Total Recall (3/5)

Total Recall

By Gairo Cuevas

Theater Viewing Count: 1

Rating: 3/5

Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) has been having a recurring nightmare involving him and some girl trying to escape from an evil facility. Every time he wakes up, life is completely normal; however, he feels a lack of purpose in his life. Therefore, he decides to visit Rekall to have fake spy memories implanted into his brain (seeking excitement in his life). The company gets infiltrated, and suddenly Quaid can’t differentiate between fantasy and reality.

Total Recall isn’t a remake of the 90’s version; in fact, it’s a completely different scenario entirely (except of course for the main premise of the memory altering company). The movie has a good hook (intro) that sets up a series of events that soon follow once Douglas enters the spy world. Total Recall is one giant huge chase story, which allows for several intense action scenes throughout various locations. The effects are pretty outstanding, and create a beautiful and ugly futuristic world that sucks you in from the very first frame.  The twists in the film are the main unsatisfying features due to the fact that audiences will see them coming a mile away.

Colin Farrell is a swell actor, but doesn’t have to do much as factory worker Douglas Quaid. This being a straight up action film, there isn’t much depth to Quaid. Farrell was casted more for his physical appeal over interior brooding, and puts his body to the test in during various intense chase scenes. If you’re a fan of Farrell, then you’ll like his character instantly.

Kate Beckinsale plays Lori Quaid (Douglas’s faux wife), and is a total badass once she shows her true colors. She holds her own again Farrell in some frenetic fighting scenes. She’s not going for any Oscars, so Beckinsale’s character has no moving arch.  Lori Quaid is a one-note character, but that’s exactly what the movie calls for.

Jessica Biel plays Melina, the gal from Quaid’s nightmares. Melina is of course Quaid’s true love, and Biel possesses both physical and emotional attributes. Therefore, giving her character the added profoundness the movie lacks from other characters. She’s the highlight of the film.

Total Recall is no Prometheus, but that doesn’t make it a bad film. Sure most of the acting is superficial and the one-liners are laughable. Nonetheless, Total Recall is worth checking out on the big screen mainly because of the wonderful visuals that overcompensate for the barely sustainable storyline.