Total Recall

TriStar Pictures | Release Date: June 1, 1990

8.6	USER SCORE Universal acclaim based on 464 Ratings

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asthobaskoroAug 28, 2012

Total Recall is **** and total fun. Never count it as genius work, but under Paul Verhoeven's direction it never loses its DNA as sci-fi classic.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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ClariseSamuelsDec 25, 2012

his version of Total Recall depicts a universe that has been destroyed by chemical warfare, and has left only two pockets of civilization that are flourishing. The more powerful country, which is called The United Federation of Britain is anhis version of Total Recall depicts a universe that has been destroyed by chemical warfare, and has left only two pockets of civilization that are flourishing. The more powerful country, which is called The United Federation of Britain is an evil government trying to dominate the other populated area, aptly called The Colony, which seems to be located in Australia but looks more like overpopulated sections of Manila or Shanghai with a heavily Asian population. The Federation with its sophisticated technology wants to dominate and enslave the downtrodden Asians. The two populations are connected by a 17-minute train ride that takes them through the core of the earth. Colin Farrell, as Douglas Quaid or agent Carl Hauser, has to be paranoid throughout most of the film, which he does very well. He also has to be confused, disbelieving, and besides questioning the conflicting stories everyone keeps telling him about who he really is, he even has to doubt his own version of reality. He can't trust his own wife, Lori (Kate Beckinsale), an agent who was sent to play his wife after his memory of being a super-agent was wiped out and replaced with the memory of a mediocre factory worker. Kate Beckinsale has only a few brief scenes where she is the sweet and supportive young wife, and then turns into the villainous super-agent whose combat skills match Farrell's. Her transformation from benign to malevolent happens in one minute, and she is extremely convincing for an actress who is mostly known for her beauty. Douglas Quaid's real love from the previous life that he can't remember is Melina, played by Jessica Biel. She looks like Beckinsale and has the same combat skills, but she is humanized and made more fragile by her love for Quaid. Biel also turns in a surprisingly interesting performance; it seems that director Wiseman brings out the best in his actors, even the ones he's not married to. Bill Nighy's appearance is welcome but bewilderingly brief. The chase films are breathless and suspenseful, but there are too many of them and not enough cerebral dialogue to contemplate the basic theme of reality versus illusion. The line, "an illusion, no matter how convincing, is still just an illusion," taken from the original story by Philip K. Dick "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale," points to this theme but never takes us there. The film is violent; bystanders and others are killed off thoughtlessly and needlessly, although the violence is part of the plot depicting a Nazi-like regime that wants to subdue and dominate what they perceive to be an inferior race. The invading chancellor, Cohaagen, played by Bryan Cranston, is a British Hitler, and his murderous armies are mostly robots, which preempts any ethical considerations of how you get tens of thousands of troops to do the bidding of one lunatic dictator. The theories about what motivated the sadistic violence of the real Nazis are still being debated… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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Bruce722Nov 29, 2012

The acting was dreadful, the special effects were pathetic, and the action sequences were laughable. Not only that but the mutant stuff was a bit much. Mediocre film at best.

0 of 12 users found this helpful012

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eva3si0nJan 23, 2019

Ordinary fighter of the 90th years. The cast impresses, but this only thing light in this movie. Action boring and tightened, and the cyberpunk is not registered at all and looks comical. In this movie the cyberpunk - all this square andOrdinary fighter of the 90th years. The cast impresses, but this only thing light in this movie. Action boring and tightened, and the cyberpunk is not registered at all and looks comical. In this movie the cyberpunk - all this square and concrete. Except laughter in 2019 this movie does not cause. Expected much more.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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BroyaxJan 31, 2018

Schwarzynator tourne avec Verhoeven et le résultat est à tout le moins explosif : un film d'action mené tambour battant fait de courses-poursuites, de fusillades et de bastons... et d'explosions. Même les effets spéciaux très élaborés pourSchwarzynator tourne avec Verhoeven et le résultat est à tout le moins explosif : un film d'action mené tambour battant fait de courses-poursuites, de fusillades et de bastons... et d'explosions. Même les effets spéciaux très élaborés pour l'époque ont fort bien vieilli. Le film est indéniablement spectaculaire, solidement réalisé et bien entendu, Verhoeven oblige, d'une joyeuse violence : le Batave ne lésine en effet jamais sur l'hémoglobine et quelques effets gore... on en rit encore.

Paul Verhoeven aime également nous montrer les mutants bizarres et/ou défigurés de Mars via des maquillages très beurks, caricaturant ainsi ce qui constitue d'une certaine manière le fonds de commerce de toute la science-fiction populaire... bref, il ne manque pas d'air ! Cependant, on ne retrouve pas l'ironie plus mordante de ses autres films ici : ce que l'on voit dans Total Recall ressemble plus à du fan service vite emballé et expédié dans la grosse production triple A hollywoodienne. L'adaptation de la nouvelle de Philip K. Dick a subi peu ou prou le même traitement et ne fait que survoler la question de l'identité et des faux-semblants dickiens : elle est devenue un prétexte à un gros -et divertissant certes- film d'action de gros bêta. Rien à voir avec le soin apporté à un Blade Runner...

Notons la prestation remarquée d'une blonde sublimement épineuse qui va faire parler d'elle en tout cas : Sharon Stone ! Quant à Schwarzenegger, certainement "efficace" pour faire le ménage, la pauvreté de son jeu, ou son absence plutôt, est vraiment pénible à voir et à constater.

En fait, si Total Recall est loin d'être mauvais, il n'est pas bon pour autant. Tout y est efficace mais trop superficiel : il y a décidément trop de pop-corn dans ce film.… Expand

0 of 10 users found this helpful010

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FilmQueenNov 22, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. They tried to make Philip K. Dick's short story longer and they had some good ideas, like the ambiguity, I like that we can't know for sure whether it was all real or a dream. (Personally I am pretty sure, it's not real.) However a few things, like the mutants, were ridiculous. The special effects are horrible and I hated that they made the protagonist's girlfriend a whore. She could have been anybody, why a whore?… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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