Total Recall (1990)

Featured Audience Ratings

• KJ P

  
  It may not be the greatest science fiction film of all time, but "Total Recall" is the type of movie that you can sit back, relax and enjoy at any time, given that it can appeal to many audience members who are willing to witness a gory good time. When this film begins, Doug… More
  It may not be the greatest science fiction film of all time, but "Total Recall" is the type of movie that you can sit back, relax and enjoy at any time, given that it can appeal to many audience members who are willing to witness a gory good time. When this film begins, Doug Quaid (Schwarzenegger) is deciding whether or not to go to a company known as Recall, which gives you memories for however long you want, and wherever you want them to be. Doug always dreams about Mars, so he is looking for an implantation of that world. The film takes many turns that I actually did not see coming, but in the end, it is one hell of a fantastic action/aci-fi feature. The dialogue is brilliantly witty, the action is incredible, the visuals are great for it's time, and the characters are well constructed. My only point to pick at the movie is that these characters never have enough chemistry, the scenes where they do, end up concluding a little too soon. Overall, "Total Recall" is one of my favourite Sci-fi films!

• Joe M

  
  Worth it to see the famed space hooker with three tits.

• paul o

  
  Its really silly but its actually really good as well. Verhoeven makes sure that this film doesn't take itself too seriously which makes it likable but also memorable.

• Dead A

  
  It was an okay movie. Obviously 90's movies would be hard to impress nowadays.

• Lanning :

  
  Geez, the remakes are coming so fast these days that it almost seems like the minute a movie wraps, someone else is picking up the script to reshoot. Ridiculous. This movie is one of Schwarzenegger's best, and I just love the "consider that a divorce" line when Sharon… More
  Geez, the remakes are coming so fast these days that it almost seems like the minute a movie wraps, someone else is picking up the script to reshoot. Ridiculous. This movie is one of Schwarzenegger's best, and I just love the "consider that a divorce" line when Sharon Stone gets what's coming to her. Whatever happened to Rachel Ticotin? She is hot : ) <p> Ronny Cox sure knows how to play villains. He is beyond nasty in this one. For kicking over the fish tank alone, he deserves what he gets. Note how the close up of those poor fish gasping for air prefigures Cox's own happy ending? <p>And who can forget the lady with the exploding head? My favorite line? Gotta be <p> See you at the Pahty, Richter : ) <p> The most important thing I learned from this movie is that if you pretend to be in a dream, never let em see you sweat. Mind-blowing : )

• Jens S

  
  In many regards a typical 80s/90s Schwarzenegger vehicle, this film has a lot more to offer below the surface. While being a fast-paced, breathless sci-fi action thriller the story behind it has a few interesting layers about reality, memories and dreams. The film does have its… More
  In many regards a typical 80s/90s Schwarzenegger vehicle, this film has a lot more to offer below the surface. While being a fast-paced, breathless sci-fi action thriller the story behind it has a few interesting layers about reality, memories and dreams. The film does have its strongest moments when our protagonist is asked to question if he is still living in a fake memory or is part of a huge conspiracy. The make-up effects look a but dated and tacky by now, but at least they are imaginative and freaky, as you'd expect from a film set on Mars. While the solution is a bit silly, it is at least larger than life and spectacular. Surprisingly smart action cinema from a different era of film making. We'll see how the remake compares 2012.

• AJ V

  
  You can see the beginnings of 90s sci-fi styles here, I think. Anyway, this movie is a great adventure, and I really liked it.

• Thomas B

  
  What the what? Strange goings-on on Mars as directed by resident crazy person Paul Verhoeven. Full review later.

• Jeff "

  
  I've heard many good things about Total Recall, but I never got around to seeing the film. Until recently. When I first watched it, I was blown away, everything from the story to the special effects was stunning. A well made Sci Fi action film, Total Recall is one of Paul… More
  I've heard many good things about Total Recall, but I never got around to seeing the film. Until recently. When I first watched it, I was blown away, everything from the story to the special effects was stunning. A well made Sci Fi action film, Total Recall is one of Paul Verhoeven's best films along with Robocop and Starship Troopers. Arnold Schwarzenegger is in one of his performances as Doug Quaid, one of his best roles since Terminator. Verhoeven directs this stunning piece of Sci Fi Action with style. One of the best things about the film are the insane special effects created by master Special effects artist Rob Bottin, now if you know some of his work, he's most famous famous for his on John Carpenter's The Thing. In this film his effects are nasty, gory, disgusting all in a good way of course. Schwarzenegger plays Doug Quaid a man who travels to Mars via a memory implant, and because of this, Quaid thinks he's a secret agent sent to Mars to save it from Antagonist Vilas Cohaagen. Michael Ironside is phenomenal as Richter, Cohaagen's head of security who has a strong hatred for Quaid. Total Recall is a visually appealing action film that delivers non stop action, thrills and a high body count, but if you know Paul Verhoeven's work, you know that ultra violence is one of selling points for his films. Not for people who hate a violent film, but more so for people who enjoy a good action sci fi flick that follows in the footsteps of The Terminator and Robocop. Total Recall is an action Sci fi modern classic and is one thrilling film.

