Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic Phillip Dick/Arnold Sci-Fi Film
Review: Like most of Phillip Dick's stories, this story contains a lot of depth and quite a bit of morality, too. This sci-fi movie focuses on one of the life's deepest questions: what actually exists, and how can we determine the answer?For Arnold Schwarzenegger, who plays Quaid, answering this question is rather complicated. It is rather difficult to determine what is real and what isn't. Quaid wakes up one morning and realize that he's had a horrible dream. His wife wakes him up, and she's jealous of the dream. The dream! This first scene is important for the entire movie because it results in Quaid waking up, upset over the dream, and his wife, also upset, mainly because she thinks he was cheating with a woman in his dreams! It seems as though dreams are a way for Quaid to think about things that are not available in his everyday life. That's one reason why he chooses to go traveling -- through the experience of "recalling" it, rather than actually going on a full trip. This causes him trouble since the company Recall does not appear legitimate in his friend's and co-workers. From there, the movie is focused on Quaid's taking steps to understand what he has done in the past, on Mars, even though he has no recollection of it. Lots of action occurs. The deep message within the movie is that there are times when you need to believe quite strongly in your dreams, and others when you must believe it's false. How do you determine which is which is left up to each person's perspective.
Rating: 
Summary: classic '80s sillyness...
Review: I really do adore this film, but I found it difficult to give it more than three stars, not only out of respect for myself, but for the many other films that deserve the full five. Sin-of-sins, I actually prefer it to "Blade Runner", but I'd still give Scott's sci-fi outing more stars than Verhoeven's. They are poles apart in terms of plot, pallette and directorial subtlety. This is mostly just nostalgia for my part (I watched this film a lot when I was a kid), but "Total Recall" is simply more FUN. Buy it if you're not out for anything too radical in the brain stakes.
The most interesting thing about this film is actually a piece of conjecture that I stumbled across in literary fiction that could drive a more suggestable person to a five star rating. What if the bad guy is not half as stupid as we're led to believe by the rather em...strange ending? Allow me to explain.
Mars is a remarkably large body, but after about twenty seconds worth of oxygen spurting from a mountain (I won't even go into the bad science behind that), it turns from the nasty vacuum packed red planet we know from the science books, into a rather pleasant looking national park kind of a place. That's exhibit one.
Before all this, Arnie and his mad-dog sqaw are thrown out into said vacuum where their eyes, as one would expect, begin to pop out of their head. Uch. Less expected though, is the miraculous recovery they make after all this excitement has past. They get up, dust themselves down, and head off to start a new life on the until-recently-red planet. That's Exhibit two. Need I go on?
The whole scenario's a bit crazy; a bit far fetched; a load of nonsense..."Ah-hah", he drawled triumphantly wagging his finger.
What if Co-Haagen, supposedly not so lucky with HIS dose of heamoragic eye trouble, isn't really dead? What if he's not even on Mars? What if even Arnie's not on Mars?
That horribly evil chap behind the whole starve-the-people-of-oxygen thing could still have Arnie in that nasty leather chair contraption. Arnie's character would just be lying there drooling, completely out of Co-Haagen's way. Not only that, but the last vestige of his conscience would actually think he'd WON!
Brilliant stuff. That little scenario could really boost the intellectual credability of this flick, and I hope you're all happy that I pointed it out.
