TOTAL RECALL--Mixed Memories
A film review by Elisabeth Riba
Copyright 1990 Elisabeth Riba
You really need a break, but you haven't the time or the money for an extended holiday. That's where Rekall can help. For a fraction of the cost and an evening's time, they will provide you with memories of vacation--guaranteed indistinguishable from reality. To make your enjoyment complete, you can even assume another persona, from idle playboy to secret agent.
But when memories can be altered for pleasure, what can people do with malicious intent do? And if memories can be implanted, what then is reality? Those questions form the premise of TOTAL RECALL, Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest movie. Schwarzenegger plays Doug Quaid, a construction worker of the future. He is constantly plagued by dreams of Mars, and of a beautiful brunette. He goes to Rekall, to relive (or relieve) these dreams. True to form, all hell breaks loose. To say more would be unfair.
Originally based upon a story by Philip K. Dick, TOTAL RECALL quickly devolves into another Schwarzenegger action slugfest. Directed by ROBOCOP's Paul Verhoeven, it paints a very convincing picture of the future. And it is a fun one.
How was the acting? Well, Arnold was ... Arnold. He seemed incongruous as the happy husband of the beginning. It almost felt like he was waiting with the rest of us for the action to start. But once he got moving, he appears to have as much fun as the viewers.
His female co-stars were not up to his standard, though. Sharon Stone, recently featured in PLAYBOY, plays his wife. She could handle the feminine roles, but when she tried to get physical, forget it. Whirling around in fake Oriental moves only looks ridiculous. Rachel Ticotin managed the action scenes, but her character lacked motivation. Her feelings toward Schwarzenegger heat and chill more frequently than Boston weather.
The rest of the cast featured a who's who of recent SF. Verhoeven recast ROBOCOP villain Ronny Cox as the big corporate bad guy. He plays basically the same character, although wielding much more power this time around. Michael Ironside from V works for him. He holds a personal grudge against Quaid, but it all felt tired. I also spotted two guest-stars from STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, one of them utterly delightful as a triple-breasted whore.
But when you watch the film, none of that matters. Verhoeven's direction pulls you along for the ride. He manages to closely focus the attention through both fast and slow-paced scenes. The tension level remains high throughout.
The script also deserves credit. Philip K. Dick's work usually provokes thought and this is no different. For those unfamiliar with his work, his novel DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? inspired BLADERUNNER. TOTAL RECALL comes from his short story "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale." Although the adaptation certainly takes liberties, it still raises powerful questions like those mentioned at the start.
The future we get seems quite plausible. No one presents us with utopia or dystopia on a platter. We feel at home with the Quaids. I wish the year had been pinpointed more clearly--some details seem anachronistic. (Mining machines exist, yet they still use jackhammers?) It also includes a lot of product placement, but that didn't get in the way of the story (keep your eyes peeled for the copy of Mars Today).
Generally, the effects are strong. With a few exceptions, the alien makeup is convincing. My main complaint regards something I've noticed in many recent films. It appears that someone has lost the secret to good blue-screen.
Like Robocop, TOTAL RECALL is incredibly violent. However, about halfway through the film, the gore stops amusing. You can't cheer the bad guys' deaths because there are too many of them. The cliff-hanging, eye-popping finale runs a little too long.
Also, their research seemed quite sloppy. Too often they sacrificed believability for the sake of drama. Again, the ending really disappoints. Verhoeven has a Ph.D. in Physics; one might think he'd study Mars a little more. People in glass airlocks shouldn't throw stones. One moment's thought can puncture more holes than their automatic weapons did.
But the pace doesn't allow you that much time to think. All these nitpicks come to mind long after seeing the film. When watching the movie, I loved it. And, yes, I'd probably go see it again.
So, if you like your fun mindless and don't mind a bit of gore and violence, by all means see TOTAL RECALL. For those who want something a little more intelligent, read the short story and wait for it to come on cable.
--
Lady Lis
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a.k.a. Elisabeth Anne Riba
lis@cs.brandeis.edu
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