to do what it does. Colin Farrell (Douglas Quaid/Hauser) was not all that engaging. This is not necessarily his fault because the dialog was pretty bland and boring. By the end of the film I really did not care what happened to him, I just wanted it to be over. Kate Beckinsale (Lori Quaid) and Jessica Biel (Melina) were formidable as two butt-kicking adversaries, although I have to say that Kate's character kind of reminded me of the female terminator. She was relentless in trying to track down Hauser. I am always happy to see a woman cast as a tough, larger than life super human. Bokeem Woodbine (Harry) was convincing enough as the best friend, but his dialog was no better than Colin's. I do not think that the film was all bad, but about an hour or so into the film I was wishing that I was back at ReKall. You are definitely going to need an energy drink after you watch this one because you will not be energized after seeing it; you will be worn out. Len Wiseman was definitely not a wise man for trying to redo this film. He should stick with the Underworld series and call it a day. This film really makes me long for Mars and the cheesy special effects in the original. I am giving this film a very weak amber light only because the action scenes were so well done.

Total Recall fmovies. I wish I could recall the last two hours of my life. I really thought this movie would be fun - not good, mind you - but fun. A re-make of an old classic with an even bigger budget, better actors, and today's special effects would be worth 8 bucks. Plus Jessica Biel is sexy as hell. I was rewarded for my rare optimism by poor acting (seriously, the robots were more engaging); cliché dialogue (at one point, the villain actually said darkly, "Go handle it" to his henchman); and unpredictable plot-turns (the audience was kept guessing what the hell was going on). And these were all carefully scripted for the sole purpose of getting to the next action sequence - none of which had anything to do with the original movie. The only call-back to the original title was the appearance triple-titted hooker. No need to explain how the hell a regular human came to have these mammoth milk-monsters, because there are three of them. I should have walked out after they made their five-second cameo. I would have been happier.

Too many reviews comparing it to the 1990 film with Arnie. If the Arnie version was never put out, then everyone would be saying how great this adaptation really is in it's own merit. (And seriously can you really say that you would have given the Arnie version a 10 if you saw it today, come on now).

The action sequences were great. The fighting choreography was good. In all honesty I think Kate Beckinsale is one of the better female action stars out there, I mean she can really kick ass. Well the CG was awesome. The interpretation of the future was well though out. I especially liked that there were cars hovering and not "flying" using a magnetic levitation system (very realistic look into the future of transportation).

The plot was decent, and this is where it loses 1 star. I thought it did a great job adapting Philip K. Dick's science fiction story into it's own. However, I thought that it followed too similar in plot sequence of the 1990 film. It would have been a 10 for me otherwise.

I wished that they could have really gone another way making it a complete mind f*** that would just blow our minds away. They could really had more fun with the memory thing.

Overall, great action film and worth seeing. Just don't compare it to the 1990 film.

I guess the floodgates are now open. Adapting Philip K. Dick's stories are no longer enough, and now a trend may follow either to remake the films that have already been done, to give it another spin for a new generation, or how about remaking all of the films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, starting from Conan, and now Total Recall. For sure, Colin Farrell can't step into the ex-Mr Universe's hulking frame in playing the construction worker turned double agent Douglas Quaid through what would seem like a fantasy walk in the park for the mind gone all wrong, but if you'd put away your memory of the past film, then his outing here would stand out against his recent slate of projects, bringing him back to action-hero mould even if Len Wiseman's vision here turned a little bit suspect.

Fans of the original film will see only slight similarities in this one, since it took on a different adventure altogether after the familiar introduction. Quaid experiencing a nightmare of a dream only to wake up beside the sexy wife in Lori (Kate Beckinsale, in a role played by Sharon Stone previously, in lingerie no less), and finding that there's probably more to life than just home and work. Enticed by the fantasy inducing company called Rekall where one can live out one's fantasy for a fee, Douglas soon discovers he got more than he bargained for. The contraption's design got brought over, and so did the cult favourite in the three breasted woman, which Singapore back then didn't get to see at all because our censors found it offensive and unreal. The identity mask also has another go, although with less fun, being solely functional and little else.

But what was sorely missed in this remake, is the quip after quip of Arnie-isms, those puns made each time Douglas Quaid did something smart alecky, dispatched an opponent, or just wanted to drawl on something in his Austrian accent. In the typical Arnie movie, there's always room for fun, jokes, and those legendary one liners. Here, all we get are dead serious moments, with the whole look and feel being laden with the need to feel all gritty. Colin Farrell wears a scowl throughout, being perplexed and confused about his true identity in Jason Bourne style complete with mysterious artifacts stored in a safe deposit box, and having doubts to the role he has to play in the entire battle between the Haves and Have Nots.

This Total Recall requires that you junk all memories of the Schwarzenegger film, in order to enjoy the new narrative involving a chemical fallout across all lands save for Britain and parts of Europe now being part of a Greater Britain, and Australia, known as The Colony (yes, some slight historical references here). There's no Mars this time round, as the story gets set strictly on Earth, involving a carnival styled train service that commutes between the two territories, having to pass adjacent to the Earth's core, for some nifty CG effects involving gravitational force reversal.

CG seemed to be what Director Len Wiseman ordered for the film, with green screen effects and CG laden landscapes peppering the entire movie, that makes you wonder about the tagline "What is real?" indeed. It's big on action sequences and slight on actual story, with pauses only to allow the film to breathe a little, before embarking on yet another stunt sequence that involves plenty of running for Douglas Quaid, and his new found love interest / revolutionary partner Melina (Jessica Biel), as they escape from rooftop