"Total Recall" Movie Review

"Total Recall" Movie Review

Introduction

The story of “Total Recall” begins with Douglas Quaid having some weird dreams which have caused him to have difficulty in his sleep. He is unsure of whether the dreams are real memories or just some normal dreams. Due to such a disturbance in his memory, he eventually goes to a company known as Rekall with the intention to implant a new memory which he wants to have. However, the Rekall representative realizes that Quaid has already had his memories erased before this and demands to know why Quaid comes to Rekall. Before Quaid even has time to explain, SWAT team rushes in and tries to shoot at Quaid. Quaid is able to kill some of the SWAT members and escape from them. He starts to suspect something is wrong with his identity.

When he reaches home, his wife, Lori tries to kill him. He tries to escape from his wife who is then revealed to be a secret agent. Then, he also bumps into a lady, Melina who has appeared in his weird dreams all the time.

Why does Lori want to kill Quaid?
Who is this Melina?
And most importantly, who is Douglas Quaid?

Find out at your nearest cinema as Douglas recalls who he actually is.

Review:

As you all know, this movie is a remake of 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger “Total Recall” . So, most reviewers from other websites will make comparisons between these two, the original one and the remake. However, I have not watched the original “Total Recall” before, thus my opinion about this movie will be done independent from the original one.

“Total Recall” is a Sci-Fi Thriller Movie and the plot is adapted from a short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" by Philip K. Dick. The plot is decent and the movie does deliver a good pace in keeping the story moving. Basically, other than the first 10-15 minute, the rest of the film is advancing with action-packed sequences. Chase and run scenes (which somehow reminds me of “Temple Run”), punching & kicking , explosions and etc are what you can expect from the movie. The film is not draggy at all. The film is also good in placing you in a situation whereby you as an audience will also wonder what is the reality in this film .

However , the film does very little job for the character development. Not all characters are well introduced. Thus , making it a little hard for the audience to be emotionally attached to some characters in it. And obviously, there is some plot holes here and there too.

By the way, I need to compliment the film for its presentation. Most scenes are captured proficiently at the correct angles and views which are quite satisfying. Besides, there are a lot of scenes with nice Lens Flare special effect in it. I totally admire this effect and I think it is pretty cool. But I guess not all will be able to appreciate it because some might think the effect is being used too excessively.

Anyway, I think Colin Farrell has really done a great job in showing humanity in his character. His expressions are great and there’s no deny at all about his acting skills. Kate Beckinsale on the other hand plays a convincing role as a villain. Somehow, I think her character in this film has some resemblance with her character in “Underworld” franchise. Jessica Biel has also done pretty well in her role too.

The story of “Total Recall” is set in the year of 2084. The background setting is quite futuristic. In my opinion, it shares a lot of similarity with the background settings in the game of “Final Fantasy 13”. The CG effects are quite good in this movie and have done a great job in delivering a nice-looking surrounding and atmosphere.

This movie is a fun ride with quite an explosive amount of actions!

What I like about the movie:

1. Nice Special Effects and CG Graphics
2. Action Packed
3. Nice Plot delivered in a good pace

What I dislike about the movie:

1. Presence of plot holes
2. Lack of development of some characters in the film

Verdict:
Overall, it is a Sci-Fi Thriller which is fast-paced and action-packed!

It deserves a 7.0/10.0 !

Rating: 7.0/10.0

It is an entertaining Sci-Fi Movie which at certain times put you under the shoes of the main protagonist!

However, I am not sure whether it is better than the original one because I have not watched the original “Total Recall” before. 


(Reviewed by W.L Jack, blogger for loong-updates.blogspot.com)