Total Recall - Reviews, Grading, and duiscussions, SPOILERS

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Hey there. This film opens this week, and I like a good science fiction mystery (yes, I Robot and In Time are among some of my favorite types of films and they are underrated) so I'm willing to go along with a remake of a film I like so much... to see what I things stay the same and what things are different. I'm expecting to have a good time at a real science fiction movie, even if it's not real "hard" science fiction. I'm looking forward to a break from costumed heroes!

Ebert gave it three stars, and his review doesn't have anything in the way of spoilers. He pointed out the two big differences between this film and the original. One is that there is no Mars, which he didn't mined so much (I'll miss it), and that it's not Arnold. In his review of the original film, he points out that Arnold's performance was really quite good, and is the key that allows the film to work... so it should be interesting to see how the Quaid character plays here.

 

[Trekker4747]

I watched the Arnold one again about a week ago and I agree, Arnold's performance in it actually is pretty good. You can see the differences between Quaid and the supposed "real ego." I'll certainly go see this remake Saturday night.

Rolling Stone gave it a negative review.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

A little treat before we see the new version:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncR2_pnzngM[/yt]

 

[Trekker4747]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7PyDDNSiHk[/yt]

 

[Trekker4747]

Okay, I had to stick in the Total Recall DVD and listen to the Schwarzenegger/Verhoeven commentary as I've never realized there was one there and the YT video above prompted me to check it out. It's a barrage of terrible accents and Arnold pretty much doing the "vision impaired" version of the movie.

This is so terrible it's great!

 

[Captain Craig]

You left out the Grading feature.

Grade: A-

I just came back from a sneak showing and found it to be very good film. I've not read the short story but I read some commentary that this one follows the story much more closely. Apparently they never go to Mars, it's only mentioned in the story. So, in this film they never go. I honestly don't recall Mars being mentioned but I digress.
While watching it one can see where the films differ, yet also where they are very similar. The thrust of the movie is intact.

It has very solid action pieces, smooth f/x sequences and a really great cast. Thinking on it I don't instantly think of any plot holes, usually if it does and they are glaring it hits me while I'm in the theater(like when I saw TDKR for example). It wasn't screened for critics and those prima donnas will bash anything that doesn't cow-tow to their perceived sense of privilege to get a screening. Ergo, expect early low RT scores for those who actually still use that device. It's going to really be skewed unjustly low imo.

I'm not really prone to want to do a scene by scene review for this but I do want to say it's very much a summer popcorn action flick...in a good way. It's not brainless per se, I know that phrase usually means "check brain", just saying.

Hope it's given the fair shake it deserves.

 

[Tosk]

I think the days when I would check out a remake purely out of curiosity are passed. Between the director's filmography and the super-average trailer, I think I'll just skip this one altogether.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Does Will Smith help him fight off the I Robots?

 

[Admiral2]

I'm giving it a B.

My usual staccato review:

-Kate Beckinsale is much sexier and more entertaining as a psycho bitch secret agent than she is as Kate, The Undead Werewolf Slayer.

-Speaking of more entertaining, sorry Colin and Kate, but Sharon Stone fighting Ah-nuld is much more entertaining than you guys fighting. There's nothing funnier and more awesome than having some petite blond beating the snot out of Conan The Barbarian, and there's also nothing better for making that petite blond look truly bad-ass. You guys, well...if Colin had gynecomastia you'd essentially have the same build.

-Speaking of Colin and Kate, Kate was rocking her American accent better than Colin, who spoke it like he just learned it for this movie, which I know couldn't possibly be true. Too bad she had to dump it when the action started...although it probably made it all the more WTF from Doug's perspective to hear his wife suddenly hurling The Queen's English at him.

-Once again, brother don't make it to the end of the movie. Peace, Bokeem.

-I gotta say, I'm impressed with Bryan Cranston's versatility. The first time I ever saw him was in Malcolm in The Middle and every time I see him in something else he proves he's left that part deep in the past.

-I'm calling bullshit on "The Fall." (Ooh, ahh, "The Fall enslaves us!" ) Unless the atmosphere is too thin to support aircraft and the oceans are filled with sulfuric acid there's no way in hell "The Fall" is "the only way" to get from one part of this world to the other, especially when you consider digging a tunnel through the Earth big enough to sink a subway car the size of the Citibank building into it could not possibly be cheaper and easier than just designing and building more robust ships and planes. "But A2," you say - come on, I know you're saying it - "all science fiction has some BS in it." True, but you're not supposed erect a metaphorical neon sign pointing to it that says "This is Utter Bullshit! We only did it 'cause we thought it looked cool!"

