Rating: 
Summary: Well worth it
Review: I am a fan of any Mars related movie, and a fan of Schwarzenegger, so getting this DVD was a no-brainer for me. Some cool extras, though the virtual vacations were too few and too short (very obvious there was a short loop going on). I was disappointed in that.
Rating:
Summary: The Ride of Arnold's Life....
Review: Total Recall, Paul Verhoeven's fascinating (if sometimes very violent) 1990 science fiction/thriller examined the boundaries between reality and illusion. It also established Arnold Schwarzenegger as a true force in the action adventure genre, proving that the former bodybuilder could act in a more challenging role than Conan or the Terminator.Inspired by Philip K. Dick's story "We Can Dream It For You Wholesale," the screenplay by Ronald Shussett, Dan O'Bannon (Alien) and Gary Goldman weaves a clever tapestry of story threads that revolve around the question of what is reality and what is a dream, especially if the mind could be manipulated artificially? Schwarzenegger plays Douglas Quaid, a construction worker happily married to Lori (Sharon Stone) and living in a city perhaps 100 years in the future. By this time, Earth is embroiled in a major war between the Northern and Southern Blocs, space travel is as routine as catching a bus, and Mars has been colonized. Its governor, a ruthless dictator named Cohaagen (Ronny Cox) is providing the Northern bloc with essential raw materials and suppressing a bloody insurrection led by mutants. Quaid is obsessed with a fantasy of Mars -- in his dreams he's there, in the company of a mysterious brunette (Rachel Ticotin), much to Lori's chagrin. Even as he claims it's just a fantasy and that Lori's the only woman in his life, he still presses the issue of Mars, going as far to suggest leaving Earth and moving to the Red Planet. Lori attempts to reason with Quaid, telling him he'd "hate it there. It's dry, it's dusty, it's boring." Reluctantly, Quaid relents and goes off to work as usual. But after seeing a commercial for "virtual vacations" on a subway TV monitor, Quaid decides to visit Rekall, where false memories are implanted into customers' minds "for the memory of a lifetime." With the aid of drugs and hi-tech gizmos, the perfect vacation -- a ski trip, a visit to an exotic beach, or even a trip to Mars -- can be "remembered" as if it had really happened. Even better, as a smarmy salesman tells Quaid, one can even change personalities and take the "Ego Trip" and become, for a little while, someone else. Intrigued, Quaid selects -- you guessed it -- the trip to Mars with the secret agent Ego Trip. Verhoeven's films are not known for their quiet subtlety; indeed, they tend to be in-your-face collages of mordant wit, wry one-liners, and -- in his science fiction films (Robocop, Starship Troopers) -- violence. Yet, when watching this movie on DVD and listening to the audio commentary by Verhoeven and Schwarznegger, I was surprised by the complexity of this film's plot. Yes, it's action packed and it's an "Ah-nuld" showcase full of droll one-liners ("Consider this a divorce!"), but it doesn't insult the audience's intelligence. The movie's eye-popping (pun intended) special effects are amazing, and Jerry Goldsmith's score is thrilling. The Artisan Special Edition of Total Recall is loaded with various extra features and showcases this above-average sci-fi thriller in a newly remastered widescreen version. The picture is sharp and the sound is excellently clear. Considering that Artisan is also behind the spectacular DVDs for the first two Terminator films, this is to be expected! I strongly recommend Total Recall to both Schwarzenegger and science fiction fans alike; its underlying storyline is intriguing, and Arnold has rarely been in better form as an actor!
Rating: 
Summary: Conspiracy, mutants, action and Arnold.
Review: One of Arnolds best works. Must have for your collection. Great story.
Rating: 
Summary: Philip K Dick. Need I say more?
Review: Before Minority Report, there was Blade Runner. Between those, there was Total Recall. Sandwiched between two classic SciFi films, Total Recall seems to suffer from middle-child syndrome; a good story at the heart, but Verhoven's cliche' type violence poisons it a little. What is interesting is that Blade Runner's special effects hold up extremely well even when compared to Minority Report's state of the art technology (the Spinner flight thru the LA sky is still believable) but the cheezy "Free Mars" sfx of Total Recall is showing it's age. However, it remains an entertaining film and serves as a light escargot appetizer for the french onion soup that is Minority Report and the rare filet mignon that is Blade Runner.
Rating:
Summary: 9 out of 10
Review: This is an excellent science fiction film. I was really impressed with this film, and I am very sure that this film inspired numerous of [bad] science fiction films. A few of them has turned out to be very good, I can't really think which one now. The Matrix, I found it little bit bad but inspiring in a way, was obviously a descendent from Total Recall. Total Recall is much better version than Blade Runner. Blade Runner, I think the concept was great, failed to interest me. Blade Runner was too dark, slow, and boring. Total Recall is more colorful, more interesting, and gets alot of points right there. I applaud that. The violence in the film was cool and gripping and sometime terribly gruesome, which definitely beats many of the kill sequences found in Friday the 13th series. Also, I found this film very creative, to show much time has advanced and what changes have been made. The actors, in my opinion, ranged from great to good. Arnold Schwarzenegger, although he has stated that he knows he is a bad actor, played very well as Dennis Quaid. Too many twists in the plot gave a lot of energy as the movie keeps getting better. Excellent job done by the makers of the film. This definitely goes to top 10 science fiction films of all time, along with Star Wars series.
