Total Recall

I was expecting a much bigger disaster. In many aspects, I liked the new Total Recall more than the original. I'm not counting the “inflation difference” of the years, meaning that now, you can get much more sophisticated visual effects than before with high budgets. Overall, the film is surprisingly watchable. In terms of action scenes, Len Wiseman is getting better, more inventive, and more gripping with every film. There are moments in Total Recall where I couldn't even breathe, and that hasn't happened to me in a long time. Kate Beckinsale is excellent as a terminator, Colin Farrell is good, and the production design is fantastic. Some say it’s a rip-off of Minority Report and Blade Runner, but there aren't many other options for depicting the future realistically, or at least somewhat believable. Occasional inspiration, in my opinion, doesn't hurt, and if the audience picked on every little thing like this, soon every movie would be a disaster just because it starts, as I've seen the beginning of a movie many times, etc. With proper sound and good visuals, this film is worth seeing multiple times – even the slightly flawed screenplay encourages it. Just never have a steel tunnel through the Earth's core again, please. (19/08/2012)

A passable remake, adapted to today’s hurried times. Perfect craftsmanship, Wiseman lays action scene upon action scene on the viewer and the shots of his wife (Kate Beckinsale) are filmed with such care that it’s a pleasure to watch. Also, she’s a thoroughbred terminator, but with a smile to fall in love with your dying breath. Poor old Colin Farrell doesn’t have much acting to do, but he tries hard. Bryan Cranston is fine too. The visual side of the movie is superb. A combination of Blade Runner and Minority Report, with a pinch of Star Wars. It’s over the top and gets away with it. It’s fantasy, after all, isn’t it? ;) If I’m not me, then who the hell am I? (17/08/2012)

A terribly simplistic and almost painfully naive dystopian sci-fi flick, but when you stop asking questions like “how” and “why”, it sort of works. Visually and technically, it’s very good, but the script is so stupid. With other films, I wouldn’t get over it, but here yes, if only because of the dynamic and original action scenes. Wiseman might not be genius, but if he ever gets a good script, I wouldn’t ignore him. (15/12/2012)

I had forgotten Wimmer's name in the screenwriter column and went into it with no greater ambitions, but also without any fear. So as long as Wiseman reminisces about his childhood spent at arcades, it goes pretty well, although Colin doesn't really enjoy it and Jessica definitely doesn't. The entire film is carried by Paul Cameron's circling camera and Kate Beckinsale enjoying her unacknowledged role as the Terminator. However, it gets worse with each new dialogue that you just can't get out, even if you had half a kilo of coke shoved into your head in Recall, so I found myself smiling at times, even though the creators didn't intend for that to be the case. For a hundred and twenty-five million, it’s a pretty decent ride, but it should have taken at least half an hour less. (01/04/2013)

Why? Could anyone explain to me why anyone needs to do this? Why do actors have to get involved in such a film, why do they have to invest money in it at all and why do people have to go to the cinema to see it? Why does this movie have so many reviews on this site? I know, it’s a lot of questions for one movie that I absolutely did not want to see. But then the opportunity arose and I couldn’t resist. I must say that by today’s standards, it is a decent job. It buries the original film completely, but that’s a standard procedure in our CGI times. The whole thing is a bit simpler than the original film with Arnold, but probably so that today’s undemanding viewer would understand everything. But as I was saying. This film completely buries the idea behind the original movie, which was the last blockbuster without CGI, instead using manually prepared tricks, and which contained not only a message but had the balls to do something new and unique. The remake is just a cash-cow, where everything is made in a completely standard way. The creators might have gotten some money out of it, but for me it’s something that will be forgotten forever. What won’t be forgotten, however, is the fact that the 21st century Hollywood is afraid of making original movies, instead investing too much money into a brand that promises to return this investment, because they’ll always find some new fans who haven’t seen the original. Disgusting. I’m giving this three stars only because the film-making craft is objectively good. The rest, however… (03/08/2013)