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SOUND OFF

Sound Off: Len Wiseman's 'Total Recall' 2012 - What Did You Think?

by Alex Billington
August 3, 2012

Now that you've seen it, what did you think? What is Real? What is Rekall? Welcome to Total Recall. Arriving in theaters this weekend is Len Wiseman's sci-fi action-packed take on the Philip K. Dick story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale", retitled again to Total Recall. This time, not set on Mars, Colin Farrell stars as Doug Quaid. He's joined by Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, John Cho, Bill Nighy and Bryan Cranston as the bad guy, Cohaagen. So how is this remake/update? Did it top Arnold & Verhoeven? Is it entertaining at least? Once you've seen it, post a comment with your thoughts on the 2012 Total Recall.

Note: I have not personally seen this new Total Recall yet, as I am not the biggest Len Wiseman fan. So here's an excerpt of the review by Jeremy Kirk we published earlier today to fuel things up: "This latest Total Recall dips its hand into the reference pile a few times too often. With the absence of mutants, the three-breasted hooker seems an even odder inclusion. But the way the writers and director create something new from Dick's story is commendable. Minor characters like Bill Nighy's Matthias stand in for characters from Verhoeven's film, but none of that weighs on your mind as you're taken in by how entertaining [it] is."

What did you think of Wiseman's Total Recall? Exciting sci-fi update, or bland action mess? We will remove any comments that indicate you have not seen the movie, as this area is meant to discuss the film only once you have seen it and can talk about your thoughts. Please keep the comments civilized!

Filed under Discuss, SciFi, Sound Off

From around the web:

Alex

The film was awesome, i like how Mr. Farrell played his character. He is indeed an action star!!! Thumps Up!!!!
Happy 2 B Nappy

Any movie Colin Farrell makes is good because he is one of the prettiest men God has made (I am a black female.) I especially noticed how he kept making his mouth into an O during almost every fight scene. The movie had a nice twist at the end and was wirth my admission!
Tachenoir

Despite not having the quirky charm and obscene body count of the original (hello human shield on the escalator) I really enjoyed this slick sci-fi take. I thought the visuals were amazing( and by visuals I mean Kate Beckinsale's perfect hair), the action scenes were fast paced and well done, and they made the plot and identity stuff their own (as best they could). For a summer popcorn flick it was worth the ticket price
http://djkento.com/ Kento

Actually really enjoyed this one. Could be because I had super low expectations but as a sci-fi action film and a retread it moves really well, doesn't slow down, and keeps the action escalating. I do think it has some issues with the acting, but when the worst thing you can say about the movie is that Bryan Cranston's hair piece was pretty bad then you have a moderate action movie success.
JBrotsis

It's definitely a good entertaining movie if you wanna see action and good CGI, and a futuristic take on what the earth could look like years from now. I think it was worth the ticket, story was good and the action was fun (lot of it). And who doesn't like seeing the 3 breasted chick, haha. Though there were some faults or unclear aspects of the movie (SPOILER) like how there was no barrier between the federation and the "no zone" (if the air is so toxic to breathe in, wouldn't there be some sort of barrier between the two cities), and when the feds broke into the resistents' building, wouldn't that have let the toxic gas into the building? I did question a lot from the movie, but still a fun movie. It's a mixture of Minority Report, Terminator Salvation, and Tron....(haha, looked like Tron was at the end fighting Ferrell)
- http://www.onthescreenreviews.com/ Tippi
  
  Good point about them breaking into the resistance without letting in toxins! I just kept wondering how, in a planet where livable space is the most sought-after commodity, nobody thought to develop the extensive London Tube system into.. anything? How can they afford to have dead space like that?
  - Dominic A
    
    here's the other two " gaffes that i caught : after the car crash when Biel is out , How the Hell did he carry her ( for some distance - he wasn't looking back at her from his apartment building's lobby ) without getting caught by half the police force looking for him , some right above him . Or bystanders calling it in ??? Also , in the holo from the piano , Hauser refers to " all the Terrorist bombings " . But he was captured and held for 7 weeks , so he only had knowledge of two( one a month ) before getting " whip-lassoed " . "limited-interactive functions" for the holo .....
- CourtyC101
  
  nip!
Agent13

Fuck those idiots at /Film. Total Recall is bad-ass. I'd go tell them myself but I can't seem to make comments on ANY account over there anymore...
Bob

"Len Wiseman"(director) did a great job.i love this movie.awesome!
Eric

Alex: didnt you and ethan do a videoblog about this movie at comicon??
- http://www.firstshowing.net/ Alex Billington
  
  Nope! However, you are thinking about Dredd! Which we did see at Comic-Con and I loved - thought it was totally awesome! That's here: http://www.firstshowing.net/2012/video-blog-dredd-3d-with-karl-urban-is-violent-gritty-awesome/ But nah, I haven't seen this new Total Recall remake yet. Expecting to not like it, not a fan of Wiseman at all.
dangeer