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome movie
Review: I think Arnold Schwarzenegger is best at doing sci/fi movies, this has got to be one of the best he's ever done. Alot of senseless violence in this, but it goes with the story. And what a great place to choose, Mars, everyone is interested in this planet no matter what.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most original and best of all time
Review: Total Recall is one of the best and most original movies of all time. It's an awesome sci-fi action tail with enough twists and turns that leave you wanting more. Total Recall is tells the story of Douq Quaid(Schwarzenegger). He's a man that dreams about going to mars. He's a normal guy who has a construction job. He's married to his wife Lori(Stone) and they are new to the place they are living. It's set any where from a 100 to 150 years from now. Space travel is a common thing, and like I said Quaid wants to go to mars. Everyone he knows is steering him away from the whole idea of going. He sees a commercial on tv from a company called Recall. Recall puts an implant into your memory that acts as a vaction. It makes you feel like you've gone on a vacation because it's in your memorys. Quaid goes to Recall and thats where the movie really picks up. While he's at Recall they find out his memorys have already been erased. The company puts it off as they did nothing to him but are unsuccesful. Quaid then finds himself being hunted by different people who want him dead. He doesn't why and he must follow the clues that are left for him to find out why. That's kind of the cliff notes version of the movie. Like I said it's a complex storyline that changes a lot. You have to see it to fully understand it. Arnold is outstanding. This is probaly the best acting he ever did in any of his movies. His action scenes are great in the movie. You see him kill plenty of guys plenty of different ways. His character Quaid is probaly the most complex character he's every played, because Quaid isn't sure who he really is. It's really great and Arnold does a great job. The special effects are great. They did win the Oscar for best effects in 1990 and it's easy to see why. The different mutants they create on mars are great. When people are stuck in the vaccum of mars they really do look like there going to explode. The different explosions and blasts just look great, and it's another reason to watch the film. I love Total Recall. It's a movie masterpiece. If your an Arnold fan it's definetly a must see. Most sci fi fans should get a kick out of it as well. Even people that like a good mystery or a fast paced movie should enjoy it a lot. This Special Edition comes in a cool Tin case that's kind of like a KIWI shoe poish case that makes a good collectors item. Don't miss out on this movie. You'll regret it.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST SCI-FI MOVIES OF THE '90s.
Review: "Total Recall" appeared in 1990 and was a nice surprise for all the fans of the sci-fi and/or action genres. "Total Recall" is an interesting thriller from beginning to end. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in this movie and offers one of his best performances, playing Doug Quaid, a man who finds that his whole life has been a big illusion. That's one of the strongest points of the movie, it presents some philosophical issues like: the fantasy is better than the reality?, the memories are the essence of the human being?, etc. Despite the special effects are 13 years old, they don't look bad at all, because they were conceived not only to impress but also to help the story to develop. If you are a fan of Arnold, or Sharon Stone, or sci-fi Films or action movies, "Total Recall" is a good option.
Rating:
Summary: The thinking person's action film
Review: Thirteen years after its release, "Total Recall" stands as a genre-defining sci-fi action film and one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's best works. Multiple elements came together to make this film the success that it is- a superb script by Ron Shussett, Gary Goldman and Dan O'Bannon, working from a short story by Philip K. Dick; Paul Verhoeven's skilled direction; top-knotch makeup and visual effects and solid acting by Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside and Ronny Cox, the latter clearly deserving to be on the AFI list of the greatest villains of all time. This is an action movie with a highly original and mind-twisting plot, unusual for the genre, to say the least. At its core, the film is about individual identity and free will- Who are we? Are we defined by who we once were, or who we are now? The audio and video are decent for a film of this age. There are some nice extras, the most interesting being a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, covering the deal-making that preceded the green-lighting of the film, production design, visual effects and the scoring. The audio commentary by Schwarzenegger and Verhoeven is not as enlightening as I had hoped for. The two men spend much of their time stating the obvious and give few insights. Arnold in particular says "exactly" and "right" so many times, I lost track. Also, he displays a somewhat callous personality that lends credence to the allegations leveled against him in the California governor's race. He actually laughs out loud in response to a scene where a woman is shot in the back. Disturbing. Still, I can't take anything away from the movie; it holds up well and is a lot of fun to watch.
Rating:
Summary: Violent as the blazes....
