60
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertOne of the most complex and visually interesting science fiction movies in a long time.
- 83Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanStarts out as mind-bending futuristic satire and then turns relentless -- it becomes a violent, postpunk version of an Indiana Jones cliff-hanger.
- 80Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumA worthy entry in the dystopian cycle of SF movies launched by "Blade Runner" (including "The Terminator" and "Robocop"), this seems less derivative than most of its predecessors yet equally accomplished in its straight-ahead storytelling, with plenty of provocative satiric undertones and scenic details.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSan Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleA first-rate action movie, slickly done and with so many imaginative bonuses that, for a time, it feels like a classic in the making. It's not, but it's still solid and entertaining [1 June 1990]
- 75USA TodayMike ClarkUSA TodayMike ClarkBoth female roles are unexpectedly meaty, so much so that the film loses something once the far more lively Stone is dispatched. Hour one (more satirical) is better all around, though the falloff isn't fatal. [1 June 1990, Life, p.2D]
- 63Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneFrom first to last frame, Total Recall is in your face. Its rather elegant little science-fiction story is as suffocated as the Martians are. The director has violated his own movie, going so far over the top he's still out there-weightless. [1 June 1990, Friday, p.C]
- 60Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonActually, any fun you might encounter in Recall can be traced, most often, to director Verhoeven, who injects some of his "Robocop" camp into this mega-dumb project.
- 50Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittThe plot, based on a Phillip K. Dick story, is ingenious; and Arnold Schwarzenegger brings an effective blend of machismo and innocence to his role. Too bad director Paul Verhoeven lets brainless violence and tricky special effects swamp the cleverness of the tale itself. [22 June 1990, Arts, p.10]
- 40TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineUgly, stupid, loud, offensive, and pointlessly violent--let's not mince words--this film should be called "Total Reject."
- 12The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jay ScottThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jay ScottGuilty of gross mellerdrammer & innocent of sophistication... Guilty of being dumber than WWF wrestling & innocent of hypocrisy about its cartoon violence.