Total Recall : Mémoires programmées

I guess the floodgates are now open. Adapting Philip K. Dick's stories are no longer enough, and now a trend may follow either to remake the films that have already been done, to give it another spin for a new generation, or how about remaking all of the films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, starting from Conan, and now Total Recall. For sure, Colin Farrell can't step into the ex-Mr Universe's hulking frame in playing the construction worker turned double agent Douglas Quaid through what would seem like a fantasy walk in the park for the mind gone all wrong, but if you'd put away your memory of the past film, then his outing here would stand out against his recent slate of projects, bringing him back to action-hero mould even if Len Wiseman's vision here turned a little bit suspect.

Fans of the original film will see only slight similarities in this one, since it took on a different adventure altogether after the familiar introduction. Quaid experiencing a nightmare of a dream only to wake up beside the sexy wife in Lori (Kate Beckinsale, in a role played by Sharon Stone previously, in lingerie no less), and finding that there's probably more to life than just home and work. Enticed by the fantasy inducing company called Rekall where one can live out one's fantasy for a fee, Douglas soon discovers he got more than he bargained for. The contraption's design got brought over, and so did the cult favourite in the three breasted woman, which Singapore back then didn't get to see at all because our censors found it offensive and unreal. The identity mask also has another go, although with less fun, being solely functional and little else.

But what was sorely missed in this remake, is the quip after quip of Arnie-isms, those puns made each time Douglas Quaid did something smart alecky, dispatched an opponent, or just wanted to drawl on something in his Austrian accent. In the typical Arnie movie, there's always room for fun, jokes, and those legendary one liners. Here, all we get are dead serious moments, with the whole look and feel being laden with the need to feel all gritty. Colin Farrell wears a scowl throughout, being perplexed and confused about his true identity in Jason Bourne style complete with mysterious artifacts stored in a safe deposit box, and having doubts to the role he has to play in the entire battle between the Haves and Have Nots.

This Total Recall requires that you junk all memories of the Schwarzenegger film, in order to enjoy the new narrative involving a chemical fallout across all lands save for Britain and parts of Europe now being part of a Greater Britain, and Australia, known as The Colony (yes, some slight historical references here). There's no Mars this time round, as the story gets set strictly on Earth, involving a carnival styled train service that commutes between the two territories, having to pass adjacent to the Earth's core, for some nifty CG effects involving gravitational force reversal.

CG seemed to be what Director Len Wiseman ordered for the film, with green screen effects and CG laden landscapes peppering the entire movie, that makes you wonder about the tagline "What is real?" indeed. It's big on action sequences and slight on actual story, with pauses only to allow the film to breathe a little, before embarking on yet another stunt sequence that involves plenty of running for Douglas Quaid, and his new found love interest / revolutionary partner Melina (Jessica Biel), as they escape from rooftops to elevators, pass through deadly three dimensional elevator shafts and tunnels, fighting their way past synthetic troopers ala Star Wars. It does get pretty generic after a while, that these sequences all start to look very much the same, and probably a Star Wars: Clone Wars episode gone wrong.

Also for the tagline of "What is real?", this remake doesn't really keep you in suspense in a what is, and what is not thought, because for this new generation of audiences, Len Wiseman probably considered it best if everything was spoonfed. So there's no need to guess, and everything got explained verbatim, that you'd know whether it's real, otherwise, and just about every plot and character twist being laid out for all and sundry. Between the two female leads, Kate Beckinsale got more screen time for obvious reasons, though it's not everyday that we get to see her in a negative role. It's clearly expanded here, with her Melina being something of an amalgam of the roles played by Sharon Stone and Michael Ironside as the relentless pursuer of Douglas Quaid, adamant in hunting him down and finishing him off, against orders.

Ultimately, Total Recall 2012 is one big amusement park ride. This will probably be enjoyable for anyone in for an average CG action adventure extravaganza and have no knowledge of the fun blockbuster the first one was, but for the rest of us who have seen Paul Verhoeven's version, this one definitely pales in comparison, in story, action and just plain fun. And Arnold Schwarzenegger was in his prime then, with big shoes that didn't get filled this time round.

