Plot: What’s it about?
Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is so obsessed with Mars that he talks about it all the time, even dreams about it most of the time. But Mars is a distant planet and with a lot of violent rebellions there, Quaid is pretty much stuck with those dreams. His wife Lori (Sharon Stone) wants to visit more tourist friendly locales, but Quaid is set on Mars, even though it is a remote possibility that he’ll ever be able to go there. But his interest remains and when he sees a commercial for a memory based travel agency, he decides to look into the issue. The place is Rekall and with special memory machines, they can make you think you’ve been pretty much anywhere, via implanted memories that seem as good as the real ones. Quaid figures an implanted memory of Mars is better than none, so he agrees to use the service, but in the process of his implant, something goes wrong. Quaid survives the incident, but is left with a cracked memory and soon enough, his world begins to shift in strange ways around him. Is Quaid just a simple construction worker as he thinks, or he is a master secret agent battling to save the entire planet of Mars?
After a bare bones release, Total Recall has returned in this remastered special edition, complete with a brand new visual transfer and a slew of extras. I am quite pleased with the results, but I do think some room exists for improvements. I’ll discuss the tech specs later on though, as this is where I discuss the flick, so I will do so. This action meets sci/fi flick took in a lot of cash and won over a lot of fans, even if it didn’t sit well with the critics. But then again, the critics haven’t been kind to director Paul Verhoeven, at least since he started his American film career. I have to say I rather enjoy Total Recall, as it has some terrific set pieces, ample special effects, on the mark direction, nice visuals, and of course, it has Arnold on deck. But while Arnold is the focus, he is surrounded by memorable smaller players, which makes this seem almost epic in scope, which this kind of material greatly benefits from, I think. It all seems to fall into place in Total Recall, from the basic premise to the smallest of details, this is one cool flick. I highly recommend this film to all those interested, especially in new special edition release.
Although he is best known for rather controversial filmmaking, I find Paul Verhoeven to be one of the more gifted directors in current cinema. A lot of his movies get passed off as eye candy or exploitation, but have a lot under the surface, if you ask me. So yes, Total Recall plays very well as a slam dunk of an action flick with some sci/fi twists, but this is not sheer mindless entertainment, not by any means. I don’t mean to say your brain will be overdrive here, but Verhoeven has layered Total Recall, much like he does most of his pictures. You can take it at face value and be wildly entertained, but if you want to look, I think you’ll find additional themes in this one, just take the time to watch it from a different angle. Other films directed by Verhoeven include Soldier of Orange, Basic Instinct, Starship Troopers, Showgirls, Turkish Delight, and Hollow Man. The cast includes Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Running Man, Commando), Sharon Stone (Casino, Sliver), and Rachel Ticotin (Falling Down, Steal Big Steal Little).
Video: How does it look?
Total Recall is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This new anamorphic transfer is a welcome improvement over prior editions, but I wouldn’t rush to call this a dream presentation. I saw some softness in places, as well as contrast hiccups, slight edge enhancement, and on the whole, a print with more defects than expected. But even so, this is the finest visual effort ever provided for this picture, so I am pleased in terms of the overall image, as I am sure fans will be also. The colors look good, black levels are usually on the mark, and I saw no evidence of compression flaws. I wish this was cleaned up in a few places, but it still looks good and much better than previous versions.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included Dolby Digital 5.1 option is very good, but won’t replace your current audio showcase disc, I don’t think. The surrounds are used often and provide an immersive atmosphere, but this one isn’t as overpowering as might think, given the material involved. But in truth, I was never let down and the flick has never sounded better, so I have no real complaints. The music is in fine form in this mix, while the sound effects come through well also, as I mentioned before. I heard no errors with the dialogue either, as vocals were clean and crisp, with no volume errors in the least. This disc also includes a 2.0 surround track, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French, should you need any of those options.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This special edition starts with a most unique audio commentary track, with director Paul Verhoeven and star Arnold Schwarzenegger. I wouldn’t say this is a good session, as Arnold just recaps the screen action, but both men have thick accents, so a lot of unintentional humor is present, if you ask me. Verhoeven offers some nice behind the scenes insight however, so all is not lost in terms of information with this one. A couple of featurettes have been included here, with the first being a five minute piece on the actual planet Mars, including our future plans in terms of exploration and such. The second featurette is Imagining Total Recall, which runs about half an hour and is a general behind the scenes piece. A blend of new & old interviews, as well as various production clips, this is an informative and quite enjoyable piece, I just wish it were longer and more in depth in some areas. I was quite taken by the included storyboard comparisons, as well as the three Rekall vacation packages, which were cool to watch, I think. This disc also includes production notes, talent files, a selection of conceptual artwork, three television spots, and the film’s theatrical trailer, which I have always liked.
