Total Recall (2012)

A factory worker, Douglas Quaid, begins to suspect that he is a spy after visiting Recall - a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led - goes wrong and he finds himself on the run.

Director:

Len Wiseman

Writers:

Kurt Wimmer (screenplay by), Mark Bomback (screenplay by)

Stars:

Colin Farrell, Bokeem Woodbine, Bryan Cranston

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Colin Farrell	...	Douglas Quaid / Hauser
Kate Beckinsale	...	Lori Quaid
Jessica Biel	...	Melina
Bryan Cranston	...	Cohaagen
Bokeem Woodbine	...	Harry
Bill Nighy	...	Matthias
John Cho	...	McClane
Will Yun Lee	...	Marek
Milton Barnes	...	Resistance Fighter
James McGowan	...	Military Adjutant
Natalie Lisinska	...	Bohemian Nurse
Michael Therriault	...	Bank Clerk
Stephen MacDonald	...	Slacker
Mishael Morgan	...	Rekall Receptionist
LinLyn Lue	...	Resistance Woman

Storyline

Originally adapted by director Paul Verhoeven in 1990, author Philip K. Dick's classic Sci-Fi short story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale returns to the big screen in this remake starring Colin Farrell, Bryan Cranston, and Kate Beckinsale, and directed by Underworld's Len Wiseman. The planet has been decimated by nuclear war in the late 21st century, leaving only two nations -- the United Federation of Britain and the Colony. Douglas Quaid (Farrell) is a factory worker with a stable job and a loving wife (Beckinsale), but upon learning that a company named Rekall could grant him the memory of the ultimate espionage adventure, he decides that a virtual vacation is better than no vacation at all. But in the midst of having the new memories implanted, something goes haywire. Still strapped to the chair as the system breaks down, he's branded a spy as the authorities close in, and quickly flees for his life. Later, Quaid discovers that he has a secret identity, and he joins forces ...

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Plot Keywords:

false memory | implanted memory | remake | based on short story | factory | 

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Taglines:

What is real?

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, some sexual content, brief nudity, and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Ukrainian

Release Date:

3 August 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

El vengador del futuro

Filming Locations:

CFB Borden, Borden, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$125,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$25,577,758, 5 August 2012, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$58,877,969

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$198,467,168

Company Credits

Production Co:

Total Recall, Original Film, Prime Focus

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min 130 min (extended director's cut)

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The security check post are designed to look like giant iPhones in the mask scene. Notice the home button on the top.

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Goofs

Assuming The Fall reached a terminal velocity, the gravity experienced by the passengers would slowly decrease to zero before reversing direction. The reversal would be barely if at all noticeable and so would not be the dramatic moment depicted in several scenes.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Melina: Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.

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Alternate Versions

The scene where the three-breasted woman is topless has been re-shot for the US release due to different moral standards. The version released in European countries is unchanged.

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Connections

Referenced in Midnight Screenings: The Worst Films of 2012 (2013)

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Soundtracks

Typhoon
Written by Ebow Graham, Pavan Mukhi, Luca Gulotta and Joseph Erskine
Performed by Foreign Beggars featuring Chasing Shadows
Courtesy of Dented Records

User Reviews

A Nutshell Review: Total Recall

I guess the floodgates are now open. Adapting Philip K. Dick's stories are no longer enough, and now a trend may follow either to remake the films that have already been done, to give it another spin for a new generation, or how about remaking all of the films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, starting from Conan, and now Total Recall. For sure, Colin Farrell can't step into the ex-Mr Universe's hulking frame in playing the construction worker turned double agent Douglas Quaid through what would seem like a fantasy walk in the park for the mind gone all wrong, but if you'd put away your memory of the past film, then his outing here would stand out against his recent slate of projects, bringing him back to action-hero mould even if Len Wiseman's vision here turned a little bit suspect.

Fans of the original film will see only slight similarities in this one, since it took on a different adventure altogether after the familiar introduction. Quaid experiencing a nightmare of a dream only to wake up beside the sexy wife in Lori (Kate Beckinsale, in a role played by Sharon Stone previously, in lingerie no less), and finding that there's probably more to life than just home and work. Enticed by the fantasy inducing company called Rekall where one can live out one's fantasy for a fee, Douglas soon discovers he got more than he bargained for. The contraption's design got brought over, and so did the cult favourite in the three breasted woman, which Singapore back then didn't get to see at all because our censors found it offensive and unreal. The identity mask also has another go, although with less fun, being solely functional and little else.

But what was sorely missed in this remake, is the quip after quip of Arnie-isms, those puns made each time Douglas Quaid did something smart alecky, dispatched an opponent, or just wanted to drawl on something in his Austrian accent. In the typical Arnie movie, there's always room for fun, jokes, and those legendary one liners. Here, all we get are dead serious moments, with the whole look and feel being laden with the need to feel all gritty. Colin Farrell wears a scowl throughout, being perplexed and confused about his true identity in Jason Bourne style complete with mysterious artifacts stored in a safe deposit box, and having doubts to the role he has to play in the entire battle between the Haves and Have Nots.

This Total Recall requires that you junk all memories of the Schwarzenegger film, in order to enjoy the new narrative involving a chemical fallout across all lands save for Britain and parts of Europe now being part of a Greater Britain, and Australia, known as The Colony (yes, some slight historical references here). There's no Mars this time round, as the story gets set strictly on Earth, involving a carnival styled train service that commutes between the two territories, having to pass adjacent to the Earth's core, for some nifty CG effects involving gravitational force reversal.

CG seemed to be what Director Len Wiseman ordered for the film, with green screen effects and CG laden landscapes peppering the entire movie, that makes you wonder about the tagline "What is real?" indeed. It's big on action sequences and slight on actual story, with pauses only to allow the film to breathe a little, before embarking on yet another stunt sequence that involves plenty of running for Douglas Quaid, and his new found love interest / revolutionary partner Melina (Jessica Biel), as they escape from rooftops to elevators, pass through deadly three dimensional elevator shafts and tunnels, fighting their way past synthetic troopers ala Star Wars. It does get pretty generic after a while, that these sequences all start to look very much the same, and probably a Star Wars: Clone Wars episode gone wrong.

Also for the tagline of "What is real?", this remake doesn't really keep you in suspense in a what is, and what is not thought, because for this new generation of audiences, Len Wiseman probably considered it best if everything was spoonfed. So there's no need to guess, and everything got explained verbatim, that you'd know whether it's real, otherwise, and just about every plot and character twist being laid out for all and sundry. Between the two female leads, Kate Beckinsale got more screen time for obvious reasons, though it's not everyday that we get to see her in a negative role. It's clearly expanded here, with her Melina being something of an amalgam of the roles played by Sharon Stone and Michael Ironside as the relentless pursuer of Douglas Quaid, adamant in hunting him down and finishing him off, against orders.

Ultimately, Total Recall 2012 is one big amusement park ride. This will probably be enjoyable for anyone in for an average CG action adventure extravaganza and have no knowledge of the fun blockbuster the first one was, but for the rest of us who have seen Paul Verhoeven's version, this one definitely pales in comparison, in story, action and just plain fun. And Arnold Schwarzenegger was in his prime then, with big shoes that didn't get filled this time round.