Total Recall

[Tycho]

I love Arnold Schwarzeneggar films! In his latest one he's a Kennedy-Democrat who infiltrates California's Republican Party and gives all the people health care. In Total Recall, he's a double-secret agent originally working for a crooked mining corporation that's working Mars, but he defects and gives all the people access to oxygen.

Arnold must see himself as a hero and thus he takes the actions he takes in his typical movie character, as well as in real life.

Total Recall was a fun film also starring Sharon Stone and Michael Ironside as well as a Cyclops, a Mutant, a midget sex worker (gotta love that!) and a 3-breasted woman who'd make 30 times a better action figure than Yarna dal Gargon any day!

The action in the mutant revolution on Mars and the anti-corporate social commentary is timeless.

I'd once heard that they were going to make Total Recall 2 (I'm not sure if it was going to be with Arnold or not) and Star Trek's Jonathon Frakes was going to direct. (Paul Verhoven did an excellent job with the first one).

Anyway, so far the movie hasn't happened, but I think the script for the sequel actually has it taking place in California and once again starring Arnold.

In the next Recall, Governor Gray Davis learns he is no longer actually the Governor of California, and only in alternate realities is Gary Coleman, Larry Flint, or a infamous porn star. Arnold (as himself) wakes up and finds he is a moderate Republican who enjoys touching women and driving a motorcycle without a license. He then is convinced by the bad guys that he is an ultra-right-wing Conservative and he orders a special election to break nurses unions, redefine voting districts that were historically safe for incumbants, and so forth. But something goes awry and his wife, born into the legacy of John F. Kennedy's family, unlocks Arnold's inner-Democrat. Taking on the hero's mantell again, he races against time to give all Californians, legal and otherwise, access to decent healthcare. It might be the defining moment of his time in the governor's mansion. Meanwhile, he's leaving some to wonder if he's gone Totally insane, or if there needs to be yet another sequel to "Recall."

[Rocketboy]

"Baby, you make me wish I had three hands!"

[El Chuxter]

Aside from the cop-out of them un-exploding when the oxygen is restored in the end, a great, great action film.

Great enough that I can easily forgive the stupidity of the aforementioned un-exploding.

[Tycho]

It would have been funny if they walked around like the rest of the fish-eyed mutants at the end and had a Mars-wide celebration party to the tune of "Dare to be Stupid."

[decadentdave]

I've been listening to this soundtrack in my car on my ipod. It's one of my favorite Goldsmith scores. It's also one of the last great 80's-early-90's action/sci-fi films and one of Arnold's last best films the summer before T2 (never liked True Lies). A great Paul Verhoeven film from his great american sci-fi trilogy that began with Robocop and ended with Starship Troopers.

There was a short-lived series produced by Showtime. Never saw it but it starred some guy I remember was in a show I watched with Lori Singer called VR5 on FOX. I think they culled together a few epsiodes, maybe even the pilot, and released it on DVD and marketed it as Total Recall 2. Anyway, I never saw it because I never like when they do a TV series that has almost nothing in common with its theatrical predecessor (anybody remember Robert Hayes as the Starman?).

Now git ya *** to Maas!

[JediTricks]

The Showtime series was based more on Blade Runner than Total Recall, it was called Total Recall 2070, for cheap TV sci-fi it actually wasn't that bad, but it only lasted 1 season.


The movie feels a little dated to me now as it's heavily dependent on being several set pieces more than I had noticed before, in that way it's like an NES video game (I couldn't say about the movie's NES game though, I never played it). Still, it's fairly entertaining and does have that "was it all a Rekall dream or not?" thing at the end where you're not totally sure if that was his vacation dream or not: does he save Mars, kill his wife, and get Melina, or was it all just happening in his head and after the credits roll for us he wakes up back where it all started at Rekall? Plus, Ronny Cox makes another great turn as an action villain!

[decadentdave]

Just watched it again last night. Man, this was a fun movie! Totally brought me back to the summer of 1990 (yeah, I just had some Total Recall myself), the year before T2, and I wasn't expecting a summer sci-fi blockbuster to come out, let alone with Arnold in it. I was really surpised when it came out. I think it's a great plot with clever twists and humor and great action. As for why they didn't "explode" when exposed to the Martian atmosphere, it didn't bother me. Their eyes were bulging out just as the reactor was releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. Anyway, who cares? It's only a movie and pure escapist fun. Reminded me of the video game Red Faction which owes an obvious debt to this film for it's style and structure. It's too bad Arnold's film career seemed to go downhill shortly after this and T2. I really miss Arnold as the all-around Action Man. We really don't have guys like Arnold and Stallone giving us great action films anymore. Man, I miss the 80's! I've been on a total (heh) Arnold retro kick and Stallone fix lately re-watching Commando, Rambo, Rocky and Terminator movies lately. They just don't make these kind of movies anymore. Nothing like gratuitous, self-indulgent action films that kick major ***. We need more movies like that again.

[2-1B]

It was all a dream in Total Recall and Commando is an awesome movie...I love Bill Duke.

[Tycho]

Total Recall was not a dream! It was real. Douglas Howser became Douglas Quaid in psyche, thus also making his own version of reality.

The Martian mining company messed with his head to plant him undercover, but he decided to switch sides and do the right thing.

He decided he liked Quaid better than Howser, and kept his alliances he forged with the mutants that way.

The bad guys were just trying to convince Doug that it was a dream so they could keep him under control. Remember the psychologist that said it wouldn't matter if Doug shot him because he wasn't really there? Then Doug saw him sweating and shot him anyway - because he knew he was real.

The movie's quite a trip and open to a lot of interpretation, but I believe I have found the true path through it all.

[2-1B]

Tycho, within the context of the movie...Arnie's dream was about as real as your dreams.

Seriously though, I don't like the idea of it being a dream but early on they show a few things that seem too coincidental, as if they were planting that stuff in there for the sake of a dream.