Total Recall Review

Plot Summary:

Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) begins to think he is a spy after visiting Rekall, a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories. After his experience at Rekall goes horribly wrong, he finds himself on the run.

The Positives:

The original 1990 Total Recall is one of my favorite cult classic films. This one is different from the original, but it has some good things to offer. The special effects and the world Len Wiseman created are very good. In some scenes, it doesn't even look like CGI, it looks like it was filmed on location.

The acting was very good in this remake. Colin Farrell does a great job playing Arnold Schwarzenegger's original character, he has a lot of charisma and brings a lot to the character. Kate Beckinsale, Bryan Cranston, and others do great in this film as well. 

For the most part, the action scenes are really well-put together. Each action scene is very entertaining. Not to mention, they flow with the film very nicely.

The Negatives:

There were several issues I had with this remake. First off, while the original had a story, this one lacks a coherent story. It doesn't make sense at times and tries to be smarter than it is. It has plot twists that are predictable and not mind-bending like they want it to be.

I mentioned earlier that the acting was very good. There was one exception to that-Jessica Biel. She did an awful job with her performance, she lacked emotion and looked bored the entire time. I felt bored and laughed at her unintentionally a few times.

It is obvious that this film went for the generic action film route rather than the campy, original route that the 1990 film was. It steals so many plot points from many sci-fi films such as The Matrix and I, Robot. This is obvious that the studio had a lot of say with this film and it doesn't feel like a natural director's film.

The action scenes are well put together. However, there are many moments where there are lens flares and camers angles that make the action hard to watch. It is very distracting and dizzying during these moments to watch.

The script is a mess. The first 20 minutes showed a lot of potential for this film and it went south from there. The dialogue points out the obvious and is very cliche. There are so many plotholes as well that make the film more confusing than it needs to be.

Conclusion:

Total Recall is basically a generic action remake of a wonderful sci-fi classic. It lacks well-developed characters, a clever story, and fun (all are elements that the original had). This feels like a genric studio film that did not deserve to be made this soon. It's mindless entertainment, but if you are a fan of the original, stay away.

Rating: 4 out of 10