Len Wiseman's TOTAL RECALL is an adequate remake/re-imagining of the classic Philip K. Dick story - with incredible non-stop action, plenty of nods to the original 1990 film, and just enough differences from that film to make it worth watching. However, it lacks the heart and fun-factor of the original, which makes it a lesser film in my opinion.
Lamar

Very enjoyable film. Too be honest I liked it as much as the original. The were elements of this I liked better than the 1990 movie; but at the same time there were parts of the original I liked better than the remake. Stellar action scenes too. I don't know how anyone can hate on Len Wiseman, seriously.
http://www.facebook.com/abimael.villa Abel Villa

It literally lacked everything that made the original so great. The Violence and Humor are gone, the pacing was bad, action sequences were poor, the characters were one dimensional, the plot was a mess, it was too heavy on CGI, and relied on cliche's and dumb gimmicks. Overall bad movie and one of the worse movies I have seen this year along with Snow White and Lockout.
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=567981709 Chris McDermid
  
  Yes because a movie has to be Violent to be great.... PLease. There was a great deal of humor in the movie and the action sequences were some of the best I have seen a movie. The Characters were very multidimensional and actually made me care about them. The effects were first rate, and the plot was genius. You could simple say you didn't like it Abel instead of trying to foster hate towards it. Overall able it my city at both the premiere and first showing of the movie which I was at both it received applause. I hope they make another.
  - http://www.facebook.com/abimael.villa Abel Villa
    
    I never said violence makes a movie but, when you tone down a films violence and replace it with Sentry bots taking straight out of starwars and stamp a PG-13 label on it then the Director is obviously aiming at making a cash in film. They're was no humor I did not even chuckle once it tried really hard to be serious movie and a smart one but,in the end failed miserably to do anything interesting or smart. My dog has more personality then the entire cast of characters in that film. If you cared for those characters and thought they were fleshed out then you must love Transformers. The action scenes were choppy, poorly executed and the editing was some of the worse. You contradicted yourself by saying the effects are first rate since special Fx don't make a movie good. I didn't like the film I thought it was terrible and I hate its existence. and I am not changing my opinion. The plot seemed like it was written by a high school freshmen it suffered from plot holes, pacing the list goes on. Overall the movie was a mess and your city is full of idiots that don't know the difference between a good movie and bad movie the fact that you want another film brings you right up to their level. Good day sir.
    - OhPlease
      
      Children, it's a movie. Idiocy can truly be defined as an internet pissing match over 2 hours of fiction.
  - http://www.onthescreenreviews.com/ Tippi
    
    "The characters were very multidimensional" uhhhh... pardon? Were we watching the same movie? I guess you could argue for Quaid (though I'd disagree), but there was precisely ONE dimension to Biel and Beckinsale's characters.
    - Dominic A
      
      ) the women don't need any more dimension ; what they got is so fine ... Guess u don't like Kate as Selene either ...
      - http://www.onthescreenreviews.com/ Tippi
        
        I love Underworld! And I thought Beckinsale was great as the villain; one dimension was plenty for that role in this kind of movie. But I would never argue that she was "complex." Jessica Biel on the other hand suffered for playing such a poorly-written character. She gave us no reason to care about her, no hint of why Farrell would have fallen in love with her - either time!
      - Dominic A
        
        true ; her only "raison d'etre " is to be the good girl Hauser dropped down a shaft to save / has to fight to get back to . could've been better if she was their Rekall tech or Mattius's 2nd in command .OR the real head of the rebels - Matt is a beard . She's just muscle . However , why a guy would fall in love with her needs NO explanation , lol . Kate's just a "con man " babysitter . altho it kept getting implied that SHE was the 2nd-in-command , able to buck orders . They didn't spell that out either . That's the difference between Under. and TR - more background . ( sorry to bring a different movie in here) Also why Bourne's second hour is "slow" according to J.K. . gotta explain your characters , love interests , struggles ...
  - Dominic A
    
    Maybe you don't see enough violence Abel , because most of it was a gun going off . The fight between Quaid and his "wife" . the WHOLE elevator scene , and the Hauser /Cohaagen tussle were good . The others , yes , the faceless robots take the drama away . Prob the best reason NOT to hate it are Beckinsale and Biel ; for 50-60% of the movie Farrell acts pretty stupid . Then again Arnie wasn't much better . U wanna blame Philip K. Dick for that ??
http://www.onthescreenreviews.com/ Tippi

Inane plot, flat characters, over-wrought CGI action scenes.. Kate Beckinsale was the only fun part of this movie!
indivfx

Are you guys Serious? This is one of the worst movies i had seen in a long time. Ultimate waste of money. I am sure the Original Total Recall 1990 will have more Blu rays sales after this movie screened. I wasted my time and money on this movie. Bad acting. It seemed like the characters didn't have a back story. The characters were flat. Its going to be tough for the director to make the next movie.
Ryan

Terrible movie, terrible director. Am I seriously the only one who noticed the insane amout of sun and light flares used throughout the entire movie? I mean for Christs sake there were camera flares even when it was nighttime. That's what pissed me off the most. It felt like I was watching a Michael Bay movie
Yug