And if you do, it should actually look cool, not just stupid.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

A little treat before we see the new version:

My local theatre screens old movies, and whenever they play an Arnold film, this video among others usually plays beforehand. This one always generates the most laughs.

 

[Trekker4747]

I'm giving it a B.

My usual staccato review:

-Kate Beckinsale is much sexier and more entertaining as a psycho bitch secret agent than she is as Kate, The Undead Werewolf Slayer.

-Speaking of more entertaining, sorry Colin and Kate, but Sharon Stone fighting Ah-nuld is much more entertaining than you guys fighting. There's nothing funnier and more awesome than having some petite blond beating the snot out of Conan The Barbarian, and there's also nothing better for making that petite blond look truly bad-ass. You guys, well...if Colin had gynecomastia you'd essentially have the same build.

-Speaking of Colin and Kate, Kate was rocking her American accent better than Colin, who spoke it like he just learned it for this movie, which I know couldn't possibly be true. Too bad she had to dump it when the action started...although it probably made it all the more WTF from Doug's perspective to hear his wife suddenly hurling The Queen's English at him.

-Once again, brother don't make it to the end of the movie. Peace, Bokeem.

-I gotta say, I'm impressed with Bryan Cranston's versatility. The first time I ever saw him was in Malcolm in The Middle and every time I see him in something else he proves he's left that part deep in the past.

-I'm calling bullshit on "The Fall." (Ooh, ahh, "The Fall enslaves us!" ) Unless the atmosphere is too thin to support aircraft and the oceans are filled with sulfuric acid there's no way in hell "The Fall" is "the only way" to get from one part of this world to the other, especially when you consider digging a tunnel through the Earth big enough to sink a subway car the size of the Citibank building into it could not possibly be cheaper and easier than just designing and building more robust ships and planes. "But A2," you say - come on, I know you're saying it - "all science fiction has some BS in it." True, but you're not supposed erect a metaphorical neon sign pointing to it that says "This is Utter Bullshit! We only did it 'cause we thought it looked cool!"

And if you do, it should actually look cool, not just stupid.

I hate it when movies or fiction, especially in this day age, think going through the center of the Earth is as easy as cake and doesn't involve extreme pressures and heat that nothing man-made can survive. Being anywhere near the center of the Earth would create enormous pressures from the weight of the entire fucking planet pushing down on you from every direction and the 10,000F temperatures.

 

[davejames]

I think the days when I would check out a remake purely out of curiosity are passed. Between the director's filmography and the super-average trailer, I think I'll just skip this one altogether.

Same here. The trailers and reviews make it sound like just another tedious, FX-heavy chase movie with no charm whatsoever.

Which is pretty much what I would expect from the guy who made Underworld.

 

[Aldo]

Which is pretty much what I would expect from the guy who made Underworld.

I think Underworld is an underrated gem, but I suppose that's neither here nor there as this thread is about Total Recall

I always felt Underworld was a fluke as I felt Live Free or Die Hard was horrible (also directed by Wisemen), but Ebert gave this movie a good review, and I usually trust him (we differ, but not too often). Nevertheless, I am seeing this tomorrow with friends.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Sorry I didn't make a vote option here. I totally forgot. Maybe the Mods can tll me if I'd be able to open up a new thread and maybe the two threads can be merged??

Sounds doable, but what do I know?

I'm seeing this tomorrow. As much as I liked Avengers and TDKR, I'm ready to for some regular sci fi action!

 

[TremblingBluStar]

I'm surprised there hasn't been more interest in this movie. I saw it last night and rather enjoyed it. I'd give it a B. It was a solid action film with some nice twists and good action. There were some minor plot holes, and at times I felt like a scene or two was cut, but overall I can't complain.

The effects in the film were incredibly solid, IMO, because it felt like they didn't make anything CGI that didn't have to be. For example, the android soldiers Quaid fights could have been made CGI, and probably would have been in any other film. However, other than scenes showing an army of them in formation I believe they were all actually there. As were most of the sets.

I also liked the art direction, which combined influences from several cultures seamlessly. The Rekall facility, for example, had a very Asian feel to it, along with a giant Buddha statue.

I caught a few homages to the original. Of course, the three breasted lady in the trailer (though they never bother to explain why she has an extra one), and in the airport. If you watch carefully, you will see someone suspiciously similar to the lady Arnold was disguised as in the original film.

I found the clip in it's entirety here. Pretty cool!

-I gotta say, I'm impressed with Bryan Cranston's versatility.

Oh, yeah. If you watch Breaking Bad, you wouldn't be too surprised. But he was great in this film. I wish they had gone into more detail about what his version of the bad guy had that allowed him to enslave the planet. Ronny Cox had control of the air. This guy... I don't know.

