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Total
Recall, the latest unnecessary remake to demonstrate Hollywood’s dearth of new
ideas, isn’t technically a comedy. But it got a giant – albeit unintended –
laugh from me before the movie even started.
You know
how the opening credits for most flicks now include logos for 25 different
production companies? The last one to pop up on Total Recall before the
audience sees Colin Farrell’s rugged mug is for Original Film. I’m not sure if
anyone involved in the making the film recognized the irony or if they just
chose to ignore it.
Nevertheless,
if you’ve seen Paul Verhoeven’s 1990 version starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
(which, like this one, is very loosely based on Philip K. Dick’s short story
“We Can Remember It for You Wholesale”) there’s no need to spend $10 to see
Farrell play the same character. I don’t want to sound like I’m trashing what
I’m sure is the result of a lot of hard work by plenty of talented people. I
just can’t think of a single reason why it should exist.
The
biggest difference this time around is that the sci-fi thriller takes place
completely on Earth, with no cool trips to Mars. I’m not sure whose bright idea
that was (either director Len Wiseman or screenwriters Kurt Wimmer and Mark
Bomback), but it eliminates the most interesting aspects of the story while
inexplicably placing the famous alien imagery of Verhoeven’s film in a
decidedly non-alien Australia. (Of course, any guy who went through puberty
during the 1990s will know exactly what alien imagery I’m referring to.)
Otherwise,
the story remains virtually the same. Farrell plays Douglas Quaid, an average factory
worker in a war-ravaged future where the only inhabitable places on Earth are
Britain and Australia. He and his wife (Kate Beckinsale) live an average life:
working, hanging out with friends in a local dive bar, etc., but Quaid longs
for something more.
Bored
with his mundane routine (though I can’t imagine things would be too terrible
when you look like Colin Farrell and your wife is a dead ringer for Kate
Beckinsale), Quaid decides to visit Rekall, a company that allows you to
vicariously live out your fantasies by implanting false memories in your brain.
He chooses the secret agent option, and soon he’s gunning down 15 bad guys at a
time and running from some pretty nasty people.
Eventually
he teams up with a mysterious freedom fighter (Jessica Biel) in an attempt to
uncover a conspiracy involving Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the leader
of the free world. Still one big question remains: is all of this really
happening, or is he still strapped to a chair at Rekall?
What
disappointed me most about Total Recall, apart from nobody doing anything new
or interesting with the basic plot, is Farrell’s performance. He has proven many
times that he’s a fantastic actor given the right material (specifically In
Bruges and Crazy Heart), but he seems to be sleepwalking through most of his
scenes here. The only time he really comes alive is in the admittedly well-done
action sequences, but those don’t show up as often as you’d think they would.
Matching
him yawn for yawn is Biel as the mysterious woman from Quaid’s past. Turns out
her name is Melina, but I only know that because I looked it up on IMDb.com –
that’s how much of an impression both the actress and the character made on me.
The
flick’s saving grace comes in three parts. The first is Wiseman’s eye for
impressive visual effects and solid action sequences. It seems like 95 percent
of this movie was shot in front of a green screen, but the scenery isn’t overly
cartoony or blatantly fake. It’s pretty seamless, actually. The story really
comes alive when those visuals are combined with Farrell and Beckinsale’s
impressive fight choreography.
Speaking
of Beckinsale, her scenes are the film’s best by far. She’s tough, she’s funny
and you don’t need me to tell you that she’s beautiful. It would seem that
Wiseman – her husband in real life – knows which buttons to push to get a great
performance out of her.
The
always-excellent Cranston is entertaining as well, chewing scenery with style and
clearly enjoying his chance to be a moustache-twirling villain (even though he
doesn’t have a moustache). I’d love to sit down with him for a few minutes to
talk about his decision making process when choosing his projects. He seems
like a fascinating guy.
Total
Recall isn’t a must-see, but fans of action and sci-fi will find a few things
to like about it. For everyone else, it’s the kind of movie Redbox was made
for.
Total
Recall is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action,
some sexual content, brief nudity and language.
Grade:
C+
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