• Taylor B

  
  Good sci-fi action film. One of Arnie's best as well, full of violent action and one-liners. "Consider it a divorce"

• Daniel M

  
  There?s nothing more annoying than a stupid film which pretends to be clever. The worst offender would be Guy Ritchie?s Revolver, which presents itself as a great metaphysical journey in a desperate attempt to cover up its total meat-headed idiocy. It?s possible to love a stupid film… More
  There?s nothing more annoying than a stupid film which pretends to be clever. The worst offender would be Guy Ritchie?s Revolver, which presents itself as a great metaphysical journey in a desperate attempt to cover up its total meat-headed idiocy. It?s possible to love a stupid film if it knows it is stupid, but something like Revolver will get on your nerves for days. Total Recall, on the other hand, is a clever film which appears to be very stupid, and which will linger somewhere in your subconscious as you try to work it all out. While not the most successful adaptation of Philip K. Dick?s work, there is plenty to both admire and enjoy about Total Recall, and it remains one of Arnold Schwarzenegger?s best films. Watching a Paul Verhoeven film is like trying to peel an onion while wearing boxing gloves. On the surface his Hollywood movies especially are trashy, pungent affairs with lots of violence, lots of sleaze and lots of swearing. He has often been accused of only being interested in dumb entertainment or base titillation ? and in the case of Showgirls, they may have a point. But once all the flashy layers have been stripped away, his films do contain real substance, and are in many cases quite profound. To reach the nugget of truth at the heart of Total Recall, we have to peel away several layers, each of which would seem like overkill to the squeamish or uninitiated. The first of these layers is the abundance of action movie clichés which threaten to distract us and undermine the story. In true Lethal Weapon style, there is a big action sequence every ten to fifteen minutes, in which our hero always manages to defeat the bad guys and get away unscathed. This may be down to events in pre-production, when David Cronenberg was set to direct; he fell out with writers Ronald Shusett and Dan O?Bannon (Alien) who had re-envisioned Dick?s short story as ?Raiders of the Lost Ark goes to Mars?. Thankfully, Verhoeven is too smart to let such frivolities swamp the film. Much like John McTiernan did with Die Hard, the action sequences are carefully positioned within the storyline and are punctuated by complex sections of dialogue, some of which contain the key to understanding Quaid?s predicament. Hence it is never really possible to just sit back and nod off; you may occasionally flinch, but you never want to walk out, for fear of missing something important which is coming up. Verhoeven should also be credited for giving us two strong female characters; both Lori and Mellina are strong-willed, independent and can kick butt just as well as the men. The second level we have to negotiate is the explicit sexual content. Dick?s other work has explored the secondary position of women in future societies; in Blade Runner Zhora makes a living as an erotic dancer and Pris is described as a ?basic pleasure model?. But while Ridley Scott treated these characters with great sensitivity, Verhoeven takes an almost adolescent pleasure in shooting half-naked women. No-one else would get away with staging large parts of the film in a mutant brothel, whose inhabitants include a dwarf prostitute and a hooker with three breasts. But again, just when you think everything is about to collapse, Verhoeven tugs on the reins and pulls everything back together. If there were individual patches of sexual gratuity nestled amongst more ?serious? scenes, we would quickly lose patience with the film. But because the sleaze is so all-encompassing, we either get bored with it or accept it before getting back to the story. The first time the three-breasted girl opens her shirt, the teenage urges take hold (at least among men) and we briefly gawk at the screen. But the more such events happen, the more blasé they become so we eventually just recognise them as part of the culture and refocus on the characters. Pulling this off in such outré circumstances is the sign of a smart filmmaker. The third level through which we have to navigate is the flesh-ripping violence. Being an 18 certificate film, the violence is a lot more graphic and realistic than in most mainstream action films. This is not a film in which people are punched in the face and then get up unscathed, or one in which people?s agony is kept off-screen. Amongst others, Total Recall has a scientist having a six-inch bolt shoved through his head, a henchman having his arms severed off by a lift, the villain?s head being distorted in outer space and Arnold being repeatedly kicked in the nuts. And that?s on top of all the gunfire and realistic blood. Total Recall is a full-on film, but all of the violence is meaningful. Verhoeven?s pull-no-punches approach is an emphatic way of demonstrating the level of danger Quaid and Mellina are in. In something like Star Wars, our heroes are fighting such a large number of interchangeable enemies that we never really identify with said enemies and don?t focus on their pain. Here, we feel the pain of all the characters; their shocking deaths and injuries demonstrate the social instability of this dystopia and by no means glamorise violence. The special effects are created by Rob Bottin, who also designed the effects for The Thing, and his use of animatronics and latex rubber give the film a painful physicality. Having gotten through all that, we finally arrive at the substance of the film. As in Blade Runner, a great deal of Total Recall is about an underclass who are being mistreated by a corrupt corporate world, in this case by a tycoon who controls the air supply of the Martian colony. And like Blade Runner, the film ends with some form of redemption for these characters, albeit via a conventional kind of happy ending. Both Roy Batty releasing the dove as he dies and the mutants watching the mountain overflow with oxygen are moments which are steeped in Biblical imagery; the final shot depicts Quaid and Mellina as both the saviours of the world and as a new Adam and Eve. Most of Total Recall, however, is about questioning our perceptions of reality. As in Mulholland Drive, there is the ongoing possibility that everything we are seeing is a dream, and it is difficult to pinpoint where reality may begin and end. In one version, Quaid is genuinely Quaid, and everything we see from the scenes in Rekall is just the memory implant playing out; the implant was designed as a secret agent mission, and the line about it not being put in yet could be a red herring. In another version, Quaid is Hauser after his memory was erased; everything on Mars is real and Lori is not his wife. The film is constantly disorientating, and probably tries the same trick too many times to be fully effective. Total Recall is an intelligent no-holes-barred action movie which can be enjoyed either as cheesy, dumb spectacle or as an examination of dreams and social inequality. Because it is so disorientating, it is easy to get lost and assume that the whole thing is hokum; it?s not the kind of film you can pick up after coming in halfway through. It?s full-on nature also means that many won?t get through it in one sitting; if you can get past Arnold being disguised as a women with an exploding head who can only say ?Two weeks!?, you?re doing well. It?s no Blade Runner, but it?s an interesting and challenging science-fiction film on a par with Robocop and Starship Troopers.

