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Total Recall2012 | 118 min | PG-13 | 2.39:1
As much as key creative personnel would like to suggest their new version of “Total Recall” isn’t a remake of the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger action extravaganza, it is. Perhaps a few of the details have been changed, the setting altered, and the hero’s goals blurred, but the basic structure of survival is a copy of Paul Verhoven’s picture, not inspired by Philip K. Dick’s 1966 short story. The question is simple: why would anyone want to redo Schwarzenegger? What was once a vivid, demented runaway train of screen violence has been drained of life, turned into a generic shoot-em-up with vague plot objectives and an interchangeable cast of heavy breathers. Instead of Mars, there’s a refocus on futuristic tech, making this once explosive tale a monotonous mixture of “Minority Report” and “I, Robot.” 
It’s the 22nd century and the world has been obliterated by chemical weapons. All that remains is a life of opportunity in Europe, while the blue-collar workers take refuge in Australia (a.k.a. “The Colony”), with a massive transportation ship traveling through the center of the Earth to bridge the governments. Plagued by dreams of pursuit alongside mystery woman Melina (Jessica Biel), Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) can’t seem to focus on his dreary life in The Colony, reassured by wife Lori (Kate Beckinsale) that assembly line labor and grungy, overcrowded subterranean surroundings aren’t such a bad thing. Curious about a company called Rekall that sells implanted memory vacations, Douglas pays the dream-weavers a visit, despite protests raised by pal Harry (Bokeem Woodbine). Selecting a secret agent adventure for his brain drain, Douglas’s memory injection triggers a hidden identity as a former government agent turned leader for a resistance effort, out to bring equality to the surviving nations. Discovering Lori is an enforcer working for leader Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), Douglas employs his rebooted memory to evade capture, eventually teaming up with Melina, who has orders to take the frazzled man to Matthias (Bill Nighy), a shadowy figure looking to overthrow Cohaagen utilizing the puzzling contents of Douglas’s mind. Written by Mark Bomback (“Live Free or Die Hard”) and Kurt Wimmer (“Ultraviolet”), “Total Recall” has a lot to live up to, considering the iconic stance Verhoven’s film as assumed over the years. To the writers’ credit, the update does make a concentrated effort to reimagine the story laid out by Dick, ditching any subplots involving Mars to take the journey inward, using the tattered Earth as Douglas’s battlefield, inventing a super-commuter train that travels through the planet, experiencing a gravity shift in the middle of the journey. The details of such a massive undertaking remain on the fuzzy side, with the main points about the machine holding as a symbol of class divide while exploiting its zero-g capability, to be paid off in a last act battle sequence. The rest of the story is similar to the 1990 picture, with some minor reshuffling of characters (enforcer Lori is upgraded to the main antagonist) and a dystopian world view where robot cops keep peace in The Colony (think an underground version of the city in “Blade Runner”), threatening the broke and hungry. And yes, accentuating the remake argument is the movie’s persistent need to pay homage to the original feature, bringing back the three-breasted hooker and the “Two weeks!” traveler to emphasize the production’s origins. There’s little use for these reminders, which only isolate the do-over’s lack of creative verve. 
Director Len Wiseman also takes time to fetishize a futureworld of technological advancements, with magnet cars zooming around cluttered streets, while personal phones have been surgically inserted into hands, making video conferencing simple with any available glass surface. Some of the details are on a lazy side (good news everyone, dubstep is still going to haunt soundtracks a century from now), yet Wiseman is hypnotized by the design of his picture, paying more attention to the visual effects than the unfolding mystery, flatlining “Total Recall” where it demands the greatest concentration. The film is action-packed, with extended chase sequences on flying automobiles and elaborate elevator systems, with plenty of glass smashed and bullets discharged. However, it’s a generic tsunami of chaos, repetitive with pursuit scenarios and robot antics, creating one big smear of violence. Wiseman’s direction lacks personality and nerve, content to motor through banal conflicts, trusting gadgets and extended CGI vistas will make up for derivative fight and chase choreography. And a warning for anyone with a sensitivity, Wiseman liberally employs strobe lighting in the opening sequence of the feature. The focus of “Total Recall” is so intent on providing action beats, the core story of inner-planetary uprising is lost in the shuffle. Cohaagen’s position of menace is developed late in the film, weakening its impact. While Cranston (in a frizzy wig) strives to bring menace to the screen, he’s working uphill. A critical role involving Nighy is over as soon as it begins, hinting at a larger resistance subplot trimmed to make room for the noisemakers. Douglas’s dual identity as conflicted hero Hauser is also flattened by the screenplay, never feeling organic to the plot, just there to keep the lead character bewildered and on the run. Ferrall’s performance doesn’t help matters, investing in a surface shudder over a deeply felt quake of personal revelation, showing little chemistry with either Biel or Beckinsale, who turns the dogged hunter role into a cartoon, at one point using her crotch as a blunt instrument to knock her enemy out. Not that Verhoven’s take on the material was by any means tasteful, but there was a sustained insanity. Nonsense only pops up intermittently in the 2012 adaptation, reminding viewers of the fun they’re not having. 
A new “Total Recall” needed a fresh approach, stepping out of Schwarzenegger’s bulging shadow to rework the story with an energizing imagination. While the details have been changed, little else about the movie offers a convincing reason for a big screen return. As much as I enjoy the idea of revisiting the three-breasted prostitute, I believe a completely new take (or one slavish to Dick’s original work) would’ve resulted in a livelier, more enticing film. Starring: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, Bokeem Woodbine, Bill Nighy Director: Len Wiseman » See full cast & crew |
 
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