-I'm calling bullshit on "The Fall." (Ooh, ahh, "The Fall enslaves us!" )

I agree. That was one of the only major plot holes that I could find. The heat and pressure would be far too immense to go through the center of the Earth, but gravity wouldn't immediately switch orientations like in the movie. It would gradually cancel out and then increase in the opposite direction as you near the other surface.

Another issue with The Fall is it's destruction freeing the humans in Australia from enslavement. Why didn't the resistance simply blow the thing up years ago? It seemed fairly easy for Quaid to set up a few bombs on the thing and down she goes!

 

[stj]

I was thinking of seeing this because I'm not someone who thinks the Schwarzenegger movie was hugely entertaining. It had one powerful scene, which puts it ahead of lots of movies that have none. But no nostalgia here.

But, a tunnel through the center of the Earth? From what's written here I gather it's not supposed to be a device to tap energy from the Earth's core, with transportation a secondary function. Even though there's supposed to be a ravaged planet and human civilization which might need a nonfuel energy source to survive?

Cranston, Farrell and Nighy notwithstanding, this sounds to stupid to pay movie price for. Waiting for the DVD.

 

[Admiral2]

-I gotta say, I'm impressed with Bryan Cranston's versatility.

Oh, yeah. If you watch Breaking Bad, you wouldn't be too surprised. But he was great in this film.

I've seen a couple of episodes of Breaking Bad, I just haven't watched it regularly, but I included what I have seen in my assessment of Cranston. So I'm not really surprised. I just wanted to say I'm impressed. I think he's a very good actor, and he is good here, even with how little we see him.

I wish they had gone into more detail about what his version of the bad guy had that allowed him to enslave the planet. Ronny Cox had control of the air. This guy... I don't know.

He's obviously meant to be a dictator, essentially micromanaging this post-apocalyptic Earth. The position must be a holdover from when drastic measures were needed to get the survivors through hard times, and no Chancellor ever relinquished power. That's my guess. But you're right...the creators never actually tell us.

-I'm calling bullshit on "The Fall." (Ooh, ahh, "The Fall enslaves us!" )

I agree. That was one of the only major plot holes that I could find. The heat and pressure would be far too immense to go through the center of the Earth, but gravity wouldn't immediately switch orientations like in the movie. It would gradually cancel out and then increase in the opposite direction as you near the other surface.

Another issue with The Fall is it's destruction freeing the humans in Australia from enslavement. Why didn't the resistance simply blow the thing up years ago? It seemed fairly easy for Quaid to set up a few bombs on the thing and down she goes!

Well, if you're gonna apply logic and junk...

But okay, let's say it's actually possible to build the thing and you build it. Someone wanting to destroy it wouldn't need to plant explosives on the car itself. Just schedule your attack for when it's boarding and blow up the clamps holding it in place. Uncontrolled fall into the tunnel, it derails and explodes in the core, hilarity ensues. The problem is the guys who built it likely know this kind of attack will work and increase security at departure and arrival times, which means you'd have to be Quaid - someone with enough innate knowledge of the enemy to defeat 20 guards and 10 robots at a time by himself - to pull it off, and a resistance led by a reclusive philosopher and made up of disgruntled factory workers simply wouldn't have someone like that in their ranks initially.

So I'm thinking they did try and failed a bunch of times.

But, a tunnel through the center of the Earth? From what's written here I gather it's not supposed to be a device to tap energy from the Earth's core, with transportation a secondary function. Even though there's supposed to be a ravaged planet and human civilization which might need a nonfuel energy source to survive?

Nope, just a big ol' subway.

Cranston, Farrell and Nighy notwithstanding, this sounds to stupid to pay movie price for. Waiting for the DVD.

Go with your gut. I only gave it a B for Kate and the robots.

 

[Trekker4747]

Really, they should have kept the Mars angle the first movie had, it would have been interesting to see a new take on Mars. Anyway, a buddy and I are going to go see this movie here in about 20 minutes so I'll report back tonight with a review!

 

[Captain Craig]

I rewatched the original this afternoon and I can't say I miss Mars or the mutants actually.

 

[Aldo]

I enjoyed it a lot. I love Farrel and Kate Beckinsale has been a favorite actress of mine ever since she wowed me in Underworld. The action was really fun and Wiseman's directing was miles ahead of his work on Die Hard 4 (not sure what happened there).

I think I would have enjoyed this more had I not seen the original. All the major story beats of the first film were repeated here, but in the end the action was entertaining enough so it wasn't a huge issue.

Were there a poll here I'd probably rate it a solid B.