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IMDbPro

Total Recall

  • 20122012
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 58m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
257K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,665
516
Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, and Colin Farrell in Total Recall (2012)
As the nation states Euromerica and New Shanghai vie for supremacy, a factory worker begins to suspect that he's a spy, though he is unaware which side of the fight he's on.
Play trailer2:44
11 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
A factory worker, Douglas Quaid, begins to suspect that he is a spy after visiting Rekall - a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have... Read allA factory worker, Douglas Quaid, begins to suspect that he is a spy after visiting Rekall - 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.A factory worker, Douglas Quaid, begins to suspect that he is a spy after visiting Rekall - 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.
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
257K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,665
516
    • Len Wiseman
  • Writers
    • Kurt Wimmer(screenplay by)
    • Mark Bomback(screenplay by)
    • Ronald Shusett(screen story by)
  • Stars
    • Colin Farrell
    • Bokeem Woodbine
    • Bryan Cranston
    • Len Wiseman
  • Writers
    • Kurt Wimmer(screenplay by)
    • Mark Bomback(screenplay by)
    • Ronald Shusett(screen story by)
  • Stars
    • Colin Farrell
    • Bokeem Woodbine
    • Bryan Cranston
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 674User reviews
    • 416Critic reviews
    • 43Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos11

    No. 2
    Trailer 2:44
    Watch No. 2
    International Version
    Trailer 2:29
    Watch International Version
    No. 1
    Trailer 2:25
    Watch No. 1
    Teaser
    Trailer 0:33
    Watch Teaser
    Total Recall
    Trailer 2:25
    Watch Total Recall
    "Kiss Goodbye"
    Clip 0:45
    Watch "Kiss Goodbye"
    "Happy Trails"
    Clip 0:53
    Watch "Happy Trails"
    "Two Weeks"
    Clip 0:52
    Watch "Two Weeks"
    "I Went to Rekall After Work"
    Clip 0:59
    Watch "I Went to Rekall After Work"
    "Activated"
    Clip 0:39
    Watch "Activated"
    Roles That Tom Hardy Turned Down
    Video 2:02
    Watch Roles That Tom Hardy Turned Down

    Photos495

    Colin Farrell in Total Recall (2012)
    Colin Farrell and Bill Nighy in Total Recall (2012)
    Bryan Cranston in Total Recall (2012)
    Bryan Cranston in Total Recall (2012)
    Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, and Bryan Cranston in Total Recall (2012)
    Jessica Biel in Total Recall (2012)
    Jessica Biel and Colin Farrell in Total Recall (2012)
    Kate Beckinsale in Total Recall (2012)
    Colin Farrell in Total Recall (2012)
    Colin Farrell in Total Recall (2012)
    Kate Beckinsale in Total Recall (2012)
    Kate Beckinsale in Total Recall (2012)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Colin Farrell
    Colin Farrell
    • Douglas Quaid…
    Bokeem Woodbine
    Bokeem Woodbine
    • Harry
    Bryan Cranston
    Bryan Cranston
    • Cohaagen
    Kate Beckinsale
    Kate Beckinsale
    • Lori Quaid
    Jessica Biel
    Jessica Biel
    • Melina
    Bill Nighy
    Bill Nighy
    • Matthias
    John Cho
    John Cho
    • McClane
    Will Yun Lee
    Will Yun Lee
    • Marek
    Milton Barnes
    Milton Barnes
    • Resistance Fighter
    James McGowan
    James McGowan
    • Military Adjutant
    Natalie Lisinska
    Natalie Lisinska
    • Bohemian Nurse
    Michael Therriault
    Michael Therriault
    • Bank Clerk
    Stephen MacDonald
    • Slacker
    Mishael Morgan
    Mishael Morgan
    • Rekall Receptionist
    LinLyn Lue
    • Resistance Woman
    Dylan Smith
    Dylan Smith
    • Hammond
    • (as Dylan Scott Smith)
    Andrew Moodie
    Andrew Moodie
    • Factory Foreman
    Kaitlyn Leeb
    Kaitlyn Leeb
    • Three-Breasted Woman
      • Len Wiseman
    • Writers
      • Kurt Wimmer(screenplay by) (screen story by)
      • Mark Bomback(screenplay by)
      • Ronald Shusett(screen story by) (based on the motion picture "Total Recall", screenplay by) (based on the motion picture "Total Recall", screen story by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Actor Colin Farrell actually spent a night on the set because he wanted "to see what it would be like to wake up in the future".
    • Goofs
      For The Fall to travel the diameter of the Earth in 17 minutes, it would have to maintain an average speed of over 45000 kph (28000 mph). At this speed, it would be impossible for anyone to survive standing on the outside, because of both the airflow and the high temperatures resulting from friction.
    • Quotes

      Matthias: Mr. Hauser, What is it you want?

      Doug Quaid: I want to help you.

      Matthias: That is not the only reason you are here.

      Doug Quaid: I want to remember.

      Matthias: Why?

      Doug Quaid: So I can be myself, be who I was.

      Matthias: It is each man's quest to find out who he truly is, but the answer to that lies in the present, not in the past. As it is for all of us.

      Doug Quaid: But the past tells us who we've become.

      Matthias: The past is a construct of the mind. It blinds us. It fools us into believing it. But the heart wants to live in the present. Look there. You'll find your answer.

    • 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in WatchMojo: Another Top 10 Worst Hollywood Remakes (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      Typhoon
      Written by Ebow Graham, Pavan Mukhi, Luca Gulotta and Joe Erskine (as Joseph Erskine)

      Performed by Foreign Beggars featuring Chasing Shadows

      Courtesy of Dented Records

    User reviews674

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    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.
    helpful•194
    123
    • DICK STEEL
    • Aug 2, 2012

    FAQ9

    • What is Total Recall about?
    • Is 'Total Recall' based on a book?
    • Are the events in the film real or a dream?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 3, 2012 (United States)
      • United States
      • Canada
      • Official Facebook
      • English
      • Ukrainian
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Lower Bay Station, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Total Recall
      • Original Film
      • Prime Focus
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 58 minutes
      • Color
      • SDDS
      • Datasat
      • Dolby Digital
      • Dolby Atmos
      • Dolby Surround 7.1

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