Thanks for the Memories

Review: Total Recall

Last week I posted an "Unscripted Profile" of the new(ish) film, Total Recall (a remake of the 1990 film, Total Recall, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger), recapping the remake's origins and what we could look for in the new movie. That article helped win Ethan Unscripted a Liebster Award (more on that in the coming days) and you can read it here. The post basically said that the remake would attempt to ground the film in reality more than the 1990 movie and that those involved were still looking to prove themselves as summer blockbuster stars.

In my mind, the filmmakers succeeded. I found Total Recall to be an exhilarating ride, neatly balancing character and plot, while speeding through heart-pounding action sequences and spinning through the corkscrews of the "What is real?" paradox.

The movie follows Doug Quiad, a seemingly innocent factory worker in a futuristic society, who visits Rekall, a memory implanting company, only to discover that his real memories have been erased and that he is, in fact, a spy.

Obviously, such a revelation comes as quite the shock to poor Quaid, and this is where Colin Farrell (In Bruges) truly shines. Farrell constructs an empathetic persona in Quaid, an ordinary guy caught up in extraordinary circumstances. While he may not have the same magnetic screen presence as a bulked-up Arnold in his prime, Farrell more than makes up for it with superior acting ability.

Of course, that is not to say that Farrell did poorly in the fight sequences. In fact, quite the contrary. Farrell clearly gave his all during those scenes (One fight scene with Farrell was filmed 22 times, because he wanted to do the entire thing himself and in one single shot). Not being as big as Arnold proved to be beneficial, in my opinion, as Farrell's Quaid always seemed more desperate and the fights therefore more intense. We know Arnold can kick anyone's butt. Farrell's vulnerability actual heightens the danger.

And the battles themselves were pretty intense. I found a hover-car chase to be nothing special and the two female leads never quite had the epic fight they should have, but everything else I found to be pretty stellar. Audience members in my theater were actually cheering and commenting during Quaid's first fight with his wife and a chase/fight sequence which involved characters jumping to and from horizontally and vertically moving elevators was especially exciting.

Fueling these stunts was Quaid's antagonist, his former wife, played by Kate Beckinsale (Underworld). Beckinsale has starred in action movies before, and of course she is super sexy, but in Total Recall she was downright menacing. She exuded a fiery intensity and dominated almost every scene she was in, making Beckinsale my favorite part of the film.

Opposite Beckinsale as the other female lead was a much tamer Jessica Biel (The Illusionist), whom I found to be a disappointment. She was comparatively boring for most of the film and never quite established a believable chemistry with Farrell. I never really believed that she was in love with him.

Talent was also wasted with Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), who was essentially diluted into a simple "bad guy" stereotype, and with acting legend Bill Nighy (Gideon's Daughter), who barely saw 5 minutes of screen-time.

Those complaints now filed, Total Recall was still a fun, high-energy film. The filmmakers do a decent job differentiating this film from the 1990 version. Instead of Mars, the setting is now a war-ravaged Earth, divided into two continents that remain habitable, Europe and Australia, now called The United Federation of Britain and The Colony. These two regions, one rich and one poor, are connected through the planet's core by a shuttle system known simply as "The Fall." It's a cool concept that's futuristic, but still allows for some modern-day thought about the economic divide between the few financially elite and the rest of us.

Admittedly, if you've seen the original (or read the short-story, "We Can Remember it for You Wholesale" by sci-fi great Philip K. Dick, upon which both films are based), the remake may not feel quite as fresh, since you pretty much know the major plot points.

But as a stand-alone film, Total Recall is pretty good movie; one of the more exciting films from Colin Farrell, the second best film from writer Kurt Wimmer (the first being the phenomenal Equilibrium), and I would say the best film from rising director Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard) so far.

Yes, Total Recall is a remake and, as a general rule, you should be wary of remakes. But this is one remake to give a chance. It's actually pretty darn good.

The Final Word: Go buy a ticket.