At the end of the 21st century, the world was rendered uninhabitable as nations engaged in widespread chemical warfare. As a result only two livable areas are left with the British Isles now known as the United Federation of Britain (UFB) and Australia now known as The Colony where the only possible travel is through a massive super elevator called The Fall that goes through the core of the Earth. The UFB, led by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston) is experiencing political tensions due to a resistance group led by Mathias (Bill Nighy) seeking independence for The Colony. Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) is a laborer, married to Lori (Kate Beckinsale), based out of the Colony who assembles synthetic droids in the UFB and has become disillusioned as his prospects are limited due to living in The Colony. After seeing an advertisement for Rekall which promises pleasant artificial memories Quaid visits the establishment in the hopes of alleviating his frustration. However when Quaid selects the "secret agent" memories the process goes wrong when it's revealed he actually is a UFB/Resistance double agent which puts him into a conspiracy that will determine the future of The Colony.

1990's Total Recall is a benchmark for the Sci-fi/action genre thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger's trademark sense of humor and a script and direction that balance the excessive action and camp with some undeniably smart self-effacing satire. In 2009, it was announced that Kurt Wimmer of the cult film Equilibrium would co-write a remake alongside Mark Bomback. Needless to say many were not enthused by the prospect of a remake of Total Recall as not only is it a classic of the genre, but the fact the original still holds up made people question it's purpose. Many of the cast and crew tried to brush off such concerns with statements like "we're going back to the book" or "it's an adaptation of the original story, not the 1990 film" only to have those statements undermined by the fact characters like Melina, Harry, Cohaagen, and the resistance leader were inventions of the 1990 film and not the original story. Made for $125 million the movie performed poorly stateside making only $58 million, but like many action films was alleviated thanks to the international market which brought its total up to $198 million but was still considered a disappointment when factoring in marketing and distribution costs. Critical and audience reception tended to be pretty tepid with even the most positive reviews like Richard Roeper's B- still emphasizing the enduring nature of the original film, but regardless of how you slice it Total Recall 2012 is a soulless product that bares only a fraction of its predecessor's charm.

I'll say that Colin Farrell is okay as Quaid, he's not given all that much to work with because the script just wants to rush him from one CGI filled action/chase scene to the next, but the moments of him questioning his identity or making personal discoveries such as a scene where he realizes he can play the piano are decent. Aside from that one point however, everything else in Total Recall 2012 is either mediocre or below par. Unlike the 1990 film, Total Recall is an ugly movie to look at. Len Wiseman gives J. J. Abrams a run for his money with the awful "lens flare" effects filling the screen with visual noise and from the initial dream sequence that's filled with painful flashing lights you know parts of this movie will be challenging to look at for all the wrong reasons. The movie also plays itself much more seriously than the 1990 film as it plays the altered memory possibility in a manner similar to how the Jason Bourne films handled that character's amnesia, and the movie takes a very "post 9/11/Bush Administration" approach to its story with the core conflict of the government arranging attacks on itself in an attempt to give itself some semblance of cultural relevance and it's basically a xerox of a xerox at this point because the Prince of Persia movie did this same plotline two years before this movie and it wasn't particularly good there either.

I could probably give some leeway to the generic plot if the characters were the least bit interesting or memorable, but aside from a five minute appearance by John Cho as the Rekall rep who administers Quaid's memories most of the cast are non-entities. Jessica Biel feels lifeless as Melina, great actors like Bryan Cranston and Bill Nighy are given very stock roles with nothing for them to work with, but the real standout (for all the wrong reasons) is Kate Beckinsale as Lori who aside from a bunch of lifeless drones is the primary antagonist for Quaid to fight against and she is massively annoying. The character has basically been created as a merger of Richtor and Lori from the original film but not only is Beckinsale not threatening in the role, but with her constant childish taunting to Quaid and her motivation for trying to kill him being "Cohaagen never stopped talking about you" she comes off like a petulant child who's mad they're not getting enough attention. And despite this movie "not being a remake" the movie reminds you every few minutes of the original film by quoting dialogue from it, recreating visual references, and rather surprising for a PG-13 movie for this era they even bring back the three breasted topless woman.