Review: But nonetheless enjoyable, this is probably Arnold Schwarzenegger's best action movie! It was the second action flick for director Paul Verhoeven, who initially hit the American market with an art film starring Jeroen Krabbé called "The 4th Man". Apparently, he hasn't looked back since "Robocop". The movie stars Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Rachel Ticotin, Michael Ironside, Ronny Cox and a few character actors you'll recognize from TV and other films. In this story, set in the near-future, Schwarzenegger plays an unassuming construction worker, married to Stone, who is overwhelmingly fascinated with the Martian colonies in his world. His "wife", Stone, hates Mars and tries to discourage him from thinking about it...but an ad for a "memory implant service" called "Rekall" on the ad monitors in the futuristic subway compel him to visit the place for a virtual vacation to Mars as a secret agent. Douglas Quaid's, (Arnold's character's,) life immediately changes, as it's soon discovered that his marriage to Stone is a sham, that he has another persona, Hauser, that works for the vulgar, power hungry, robber baron ruler of Mars, Vilos Cohaagen, as a very dirty agent with a wicked sense of humor and a smarmy pesonality. He's chased by Michael Ironside and his crew all over Mars as he tries to determine just what has been done to him and what he is being used for. In a twist, a representative from "Rekall" visits him in the middle of all this and tries to tell him that if he doesn't come out of his induced fantasy now, he may become "lobotomized". Quaid doesn't believe this however, and after seeing a betraying sweat bead drip down the supposedly "virtual" rep's temple, he shoots him. Stone, playing Quaid's faux wife, Laurie, is brought up to Mars by the rep to convince Quaid/Hauser that everything he has experienced before was a part of his Rekall fantasy. She ends up getting into a hand to hand battle with him when she runs into Ticotin, a rebel fighting Laurie's employer, Cohaagen, in a corridor, and he ends up shooting HER! Along the way, there are dangers from decompression from urban dome damage from the pursuit of Quaid, exposure to mutants, an adventure with a crooked, black mutant cab driver working for Cohaagen and the meeting with the old "flame" of his, named Melina, (Ticotin,) who is working for the rebels that are fighting Cohaagen for control of Mars and better living conditions on the colonized world. This is all curiously offset by a recurring and ultimately prophetic dream that Arnie keeps having of he and Ticotin being caught ouside the domes of Mars without helmets. There are quite a lot of robotics used in the film...betcha it'll take you a while to determine where it's being used.... The story has more twists, turns, O. Henrys and vagaries than "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold", but in the end, a very good thing comes of it, but I won't spoil it for you here. Be warned that this movie is VERY violent and is full of foul language issuing from every mouth with a substantial or walk-on part. However, it has to be one of the most enjoyable sci-fi action flicks ever made, so I highy recommend this film for mature minds who can weather dialogue and violence that almost earned it an "X" rating! The theme and incidental music, composed by Jerry Goldsmith, is fantastic, btw!
Rating:
Summary: The greatest Schwarzenegger movie before The 6th Day...
Review: Douglas Kuad is an innocent man running his normal average life. He has always been fascinated by Mars and hoped to visit the planet. His wife declines the wish, so Kuad goes on to his workday with that to think about. He suddenly sees an advertisement for Recall, a place where you can take a mental vacation to where you want and the visit will seem as real as actually going. It would only take a little while, so after work he checks it out. He tries it and takes the roll of a secret agent. There was an accident, though and he may never know if his life is real or just some kind of a fantasy. The people are worried that he will have a Total Recall of what had happened at Recall and are out to kill him...
This is a great Friday night USA movie. It has alot of bloodshed and action as well as twists and turns that'll keep you awake 'till the end!
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommendable after bladerunner and minority report.
Review: Phillip k Dick being the great writer that he was had written some of the greatest sci fi stories that have been put from book to film including bladerunner and minority report and while this is the worst one been put to film it really is'nt that bad infact it's very good to say the least, total recall is certainly one of Arnies greatest films along with terminator and end of days. If you are into the sci fi genre then i'd recommened films along this line especially anything by the inovative Phillip K Dick (from book to film), almost as good as minority report but not quite blade runner.
Rating:
Summary: Well paced Sci-Fi
Review: This is one of Arnold's best. Take a great lineup of actors. Throw in a good story by Philip K. Dick (screen play by Ronald Shussett, Dan O'Bannon, and Gary Goldman). Add a well designed set that make you feel you are there. And you have the makings for a pretty good movie. With a few exceptions it is hard to tell the good guys format the bad and with several plot twists it is hard to know if you should root for the good guy or the bad. A hint stick with Arnold and you can not go wrong (Maybe). Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) a mild mannered construction worker, who is happily married to Lori (Sharon Stone), and seems extraordinarily attracted of life on Mars. Now Mars is settled and basically ran by a mining consortium. And the least Douglas can do is take a vacation there. Discouraged by his wife he decided to take a virtual trip there.
Oh no, something has gone wrong. It turns out that unknown to him he is not Douglas Quaid. He finds out that his whole history is a lie. Now people are out to kill him and he must find out who he is and why. If he escapes, the journey will take him to Mars to fulfill his or someone's destiny. Good or bad we are along for the ride.
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