[.ca] Total Recall [Blu-ray]

Amazon.com Essential Video:
This science fiction blockbuster from 1990 began its production life as a very different movie than the one that was released. An adaptation of the Philip K. Dick short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale," Total Recall was originally conceived of with Richard Dreyfuss starring as a Walter Mitty-like character who experiences a variety of artificially induced fantasies. The movie we know is a mega-budget action epic set on Mars. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a normal working man who discovers that his entire reality has been invented to conceal a plot of planetary domination. Oscar-winning special effects and violent action propel the twisting plot, in which Arnold manipulates his manipulators in a world of dazzling high technology. Director Paul Verhoeven (Robocop) indulges his usual penchant for gratuitous bloodshed, but the movie has enough cleverness to rise above its excesses. --Jeff Shannon

Additional Features:
Director Paul Verhoeven and star Arnold Schwarzenegger have their own ideas about what's really going on in Total Recall, and offer an entertaining commentary track on Artisan's special limited edition. They make their case, to the glee of conspiracy buffs, by pointing out every clue and discussing every twist in perspective. The original documentary featurette "Imagining Total Recall" crams dozens of interviews into a tight, if brief, 30-minute program covering the entire production history, and "Visions of Mars" is a too-brief six-minute piece on the real red planet. Along with the galleries of storyboards and conceptual art and production stills are the complete "Rekall Virtual Vacation" clips glimpsed early in the film. The collector's metal "Mars" case is a fancy tobacco tin with a cratered surface, not particularly practical but a great display piece. --Sean Axmaker

This isn't a Blu-Ray, it's an upconverted DVD!:
Fine movie, don't get me wrong. But as Blu-Ray movies go, the picture quality is horrid. It would be above average as a DVD ... but that's not what you're paying for.

Verhooven to subtle for his own good...:
I used to hate this film. Which is odd, because I like Philip Dick, I like Verhooven and, then, I liked Schwatzenegger. The film was actually good up to the end. I just thought the end was too soapy and stuid even by Hollywood standards. Then I read the book "Dead Air" by Iain Banks. There the film is explained, and suddenly it all made sense to me. Verhooven's films are full of action and gore, which tend to overshadow that they also tend to have a quite strong message. That's why Total Recall always bothered me: where is the message? But it is there, quite obvious really: it all takes place in Schwartzenegger's head; he is still in the reality simulator! That would explain why things start happening shortly after his visit there. It would explain why the girl on Mars looks exactly like the girl he chooses for the reality simulation. The whole ending with them close to dying in the low pressure on Mars is a total replay of what he experiences in the beginning, when we know he is in the reality simulator. Finally, it explains how ridicilously fast the Martian atmosphere is replenished by the melting glacier. Suddenly the film becomes really good, and truly follows the spirit of Dick. I think I must watch it again.

Total Recall:
This is one of Arnold's best. Take a great lineup of actors. Throw in a good story by Philip K. Dick (screen play by Ronald Shussett, Dan O'Bannon, and Gary Goldman). Add a well designed set that make you feel you are there. And you have the makings for a pretty good movie. With a few exceptions it is hard to tell the good guys format the bad and with several plot twists it is hard to know if you should root for the good guy or the bad. A hint stick with Arnold and you can not go wrong (Maybe). Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) a mild mannered construction worker, who is happily married to Lori (Sharon Stone), and seems extraordinarily attracted to life on Mars. Now Mars is settled and basically ran by a mining consortium. And the least Douglas can do is take a vacation there. Discouraged by his wife he decided to take a virtual trip there. Oh no, something has gone wrong. It turns out that unknown to him he is not Douglas Quaid. He finds out that his whole history is a lie. Now people are out to kill him and he must find out who he is and why. If he escapes, the journey will take him to Mars to fulfill his or someone's destiny. Good or bad we are along for the ride.

ETMR - Total Recall:
1. Humanity: What problems do you see in the Mars colony in the film? Is the colony a feasible idea for today? 2. Implications: The movie is centered around the question of what is reality, and how to discern truth from fiction. What dangers does the film speak of for today, in terms of distinguishing reality from a created world? 3. Evolution: It could be said that the technology expressed in the film is very basic, compared to technological innovation today. Concepts like terraforming using a combustion of air, planetary colonies with glass windows, and cheap, robotic androids are all scientific anomolies in that they seem to belong to a past age. How has the technology in the movie changed in our world? 4. Realism: Philip K. Dick's stories are heralded because of their closeness to what an actual future will be like. Do you think the story in Total Recall is an accurate prophecy for the future? 5. Stageplay: Verhoeven, the director, is known for his elaborate and overblown stories told with a comedic satire, using colorful special effects. But aside from the eye candy, do the actors convince you?

"Come to Rekall!":
Another Arnie flick? I've already lost count... Well anyway, this film, loosely based on Phillip K. Dick's "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" is pretty much worth your while, especially since Arnie has one of his better roles here. Doug Quaid (Arnie) has dreamed continuously of going to Mars. He talks with his wife Lori (Sharon Stone) about it, but she does not like the idea. One day, Quaid hears about a company named Rekall that can take you on a virtual vacation. Arnie tries it out, only to find that nothing is what it seems... and that he may not really be who he thinks he is. He travels to Mars, and discovers that he is a rebel leader fighting against the ruthless Cohagen (Ronnie Cox) and his man Richter (Michael Ironside). Arnie acts well in this flick, Sharon Stone is good as his wife, and Cox and Ironside act as if they are truly evil. The story is somewhat complex, and will have you hooked. BUT: Don't forget that this is a Paul Verhoeven film, and Paul Verhoeven=Lots of shooting and gore. This is definately not for the squeamish, but if you can stomach it, you be on for a wild ride.