Total Recall 2012 is expensive and pointless mediocrity. It's a dour emotionally muted film with action sequences that feel more akin to watching someone play a video game than watching a movie and instead of doing anything new or interesting with the material it does a generic bare minimum while reminding you of the original with visual and auditory references. Just watch the 1990 film.

What makes up who we are? Are we the result of our past experiences and memories or does our identity stem from something much deeper? These are questions that the 2012 remake of the classic action film "Total Recall" could have delved into. What we have instead is a showcase of the best and worst of modern science fiction film making. It is Definitely a product of 2012 as much as the original was a product of the early 90s.

The aforementioned themes are only teased but never developed in this intense tale of on man's quest to uncover the truth of his identity and past. In a vastly overcrowded, class segregated future, everyman Douglas Quaid is haunted by dreams of being a secret agent on the run. Convinced that these are repressed fantasies brought on by his monotonous life assembling security automatons (which are like Cyber Stormtroopers) Quaid visits this place called "Rekall"; Rekall claims to implant fake but realistic fantasies into one's mind. So he gets a fantasy of being a double agent implanted. Suddenly, its discovered that he already has memories of being an agent: meaning he actually is an agent with his memory erased. A swat team busts in for some reason and he dispatches them to some beautiful camera camera pans. What follows is "Kurt Wimmer's 'Salt: dystopian future edition - minus Angelina Jolie" (surprise surprise, this movie is also written by Wimmer) with Quaid's wife turning out to be a psychopathic killer, his past a complete sham and his grip on that fine line between reality and fantasy slowly slipping. In the background lies a dastardly plot by a rich chancellor involving the poor dissidents of the overcrowded Colony and the leader of an underground resistance.

The most striking feature of Total Recall would be the stunning vision of this overcrowded future. Floating buildings to make up for scarce land, a country confused by its melting pot of cultures, cyborg police, hover cars, it is amazing. This is a future that seems very real judging from our current world: Strict class segregation taken to the extreme. The dichotomy in the design between the rich and elite United Federation of Britain and The ramshackle Colony is beautifully rendered thanks to the amazing production design headed by Patrick Tatopoulos (the guy who worked on Independence Day, Starship Troopers and Dark city).

A pity that the rest of the movie is fairly typical of modern day chase thrillers. Compared to the original Total Recall film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, this remake has Less twists, a less ambiguous ending and lacks the cynical dark humor that made the original so memorable. Instead of keeping it ambiguous as to whether the events unfolding are real or part of Quaid's implanted fantasy, this remake spoils its own mystery for the audience.

Director Len Wiseman brings in all that is good and bad in modern day film making into this movie. He shoots Total Recall with an over reliance on shaky cam and lens flare, almost like a "Paul Greengrass meets J.J Abrams". Think Bourne Supremacy with the visual style of the 2009 Star Trek film. The future is epilepsy inducing, we get it; and sometimes this really distracts from the tip top designs.

The cast is basically a reunion of mist actors that were in Len Wiseman's Underworld franchise. They do an excellent job with the acting and chemistry but the good actors like Bill Nighly felt under utilised. Only Kate Beckinsale was able to truly shine playing Quaid's wife-turned-assassin. Quaid himself is played by Colin Ferrel and is perhaps the only improvement this remake boasts over the original. Schwarzenegger's Quaid was the quintessential action hero but Ferrel's portrayal of the character had a greater sense of peril: he looks nothing like an action hero and this makes his transformation from everyman to savior of the downtrodden all the more powerful.