Rating:
Summary: Totally Absorbing
Review: Total Recall is one of my favorite films of the (early) 90s. The storyline is dense and the plotting brisk. Directory Verhoeven again shows his mastery of "hyper realism" where everything seems overdone yet at the same time convincing. Jost Vacano's photography is crisp with smooth camera moves. Schwarzenegger gives what I think is his best "acting" role to this day. This is one of the few sci-fi jobs from the last 15 years that is consistant throughout. Spielberg should have watched this before he made the disaterous "Minority Report". Though also based on a Dick story, Recall doesn't fall flat after an hour, nor does it drowned out with endless exposition scenes that seem to plague Minority Report. Verhoeven also resists explaining it all to us at the end, here is where he shows a dicipline with the material that Spielberg lacks. Bravo Arnold, Bravo Verhoeven.
Rating:
Summary: Well-done Phillip Dick adaptation
Review: Phillip K. Dick's works are notoriously difficult to bring to the screen; think back to all the controversy surrounding "Blade Runner". Even "Minority Report" required some of the best minds of our time just to get some ideas up on the screen. But once they are there, you can be sure that a memorable movie ensues. Arnold doesn't disappoint, and neither does respectable director Paul Verhoeven ("Robocop", "Starship Troopers", whoops - "Showgirls") in this 1990 hit. Schwarzenegger is at the top of his game - within the ten-year period from 1984-1994, every film he touched turned to solid gold. He's good here as a confused, betrayed Douglas Quaid, possibly stuck in a dream or reprogrammed into a spy's head or the victim of a mind trip gone haywire. Actually, the four screenwriters, two of which wrote the superior "Alien", never do adequately explain Quaid's predicament, but the viewer is so caught up in his x-ray smashing, blade-running (the comparisons are inevitable) character that not much else matters. Quaid is an earthling who, while he has a beautiful wife and a lovely job on his home planet, can't help but wonder what life might be like on the now-inhabitable Mars. But instead of visiting the dangerous planet, he visits Rekall, Inc., and the company sends him on a mind trip to Mars. Or do they? The film travels from the ultraviolent (re: Sharon Stone) to the downright bizarre (Martian deformations). Ronny Cox is good as a baddie, and Arnold seems to be enjoying himself. Though the trippy holograms and alien structures and shootouts are fun, the film amounts to relatively little except for a good time. It should have stuck closer to Dick's original plans, but who's complaining? The DVD makes up for most of the movie's deficits, thankfully - a rare commentary track from Ahnold and Verhoeven provide nice insights (if you can get over the accents) and the featurettes are pretty cool. I love the evolution of the "Total Recall" trailers, nicely charted here. Overall, a well-stocked DVD and a movie well worth seeing. Ahhh, the good old days, when Arnold could be counted on for a good time...
Rating:
Summary: One of Arnie's all time bests
Review: Everything clicked from the get go with this bloody sci-fi blockbuster. From a smart and intelligent script and screenplay written by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett (the writers of the original Alien and creator of Sigourney Weaver's Ripley character) to the fast paced ultra violent directing of Paul Verhoeven (Robocop, Basic Instinct, Starship Troopers), to the casting of Arnold Schwarzenegger as an average joe who learns he isn't so average after all. The special effects were way ahead of their time, and would deservingly win Oscars for visual effects. The make up effects from Rob Bottin (who also worked on the makeup in John Carpenter's remake of The Thing, and also in David Fincher's Seven and Fight Club) are outstanding as well. All in all, Total Recall is undoubtadly one of Arnold's finest films, and it would only be followed (and eclipsed) by what many feel is Arnold's best film: Terminator 2.
Rating:
Summary: Total Recall is Total Action
Review: Ok, let's face it, Arnold isn't one of the greatest actors of our time. It doesn't matter, though, because his cheesy acting almost works for his advantage in this film in that it makes you feel a little more connected to his confused, naive lead character. This is nothing more than a great sci-fi action flick filled with intense action, blood, and guts. Lots of cool special effects and interesting characters, but the plot is simply to stay alive long enough to find out who you are. Arnold plays a character who pays a company called Rekall to insert a 2-week Martian vacation memory in his brain, but then everything melts down. Is he really a secret agent with an erased memory or is it all just part of the memory implants? You quickly realize that it's your mind, not Arnold's, that is being toyed with. Very cool movie, lots of great DVD features, well worth the buy.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not the best
Review: I'm not the biggest fan of sci-fi movies. But as I saw Sharon Stone and Arnie are starred in this movie, I think this movie would be better than those average fake-looking sci-fi movies (star wars, star-trek etc). Although this movie made back in 1990 in today's standard ain't look very real, but I think they did a good job considered the time it's made. The actions are very good, but sharon stone doesn't look as hot as in her other movies here
|
