Review of Total Recall (2012) by Midlands M — 19 Oct 2013
Another take and another unnecessary remake, Len Wiseman (of Underworld fame) directs Colin Farrell and Kate Beckinsale (of Underworld and his wife fame) in this sci-fi actionner based on the Phillip K Dick short story.
Regular "Joe", Doug Quaid, pays a visit to "Rekall", a mind-implant leisure business but soon finds himself caught up in an amnesic espionage plot that bends his reality and loyalty and the new film replaces the earlier version's wit with action, characters with action and plot with action.
Paul Verhoeven's use of Oscar winning F/X is superior in every way to the digital effects here (although there are good CGI cityscapes especially on the Blu-Ray) and there's not an ounce of humour to be had throughout.
With obligatory nods to the "three breasts" and "two weeks" ladies, if a Schwarzenegger film beats you on subtlety then you should be worried despite some familiar genre tropes reminiscent of I, Robot and Minority Report.
And not going to Mars? Shame on you. Definitely, not a (memory) patch on the original. 6/10 Midlands Movies Mike.
This review of Total Recall (2012) was written by Midlands M on 19 Oct 2013.
Total Recall has generally received mixed reviews.
Was this review helpful?
