Review of Total Recall (1990) by Ilhm — 10 Mar 2013

After experiencing recurring dreams of an alternate life on Mars, Douglas Quaid visits Rekall, a company that deals in virtual vacations, to receive memory implants of a trip to Mars with an added package that would transform him into an interplanetary spy.

Before the procedure can begin, however, Quaid experiences a schizoid embolism that awakens hidden memories which had been erased from his mind, and suddenly finds himself in the middle of a corporate conspiracy that will take him back to Mars as he fends off evil mercenaries in an attempt to save the planet.

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in the explosive Sci-Fi thriller TOTAL RECALL, from 1990! Director Paul Verhoeven takes us along on this wild adventure through the futuristic streets of Earth in the year 2084 and beneath the red sands of Mars using mind-blowing make-up, production designs, and digital effects that earned the film the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects that year.

The adrenaline-pumping action and suspense never let up from beginning to end, while the audience is left to decipher whether the events on screen are really happening, or if this is all just part of some elaborate nightmare.

Arnold is better than usual as our exciting action hero, this time going up against a menacing Michael Ironside in another of his stereotypical roles as the film's baddie. With a compelling and complex storyline to match its jaw-dropping special effects, TOTAL RECALL earns its place as one of the strongest Science Fiction films from the 1990s.