Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All Time Classic Sci-Fi Action Film, 11 Jul 2005
Although the film is 15 years old ... the subject matter is so contemporary it has all the ingredients to be a classic. First, it is about a colony of inhabitants on Mars, a planet which has been inhabited for at least 1/2 million years. Next, there is suspense, action and drama associated with a cover-up by an earth-based government agency which is tied to the secret identity of Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwartzenegger). On the surface he is an ordinairy construction worker on earth ... yet his dreams and possible flash-backs of events and activities on Mars hint at something more deep and covert. Eventually he explores a fantasy vacation trip to Mars in a mind-altering program called Rekall ... to develop insight into his dreams. From this point forward the film explodes in a myriad of action-packed and creative directions ... all of which help unravel the implanted identity of Doug Quaid/Hauser. The film gains momentum and is nonstop action. It depicts Arnold Schwartzenegger as the super-charged hero who nearly single-handedly brings about justice ... on a distant planet. The casting in this film is superb: his earthly wife, Lori is played by Sharon Stone and his lover and partner on Mars, Melina, is played by Rachel Ticton. There is a cast of "Star-Trek"-like aliens that work in harmony with the earth colony to fight oppression. In the end Quaid discovers the suppressed technology which saves the climate of Mars for future generations. It is one outstanding film.
Erika Borsos (bakonyvilla)
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Total Recal" ... A good film?, 17 Dec 2000
"Total Recall" is not a typical Arnold Schwarzenegger shoot'em-up. There are a lot of explosions and gun fights, but the storyline eschews the direct route, preferring a more interesting path. This is one of those futuristic action films that expends a little effort developing some of its science fiction elements. In an era when it has become scientifically feasible to implant false memories directly into a person's mind, wipe out a previous identity, and create a fictitious personae so real that the subject believes it to be genuine, how does one know what is and what isn't authentic? This is the question that Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger), and, to a lesser extent, the audience, must ponder. How much of his life is real? How many of his memories actually happened and which ones have been manufactured? Doug has an obsession with Mars. Despite the best efforts of his wife Lori (Sharon Stone) to distract him, the desire to travel there is unquenchable, even considering the dangers posed by certain "terrorist" activities. Finally, in search of a cheap alternative to an interplanetary flight, he goes to Rekall, Inc., which provides memories as good as the actual thing, and asks for a fantasy in which he's a secret agent on Mars. During the implantation procedure, evidence of previous tampering is revealed, and the fantasy is aborted. Following the visit to Rekall, several attempts are made Doug's life... but are these attacks real or the delusions of someone trapped in a dream world? Paul Verhoeven, the director of Robocop (and later Basic Instinct), brings his characteristic gory stylishness to Total Recall. The film is bloody yet chic, with crisp camerawork of gruesome sequences. Verhoeven does not display the artistry of a John Woo; he is merely someone who has mastered the techniques necessary to create a film that looks good. Total Recall likes playing games with the audience. We're never sure if what we're seeing is reality or part of an implanted fantasy. This element has earned the movie the label of an "intelligent" action film, because it presents the viewer with an opportunity to puzzle things out rather than sit mindlessly and watch people get blown to pieces.
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12 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
film in 16:9, 3 languages, making of, uncut, 1 Sep 2003
By A Customer
The dual layer DVD (SSDL, DVD9, 5422723072 Byte used only) "Total Recall" (German title: "Die totale Erinnerung"), published by Momentum Pictures in 2001 (product code: MP026D), is very good: widescreen (1.85:1), enhanced for 16:9 displays (anamorphic widescreen); good picture quality; 3 languages in DD 5.1 (English) or Stereo (German, Spanish); optional subtitles in 6 languages; trailer (2m 2s, English only, 4:3 letterbox, no subtitles); teaser (59s, English only, 4:3 fullscreen, no subtitles); "Making of" featurette (7m 9s, English only, 4:3 fullscreen, optional subtitles); animated main menu and animated menu transitions in 4:3. I miss full 16:9 presentation, trailers from other countries (Germany, Spain), and a subtitled documentation of planet Mars.The UK version of "Total Recall", rated "18", was reclassified by the BBFC in 2001 and is uncut (look at the BBFC homepage). The video (PAL) runtime is 108 min approx (108m 18s) at 25 frames per second (fps), equivalent to a theatrical runtime of 113 min approx (112m 55s) at 24 fps. The following bloody scenes, cut in Germany for "FSK 16" classification, are included: lift removal and throw of killer Richter's arms; "screw you" head drilling scene at driver Benny's death; "kill them all" killing scenes in bar "Last Resort".
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