The story is fine overall, basic same plot as the original The Colony on Earth filling in for Mars. I assume, haven't read it, the basic plot points are the same as the book since they are so similar. There are nice homages to the original film, 3 breasted woman and a few others I noticed. Now to the new plot. Spoilers The Fall is a a very strange thing and something you really have to stretch your imagination around. A tunnel through the center of the Earth to get from Australia to England in about 20 minutes. That is silly enough but the fact that they go through the core, which is what about what, a trillion degrees, is really silly. What kind of metal is that thing made out of. It blows up pretty easy at the end. Back to non spoliers The pacing is very fast, too fast in many areas. Most of the movie, like Minority Report, is a very long chase scene. Not that the original didn't have that too but this one doesn't stop much to take a breath. Like I said the plot is about the same but they spend much less time here hitting those points and far more time on FX shots and non stop action. The world they created, looks wise, is very reminiscent of Blade Runner. The car chase was cool, better knowing that it was done practical with fx added rather than all cgi. I like both female actors better than Sharon Stone and the other lady in the original but that's not to say they were better actors just a personal taste. The police force, the mech part of it, was pretty silly. They seem to be bullet proof in some scenes but then taken down very easy in others. It is kind of a mess. It was enjoyable as a action blockbuster but in no way remember-able as the original.
kori

it was an ok action movie for me, but nothing too spectacular that blow my mind away. the characters didnt have me routing for them. and the twists and turns were very predictable
Lensucks

Anything wiseman directs is all style and no substance. Can anybody name one film he produced or directed that had characters or stories you cared about?
Dominic A

Ok hate the movie as you will . But I predict that the " digital-window " refrigerator door will be out for us in less than 5 yrs ( too cool ! ) . No more alibis of " I didn't see the note , Mom " ! And what addicted cell-phone users wouldn't want their phone in their hand ? with an output-on-clear-reflective-surfaces option ??
Stop WHINING!!!

HAHAHA. You got to be kiddin me. What are u guys.. 12 or something. This was one of the worst movies i have seen in a loooooong while. A mixture of I-robot, Inception and Titanic. Arnold would just say one thing... "Consider this a divorce". No Mutants, No Mars,... No Arnold..., No Sharon, No t worth my time.. I just have a feeling that movies nowadays only get one going in the trailer or the first 5-10 minutes and then from there it goes downwards all the way til i get restless ants in my pants for the last 40 min or so. While movies back in the days had a way of sucking you into the movie before a climax in the end, thats what i enjoy. THIS MOVIE WAS SH**!
L2431C101

Ohh it's coming time to for us as we show a mirror and a pick a card,,uhm where going to go with Predator said to some others "Uncle Tony" ok uhm when those Producers on some angles like Bill Surpee my Dad and Paul Kehr OHH YEA!! GENUIS ohh JT as we know what a few Prouducers we pick for a fast image to show on a Game well Phillip Noyce,James Camerron,Len Wiseman lol,with some others OHH MAN WITH THE RIGHT CLIPS THE SASS FAMILY ON GENUIS FOR SOME CENTERS TAKEN THEM OUT 1 BY 1 CAMAFALOUGE )))))))))))))))). ))))))))))))))))))). ))))))))))))))))))))))). very interesting ona deep London call say right with Coffee.You know the Ending right to get some someone to talk to me and rating our interesting notes here,well well use the imagery Arnold with the Predator YOUR ONE UGLY ***THA ****ER VERY VERY INTERSTING HAHAHAHAHA^^^^HAHAHAHAHAHA^^^^HAHAHAHAHAHA well we know the Ending for that image.
jason

This movie was decent. You can't expect too much depth from a modern action movie. It did have a lot of action which kept me entertained. CGI was cool but the future tech was pretty unimaginative. Cell phone of the future (other than the implanted one) I'm pretty sure was literally an iPhone. Screens in mirrors already exist. If they have the technology to tunnel through the 9000 degree F centre of the Earth, don't you think they'd be able to develop a way to make the rest of the planet habitable again, like filtration or something? Ok so the glowing tattoos and lasso gun were pretty cool and it is a movie so some shit you just gotta let slide. Other than that I liked the pace and all the action although the hand to hand fighting scenes were way too choreographed and at the end this "highly trained special operative" almost gets his ass kicked by a politician, an old one at that. One thing I can't ignore is the fact that they got out of "the fall" just after passing the core. I'm gonna completely ignore the whole issue of pressure and temperature and just deal with velocity. To travel through the Earth in 17 minutes as they said, you would have to be travelling at an average speed of 27 975 kph. Roughly mach 36 or 7.77 miles per second. I don't know about you but I could surely climb out of an object moving this fast and climb up a ladder on the side of it. The force alone of poking your head out would snap your neck if not rip it off completely. Anyways you can't expect movies to fall all the laws of physics. I was willing to let the tunnel idea slide until they decided to get out and walk about. That being said it wasn't a bad movie and it did keep me entertained which is the whole idea. Even kept my girlfriend awake which is more than I can say for most action movies.