TOTAL RECALL - REVIEW


Total Recall is one of those movies that should be terrible but somehow manages to be completely enjoyable and completely great.

Based on a Philip K. Dick short story, Recall stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Douglas Quaid, a construction worker who dreams of getting his ass to Mars even though a war is breaking out over there and he's had goofy-ass dreams about the place. He's married to Sharon Stone and apparently can afford to go on a mind-holiday through ever-so-slightly dodgy company Rekall so things aren't going too bad for Mr Quaid. However, as Arnie is plugged into Rekall's memory-implanting machine it all starts going pear-shaped pretty darn quick. Suddenly his wife's a murderous spy, he's hunted by a particularly unfriendly Michael Ironside and he's pulling big glowing balls out of his own nose.

What a day.

He finally gets to Mars where he becomes entangled in a pretty far-fetched but action-packed plot involving Ronny Cox's evil tycoon, triple-breasted prostitutes, a guy with a face-gina and a slimy yet talkative cab driver. It's out there but that's what makes it so much fun. Paul Verhoeven's film looks fantastic but it's also smart enough that it transcends the usual dumb Arnie action flick to become something fresh, wholly involving and very cool. The practical effects are impressive though some have dated a little, you've got enough badass Arnie one-liners to fill 10 giant air-pyramids (it makes sense if you've seen the film) and some of the most awesome and intimidating villains around.

Man these guys are assholes.

They're great :D

It's strange that Total Recall is, to this day, one of the best Philip K. Dick movie adaptations because on the surface, what you've got is essentially a silly Schwarzenegger sci-fi actioner but it's just so darn entertaining and so well made that it just works despite its random wackiness. As a Verhoeven film, Total Recall can rest proudly next to RoboCop and Starship Troopers as one of his very best: funny, clever, entertaining, memorable, what more can you ask for?

Certainly not half-assed Colin Farrell remakes...

Classic stuff.

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