This is a film I hadn’t seen since I was a child, when the brief eyes popping out scene at the beginning traumatised me for years, so when I saw it was on telly I couldn’t resist the opportunity to revisit it. The tone of this film is a little confusing to start with; Arnold Schwarzenegger seems to take himself very seriously which is quite a contradiction for both himself and the director Paul Verhoeven. Add to this the fact it is based on a Philip.K.Dick short story and this film becomes quite literally mind-boggling. However, once you get used to Arnie’s wooden acting and realise that perhaps this film doesn’t take itself quite as seriously as would first appear, it becomes an entertaining violent sci-fi rollercoaster ride.
Based around the notion of virtual memories, the film follows Douglas Quaid as he discovers his life is not what it seems and he has some sort of connection with Mars. As he realises the people in his life are not who they say they are he has to return to Mars to find out what is real and what is not. Apparently this was then the most expensive film of all time up until a year later when it was beaten by Terminator 2 and the special effects, while nothing compared to today’s standards or Terminator 2’s for that matter, are pretty great and rather admirable. The mutants are suitably freaky and Kuato is believable and grotesque as the resistance leader on Mars. With a three-breasted lady and a midget among the characters we encounter on Mars it is easy to see the trashy Verhoeven sense of humour in Total Recall. The violence is quite extreme and surprising in parts but this is so fast paced the viewer does not have time to dwell on this.
As in all Arnie films he is invincible and it is amusing to see him wounded, by enemies he encounters on his quest for his real memories, but never affected, a true action hero! The scientific elements of the plot are questionable and parts of this film do seem dated but in most parts I was entertained by the ‘what is real and what isn’t’ plot, a standout scene being where the doctor visits Arnie’s character Douglas Quaid in a hotel room on Mars and informs him that it is not real and he is in fact sat back at Rekall and all he has to do is take a pill to return. This questioning of what we believe to be the plot is what develops the film and ensures it has the right mixture of sci-fi and trash. So does Total Recall have a place in film history? I believe so. It is not one of the greatest sci-fi films ever made and the acting is not always that good but at the same time it demonstrates the momentum and thrill that a great action film should have. Its violence is commendable and there are some great lines to quote; Arnie pushes a giant drill into someone and shouts “screw you”, dialogue at its best.
The combination of Schwarzenegger, Verhoeven and late eighties special effects make this film a must see. It does verge on so bad it’s good in parts but manages to retain credibility somehow. With the news of a remake that remains more true to the Dick short story and an absence of Mars I wonder if the world of film really needs firstly another remake and secondly one that takes itself so seriously. What seems to be missing from Hollywood films today is good old-fashioned action films that have fun and do not pretend to be something they are not.
No comments:
Post a Comment