Review of Total Recall (2012) by Stu H — 29 May 2013

This one surprised me. As an avid fan of 1990's "Total Recall," Paul Verhoeven's mind-bending, action-packed celebration of gratuitous excess, I approached this 2012 remake with more than a little trepidation (and that's not even considering my generally negative reactions to remakes as a whole). Granted, Colin Farrell had previously starred in the remake of "Fright Night," which turned out pretty good, and in terms of sheer acting ability, he's an upgrade over Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred in the original film. But that was a film that was tailor-made to suit Ah-nold's talents, capitalizing on his hulking screen presence and engaging personality. It ended up being one of the best movies in his filmography. How exactly were they going to replicate that here?

Well, it turns out they didn't have to. 2012's "Total Recall" is by no means a necessary remake, but it's sleek and good-looking and it changes things around enough to make it an interesting movie in its own right. I was surprised to discover that I rather enjoyed it.

The core storyline--in which an everyman discovers that his simple life is actually a fabrication--remains intact. The setting has changed, however, as the movie takes place entirely on Earth, and there is only a fleeting reference to Mars. The undertones are more political this time around, as biological warfare has left nearly all of Earth unihabitable; only Great Britain and Australia--referred to as "The Colony"--remain populated, as the rest of the planet is a nuclear wasteland. Britain is where the well-off inhabitants reside, the one percenters. They live in fancy skyscrapers and get around in cool-looking hover cars. The less successful people are confined to the Colony, where they live in ramshackle apartments and struggle to make ends meet. Many of the Colony's residents actually work in Britain's factories, constructing the upscale products the wealthier people use on a daily basis. They commute to and from the two locations via "The Fall," an enormous subway-like contraption that runs through the Earth, getting them to their destination in just under 20 minutes. (Now that would certainly be convenient!).

Farrell stars as Douglas Quaid, a factory worker residing in the Colony who yearns for a better life. He works hard and is married to a beautiful EMT named Lori (Kate Beckinsale), but he can't help but feel that he was destined to do something greater. This is caused in part by recurring dreams, in which he and a mystery woman appear to be under attack in some kind of high tech facility. He isn't sure what they're doing in the facility, but he suspects it's something important. Seeking to break his ennui with his ordinary life, Quaid goes to ReKall, a place in which memories can be inserted directly into your brain, making you think you actually experienced them (their tagline is "We Can Remember It For You"). As Quaid is looking for excitement, he opts to go with the Secret Agent program, in which he would be implanted with memories of action, espionage, and world-saving adventures.

However, things go awry when, during the memory-inserting procedure, it is discovered that Quaid actually IS a secret agent. This is why he was drawn to that particular program, why he yearns for excitement in his life. And those recurring dreams he's been having? It turns out they're actually memories--REAL memories, not ReKall inserted--and he's actually experienced them. Quaid is not Quaid at all; his real name is Hauser, and he was once an agent of Britain's High Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), until he apparently went rogue. Sometime between now and then, however, his memories of this life were completely erased and he was given a new identity and new, fabricated memories as Douglas Quaid. His job, his home, even his wife...all fake. Why? For what purpose? This is Quaid's goal, to find out who gave him the ultimate mindjob. And he'd better hurry, because his former wife wants him dead, and his only hope may be Melina (Jessica Biel), the woman from his dreams.

Stylistic action ensues, complete with blazing guns, lightning-fast kung-fu, and hordes of drone robotic soldiers that will remind many viewers of "Star Wars." The look of the film itself is like a hybrid of the bleak metropolis of "Blade Runner" and the technological wonders of "Minority Report" (which seems oddly fitting, seeing as all three of these films were inspired by short stories penned by Philip K. Dick). Certainly 2012's "Total Recall" looks fantastic, even better than the 1990 original (which is to be expected, given the improvements of movie technology).

Is it derivative? In some instances, yes, but as a remake, that's really kind of unavoidable. And that isn't to say the film doesn't have a few innovations of its own, including greatly expanding the Lori character. I wouldn't necessarily say I enjoyed the character more this time around, as Sharon Stone's lethal Ice Queen-like portrayal was a great deal of fun in its own right (and probably served a precursor to her most famous role two years later in "Basic Instinct"). But it did make for an interesting change.

I also enjoyed the concept of "The Fall," the commuter subway/elevator-like thing. Not only is it a fascinating concept in itself, but it also serves as a great prop for some action setpieces late in the film, especially when the anti-gravity stuff kicks in. (I don't really know how The Fall manages to utilize anti-gravity since it never leaves the Earth but rather runs through it, but you know what? I didn't really care.).

It needs to be said that, not surprisingly, the film is not as good as its 1990 counterpart. It doesn't have that film's wry sense of humor, and it opts more for slick action rather than mind games. Now obviously 1990's "Total Recall" had more than enough adrenaline-charged moments, but it also enjoyed playing with the audience's expectations. In some instances, we really were forced to wonder if any of the proceedings were actually happening or if they were all part of Quaid's ReKall experience.

This degree of ambiguity also extended to the protagonist himself, as the movie suggests that Quaid's previous persona Hauser may not be who he says he is. 2012's "Total Recall" seems to play this angle straight, which kind of diminishes the whole concept of the new identity/fresh start idea. It's far more intriguing to think of Quaid and Hauser as two actual, different people. At the end of the 1990 film, the protagonist is definitely Quaid. At the end of the 2012 one, he could be either Quaid or Hauser and it wouldn't make a difference. It just doesn't have the same impact.

Nevertheless, as a sci-fi/action film, and especially as a sci-fi/action remake, "Total Recall" delivers. The performances are all good (even if the great Bill Nighy was criminally underused) and the action is handled well by director Len Wiseman ("Underworld," "Live Free or Die Hard"). Colin Farrell is two for two in the remake department; if Hollywood is going to insist on remaking every single film it ever put out, perhaps it should consider casting him in some capacity. He seems to be pretty good at it.