• Anders G

  
  I didn't really know what to expect from Total Recall. It IS an adaptaption of a Philip K. Dick novelette, but it's also stars an actor who's most famous role is an emotionless robot that kills things. We don't need to use names.But with a tomatoe meter rating of… More
  I didn't really know what to expect from Total Recall. It IS an adaptaption of a Philip K. Dick novelette, but it's also stars an actor who's most famous role is an emotionless robot that kills things. We don't need to use names.But with a tomatoe meter rating of 80%, I had to see it. For those who don't know about this film, its about an everyday future construction worker who goes to a company called Rekal that gives people fake memories of trips as a cheaper alternative to actually going to places. Through out the film you never really know or care whether the events are actually happening or if its all taking place because of Rekal. It had a good combination of sci-fi and true Arnold-action. Something is very difficult to do. Especially without Arnold. It has some great seens, especially with with my favorite character, Johnny Cab! The robot-cab driver who basically tries to kill you if you don't pay for the ride. As far as characters go for this film, he's the most entertaining character in this film. This film did a terrible job at explaining things. For of all, an important part of the movie was about mutants that could see the future. How, you may ask? I don't have a clue. I think they dedicated under 5 seconds to explaining why they can SEE THE FUTURE!!! And for some reason, when Arnold finds out he is actually a spy who has had his memory erassed, he takes it like he saw it comeing from a mile away. Apperently this movie is so predictable that the characters can actually see whats comeing. You don't need to be a mars mutant to guess whats going to happen next. And the scene when the bad guys cut off the air to the red light district, why is everybody still able to breath for another 24 hours? Don't even get me started on the character development. The female lead only seemed to be there to look good and kill people. You didn't learn a single thing about her. It was insulting. Arnold basically plaid himself, and all the other characters where just recycled personalities. But don't think I'm just hating on this film. It was actually quite enjoyable and one of Schwarzenegers best films. It has action, gore, and a good sci-fi story that will keep you watching till the end. I recommend it for anybody who needs a fix of action/sci-fi.

• Conner R

  
  A classic team-up of Paul Verhoeven and Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is one of the most outlandish science fiction films of the 90s, but probably one of the best as well. Much like Paul Verhoevenâ??s other projects, this delves deep into social commentary and the idea of a dystopian… More
  A classic team-up of Paul Verhoeven and Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is one of the most outlandish science fiction films of the 90s, but probably one of the best as well. Much like Paul Verhoevenâ??s other projects, this delves deep into social commentary and the idea of a dystopian future. It is a world corrupt in the most cruel way, even a manâ??s mind isnâ??t safe from being manipulated and broken. Arnold Schwarzenegger does a great job as a hero that everyone can root for and relate to. Heâ??s the everyman that also happens to be a bodybuilder. It has a very fun way of telling a story, full of bizarre characters and even more bizarre settings. The Mars landscape is incredibly strange and has an odd way of captivating you. I would say itâ??s a perfect addition to Philip K. Dickâ??s storytelling and one extremely fun movie that never gets old.

