I am really not sure why someone felt the need to remake a movie that originally was made in 1990. For god’s sake, I remember going to see the original when I was in high school; that’s really not that old is it??? So you would think at the very least if they were going to remake such a relatively new movie, they would set out to make it better right??? Well I am here to tell you that is certainly not the case when it comes to this new version of “Total Recall” starring Colin Farrell (Doug Quaid/Hauser), Kate Beckinsale (Lori Quaid) and Jessica Biel (Melina).
Aside from some more modern-looking visual effects that are reminiscent of a Blade Runner movie, there is absolutely nothing about this new version of Recall that improves upon the original. Not the actors who all bring dry emotionless acting to the table, not the ridiculous plot changes that I guess were done to create some surprises for almost all of us who have seen the original or even the special effects, which as I mentioned are crisper and more modern looking but don’t really add anything to the overall enjoyment of the movie. Even scenes like the one where Quaid is trying to sneak past a security checkpoint using an alternate identity and disguise fall short compared to the original.
The original Total Recall was an enjoyable movie because it incorporated a fairly well thought-out plot that made you stop and think for a minute while managing to throw a few surprises at you here and there. On top of that, it incorporated things like Schwarznegger’s wit and gave you actors like Ronny Cox and Michael Ironside who really knew how to portray the greedy corporate CEO and angry right-hand man we could all really love to hate. With this new version, not only did the plot seem a lot more confusing but at the end you really could care less about any of the characters on either side and just hoped you were the one who was about to get your memory wiped - at least the last 2 hours of it.
If you have a huge desire to go see Total Recall this weekend, then do yourself a favor and just go rent the original. Trust me, you will find it a whole lot more enjoyable.
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