Total Recall ****½ (1990, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Ronny Cox, Michael Ironside) – Classic Movie Review 2028

Both director Paul Verhoeven and his star Arnold Schwarzenegger are on or very near their best form for this exhilarating 1990 science-fiction thriller, a clever mix of bright ideas, involving plot, witty satire and violent action movie. These were great glory days for Arnie.

Schwarzenegger plays Douglas Quaid, a man in the 21st century who is haunted by a recurring dream of life on Mars. So he buys a holiday at Rekall Inc, where they sell implanted memories, and he goes for a virtual vacation of the planet. But the memory implantation goes wrong and he remembers being a secret agent battling evil Mars boss Vilos Cohaagen (Ronny Cox). And a series of adverse events apparently forces him to travel to Mars for real in search of his missing brain.

Total Recall is a memorable package of stonking, all-blasting action and thoughtful sci-fi concepts, 1990 state of the art visual effects, and an unashamed new excess of movie violence. Director Verhoeven gives it all he knows and pulls out all the stops to keep the tough stuff coming fast and very nasty. 

Ronald Shusett and Dan O’Bannon’s screen story, inspired by Philip K Dick’s short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, is twisty and intelligent and strongly handled, while Arnie and Verhoeven just get on with what they’re best at – bringing on more blood and guts. With Arnie holding the centre powerfully, Cox and Michael Ironside give excellent star support as the baddies and Sharon Stone is good too as the hero’s wife.

It cost $65 million and grossed $120million in the US alone. Its visual effects were rewarded with a Special Achievement Award Oscar for Eric Brevig, Rob Bottin, Tim McGovern and Alex Funke. It was Oscar nominated for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing. Visual effects: Dream Quest Images. Optical effects: Industrial Light and Magic.

It was remade in 2012 with Colin Farrell, Bokeem Woodbine and Bryan Cranston.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2028

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