• Martin S

  
  Arnold is just a quote-machine. Good movie...it's fun...it's action...and it's arnold fighting sharon stone.....what's not to like?

• Cassandra M

  
  I've seen TOTAL RECALL many times over the years and I'm never failed to be impressed with it . Some people dislike it and I feel I must defend the movie " Confused plot " - Sorry but I managed to understand the complex plot first time I saw the movie and was… More
  I've seen TOTAL RECALL many times over the years and I'm never failed to be impressed with it . Some people dislike it and I feel I must defend the movie " Confused plot " - Sorry but I managed to understand the complex plot first time I saw the movie and was impressed that Hollywood had merged a high concept plot with a FX laden extravaganza , such a pity this didn't lead to more thoughtful action adventures . If you want to see a confused plot try watching a James Bond movie from the 1980s " The violence " - Yeah this is a violent movie for sure but I do wish people would educate themselves to the work of directors before they criticize . Paul Verhoeven had previously made FLESH AND BLOOD and ROBOCOP so a futuristic adventure by Verhoeven that was awarded an 18 certificate isn't going to be confused with an episode of the teletubbies What I liked from Verhoeven's directing is that he's made everything so recognizable , nothing is ridiculously futuristic looking and we see the characters wearing clothes that wouldn't look out of place in the 1980s . Verhoeven also brings little satirical stabs to the proceedings as he did with ROBOCOP and it's a great shame we see less and less of this European director working for Hollywood Verhoeven even gets a good performance from Big Arnie , okay this body builder was never in danger of winning an Oscar but Arnie doesn't send himself up and nor do his wise cracks like in his other blockbusters but he does make for an affable - Though violent - hero . Michael Ironside gives the most memorable performance which considering he spends most of the movie running around with a gun is no small achievement . One interesting thing I noticed about TOTAL RECALL after seeing it again last night is that it's unapologetic on being on the side of the rebels who are waging a war against the greedy Mars company . Anyone believe that if it was made today the rebels/terrorists would be the bad guys? Anyway this is along with the original TERMINATOR the best movie starring Arnie though most of the credit for this movie belongs to the screenwriters and director and it's a great pity Hollywood is reluctant to mix a high concept SF plot with a crowd pleasing action adventure.

• Anthony L

  
  Fast becoming a classic, Total Recall is a guilty pleasure. It's very loosely based on a Philip K. Dick short but not enough so as to upset hard core fans. It's a bizarre and cheesy action film but most importantly, it's fun. Michael Ironside looses another limb too,… More
  Fast becoming a classic, Total Recall is a guilty pleasure. It's very loosely based on a Philip K. Dick short but not enough so as to upset hard core fans. It's a bizarre and cheesy action film but most importantly, it's fun. Michael Ironside looses another limb too, surprise surprise!

• Drew S

  
  This is a stupid, stupid movie.

• danny d

  
  i hadnt seen the film in more than 10 years, and after a rewatch last night it has upgraded slightly in my mind but i was reminded of why i hated the ending so much. overall an interesting story but a little to outside of the realm of possibility at the end with the whole blue skies… More
  i hadnt seen the film in more than 10 years, and after a rewatch last night it has upgraded slightly in my mind but i was reminded of why i hated the ending so much. overall an interesting story but a little to outside of the realm of possibility at the end with the whole blue skies and normal temperature on mars thing.

• Lady D

  
  Not quite as good as I remember this being and seems a much older film than 1990. The plot of the film is futuristic and full of fun and adventure. Arnie has no doubt ever been a great Actor, but he does have character in these kind of films and of course in general it does work.… More
  Not quite as good as I remember this being and seems a much older film than 1990. The plot of the film is futuristic and full of fun and adventure. Arnie has no doubt ever been a great Actor, but he does have character in these kind of films and of course in general it does work. My main problem with the film now is that, it is very obviously dated or a futuristic film. This was really apparent with the look of the cars, the computers and even the 90's style hair on the women. Perhaps I'm analysing a little too much for an Arnie film?? Still quite good fun though.

• Phil H

  
  Again Arnie slaughters all that oppose him in this awesome sci fi action romp. The effects are alittle dated now (plenty of sets) but it still packs a huge punch. There are some truely amazing amounts of blood n gore in this movie and Michael Ironside dies in a very memorable way.… More
  Again Arnie slaughters all that oppose him in this awesome sci fi action romp. The effects are alittle dated now (plenty of sets) but it still packs a huge punch. There are some truely amazing amounts of blood n gore in this movie and Michael Ironside dies in a very memorable way. Good cast and explosive non stop action make this an all time Arnie thumper which could tot up his most on screen kills lol besides Commando.

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