Review of Total Recall (1990) by Jared S — 22 Sep 2013
Well, it's certainly much better than the remake - go figure.
The dated production design and effects are fun I guess while the 2012 version features the same too perfect, color corrected future we see in every big budget sci-fi flick coming out of Hollywood. But Paul Verhoeven's classic adaptation of another Phillip K. Dick story gives you much more to think about (such as the question - is this real or is this a dream?) whereas the remake gives you everything you need to know before you can think about it.
Spoilers Ahead:
Although the ending is thought to be ambiguous as to whether it is a false memory or not, I think it is a false memory for the following reasons:
- Alien Artifacts on TV screen (for suggestive purposes) look like reactor.
- "Blue Sky".
- "He's not going to want to come out".
- The Dr.'s speech in the hotel room, is not proven invalid.
- The Foreshadowing (suggestions made by Rekall), I cannot think of all at the moment (but for ex. The Hotel, Girl, Agent Ego Trip, Saving Mars etc.) all would be purely coincidental, if they were not part of a memory implanted by Rekall.
The dreams of him being on Mars are simply that. Just dreams that of course display his subconscious desires to some degree. Everything up until the woman at rekall announces a problem, is reality. Everything afterwards is a false memory.
This review of Total Recall (1990) was written by Jared S on 22 Sep 2013.
Total Recall has generally received positive reviews.
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