The 2012 remake of "Total Recall" is simply mind-blowing not only with its frenetic pace but also with the tension brought up by its scifi aspect. It is this stellar one-two punch that makes this one of the best, if not the best, action or scifi film we have seen all year. While it may lack an engaging lead character with Colin Farrell, everything else fits perfectly in this re-envisioning of a dystopian future.
At the end of the 21st century, a third world war devastates most of planet Earth. Two swaths of land remain habitable, the UFB (United Federation of Britain) and the Colony (formerly Australia). Both colonies are connected by The Fall, a transport system that goes through the Earth's core. For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), even though he's got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale), the mind-trip of being a super-spy sounds like the perfect vacation from his normal life. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police, Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop the leader of the free world. The line between fantasy and reality is blurred as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love and his true fate.
It's amusing to see how "Total Recall" turns out to be. It's one intelligent film that will make you guessing what's real and what's not from beginning to end. It's this blurring of "reality" that makes a mark on us. We feel the confusion and the tension the main character, Douglas Quaid, is dealing with. It also doesn't hurt that the set pieces and the various action sequences are not only well-choreographed and outstanding but also epic in terms of their scale and uniqueness. We are hard-pressed to choose one single scene as our favorite and that's a rare feat in itself. What really makes "Total Recall" work is its ability to capture your attention and mold you into its dystopian world. The only gripes we had is that Colin Farrell was a dead weight in terms of adding emotion into the film. And the action does get repetitive at times. Overall though, these are minor gripes to an almost perfect film.
Rating 4.5 reels
Why you should watch it:
- set pieces and action scenes were epic
- the tension itself is well-worth the ticket price
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- Colin Farrell seems miscast as Douglas Quaid
At the end of the 21st century, a third world war devastates most of planet Earth. Two swaths of land remain habitable, the UFB (United Federation of Britain) and the Colony (formerly Australia). Both colonies are connected by The Fall, a transport system that goes through the Earth's core. For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), even though he's got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale), the mind-trip of being a super-spy sounds like the perfect vacation from his normal life. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police, Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop the leader of the free world. The line between fantasy and reality is blurred as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love and his true fate.
It's amusing to see how "Total Recall" turns out to be. It's one intelligent film that will make you guessing what's real and what's not from beginning to end. It's this blurring of "reality" that makes a mark on us. We feel the confusion and the tension the main character, Douglas Quaid, is dealing with. It also doesn't hurt that the set pieces and the various action sequences are not only well-choreographed and outstanding but also epic in terms of their scale and uniqueness. We are hard-pressed to choose one single scene as our favorite and that's a rare feat in itself. What really makes "Total Recall" work is its ability to capture your attention and mold you into its dystopian world. The only gripes we had is that Colin Farrell was a dead weight in terms of adding emotion into the film. And the action does get repetitive at times. Overall though, these are minor gripes to an almost perfect film.
Rating 4.5 reels
Why you should watch it:
- set pieces and action scenes were epic
- the tension itself is well-worth the ticket price
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- Colin Farrell seems miscast as Douglas Quaid
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