Whether one finds this a good movie or not depends on whether one can accept the modern trends of science fiction film making. It is the same plot as the original with all the "1990s" elements taken out and replaced with "2012" elements. Art Aficionados will be impressed by the overall look, style and camera-work showcased here. Those looking for a deep meaningful dive into the nature of human identity or even those looking for clever twists or smart dialogue will be let down. Take away the visuals and it's a rather generic, straight forward modern chase thriller.

So what made them decide to remake the great 1990 sci-fi classic? No answer. This year's "Total Recall" remake is an entertaining sci-fi flick with lots of mindless action, extraordinary sets, but redundant. Its visual effects are energetic and watching them on the wide screen is a pleasure but that can't hide the fact that it has a convoluted plot and decent performances by the actors.

Colin Farrell replaces the Governator as the lead character here Douglas Quaid. World War III has caused most of Earth uninhabitable and only two territories exist, the United Federation of Britain (UFB) and the Colony (Australia); there is no Mars in this film although it was mentioned in one occasion. Quaid lives in the Colony and every day he uses this elevator service called "The Fall" to get to work in the UFB. One day, he decides to visit Rekall, a place where they implant memories into your mind. The police arrive and Quaid escapes. Later on, everything in his world turns upside down. He then gets involved in a series of action sequences filled with mind-blowing special effects to discover his true identity.

Let's start with the good things. The visual effects are just marvelous. The buildings, cities, and everything was just jaw-dropping. It's full of energy. Everything that is part of the set is just so energetic and bright. This is certainly a triumph over the remake. And the action sequences come along with the visual effects. You'll be satisfied with the action sequences as there are more than enough presented here. You have action all the time and you can only catch a short break before explosions run all over the screen again.

Like most Philip K. Dick's stories, it's science-fiction and set in the future. So, we expect some rad futuristic technology in this film. And it does not disappoint. A lift that takes you half around the world in just 20 minutes. Flying cars that use some magnetic force or something (I'm not good at science). Handphones that are integrated into your very hand (for video calling, all you have to do is put your hand on any solid like glass or mirrors). This is all great stuff. For those who love seeing futuristic items, this movie offers some great inventions.

However, the actors' performances aren't all that great. Colin Farrell is a great actor but he hasn't got the power yet to head an action film. He ain't Arnold Swarzchnegger. A lead in an action film may not be his strongest point but I'm sure he can improve that in a couple of years. Also, Kate Beckinsale gave a stunning performance. She portrayed Lori maliciously. However, Jessica Biel drove a mediocre performance as Melina, the good girl. Her dialogue delivery was typical and she gave a normal performance. The others did decent performances and didn't give anything special.

The plot is definitely NOT one of the biggest points for this film. It doesn't change much with the original plot. I like how they added some finishing touches and gave some extra bits to this one. But not all of the scenes work. In fact, sometimes I get confused on what is actually happening in the film. Some of the twists work but some of them just leave me confused. Who's the good guy? Who's the bad guy? Maybe that's part of the movie experience as the main character is in a desperate search for needs but for me, that just makes it confusing.

Oh yeah! If you're taking your kids to watch this film, watch out! There's one particular scene where it is inappropriate. Yep!

All in all, "Total Recall" is a fun and energetic sci-fi film that is easily forgettable. It's full of action sequences, mind-blowing visual effects, impressive fictional inventions, and fascinating sets. It's full of energy but is downed by some mediocre performances and unclear plot. Overall, it is good but easily forgettable.

Rating: 6/10

Final Verdict: This "Total Recall" remake is an energetic sci-fi effort filled with endless action, pleasing visual effects, and cool fictional inventions that is easily forgettable.

Though it boasts impressive special effects and decent--if increasingly repetitive--action sequences, the re-make of 'Total Recall' is ultimately undermined by a weak script and dull performances.

Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston are all solid actors, but their performances here lack energy and charisma. Even though the film was attempting to strike a more serious tone than the original, it's no excuse for the nearly comatose acting on display here. It doesn't help that the script fails to supply them with even a semblance of humor or wit. Most egregious of all, it fails to do anything fresh or original with the premise.

Ironically, 'Total Recall' ends up being utterly forgettable.