IMDb > Total Recall (1990)
Total Recall
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Total Recall (1990) More at IMDbPro »

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Total Recall (1990) -- When a man goes for virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real, or does he?
Total Recall (1990) -- When a man goes for virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real, or does he?
Total Recall (1990) -- When a man goes for virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real, or does he?
Total Recall (1990) -- CineMagia.ro - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   64,470 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 22% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Philip K. Dick (short story "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale") (inspiration)
Ronald Shusett (screen story) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Total Recall on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 June 1990 (USA) more
Tagline:
They stole his mind, now he wants it back. more
Plot:
When a man goes for virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real, or does he? full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 13 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(216 articles)
Dan O’Bannon 1946-2009
 (From FilmJunk. 18 December 2009, 7:35 AM, PST)

Dan O’Bannon 1946 – 2009
 (From FilmShaft.com. 18 December 2009, 6:35 AM, PST)

User Comments:
one of the most enjoyable of the Arnold action vehicles more (300 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
El vengador del futuro (USA: Spanish title)
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Runtime:
113 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.78 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)
Certification:
Portugal:M/16 | Australia:M (cut) | Australia:MA (re-rating) (2005) | Australia:R (original rating) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1991) | USA:R (certificate #30288) | New Zealand:M | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1990) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2001) | Germany:16 (cut version) | Iceland:16 | USA:X (original rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:16 | India:A | South Korea:15 (cable rating) | Argentina:18 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Chile:18 | France:-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | West Germany:18 | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
All of the crew fell ill due to food poisoning during production, with the exception of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronald Shusett. Schwarzenegger escaped because he always had his food catered from the US. This was because three years earlier, he had fallen ill due to drinking tap water in Mexico during production of Predator (1987). As for Shusett, he took extreme health precautions, such as only brushing his teeth with boiled or bottled water and insisting on getting a weekly vitamin B12 shot. Shusett was even mocked by the crew until they all got sick themselves. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The piece of the chocolate bar that Quaid hides the tracking bug in changes size after it is picked up by the rats. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
[Doug awakens from a nightmare]
Lori: Doug? Honey, are you all right?
[nods]
Lori: You were dreaming. Doug? Was it about Mars?
[nods]
Lori: [kisses him] Is that better?
Douglas Quaid: Hmm.
Lori: My poor baby. This is getting to be an obsession.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006) more
Soundtrack:
Rubble City more

FAQ

Will there be a sequel?
Original Rating an X?
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14 out of 19 people found the following comment useful.
one of the most enjoyable of the Arnold action vehicles, 6 June 2006
8/10
Author: MisterWhiplash from United States

Total Recall has little, if any,by way of passing itself as being 'art'. It is, but more in the sense of it being pop-art, of the director Paul Verhoven paying tribute in visuals to the story by Phillip K. Dick. And it's also one of the more exciting and quotable of those shameless examples of how to do an action film. In this case, however, because it is a P.K. Dick-based story there are some good social bits made in the process. If it isn't as astute or consistent as Blade Runner or Minority Report, it's probably more due to it having to be a vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger than it being a full-on thought-provoking work of science fiction on film. But this does rank up high with the other works of the star, as he is in a complex situation in the film- his mind is scrambled, at first, and everything he thought was right as dickens is not. So he's told by 'himself' on a screen he happened to save for himself that he has to get to mars to find out the truth.

There is plenty of good action sequences, but it is more about Verhoven's knack at getting this popularized view of Mars just a little subverted, a little stranger. Some of my favorite scenes involved Scwarzenegger's mishaps and turns of fate as the story and his character took turns. For example, in the scene when Arnold's character wants to get his memory wiped off to Mars and then he flips out in the chair, this is a very entertaining scene in being very ridiculous (try to listen to what he says, or don't as its near unintelligible) as well as following a darker trek in the story. In fact, much of the film works on the strengths of both director and star by having it not too over the top to have some belief in what is going on, but that expectations aren't limited to what might happen as Arnold's character in on Mars uncovering the conspiracy around his messed-up memory.

Featuring a sultry Sharon Stone in a great supporting role (another memorable scene comes with her demise, as usual quotable to the bone), as well as a memorable climax involving the arid Mars air and a certain outrageous reaction to it, I recommend Total Recall for genre fans and even those who might be wary of it being a 'Hollywood' take on Dick. It's not great, and per usual PKD fans might scoff at the faithfulness to the source, but it's better than some of the lesser adaptations of the author. Just go in for a good time and it stands up over time (err, 16 years).

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This Should Be Top 250. bennie9
BEST MOVIE EVER Barney-Ross
One line in this movie made me wonder... tonik_2000
Oh my *beep*, they're remaking it! QuincyRhys
What I learned from watching Total Recall. k3nshadyltd
Swayze version? darkstorm97
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