User Reviews

The sterile echoes of a synthetic memory: A 1.0-star "trauma" of soulless mechanization.2012 (1.0)I watched the "Total Recall" remake in the theater in 2012, and it was a definitive 1.0-star "trauma" that left me in a state of profound "silent frustration." While the original 1990 version possessed a "raw" and "sensational" personality, this 2012 iteration felt like a stagnant, hollow shell of a blockbuster. The narrative rhythm was suffocatingly monotonous, replacing the "chewy" philosophical questions of identity with a series of grey, metallic action sequences that failed to provide any visceral thrill. I found the entire setup to be a "revelation" of creative bankruptcy, where high-budget CGI was used to mask a total lack of soul or narrative stakes. The 95% preservation of my disappointment confirms that the film never managed to shatter the fourth wall of my boredom, leaving me detached and utterly uninspired. It lacked the pathetic, human vulnerability that makes a protagonist worth following, feeling instead like a manufactured product designed for passive consumption. In my archive, this stands alongside the other 1.0-star "narrative voids" of 2012—a high-tension premise that ultimately delivered nothing but an exhausting, empty ordeal.

I like the move. Good actors, good operator’s work. And much more better shown the future

This is totally soulless. There are some cool visuals ruined by none of the charm from the original. I’m not wasting my time writing a long review, just know that there is really no reason to watch this film ever.

In this over-engineered distopia scientists managed to reinvent every posible means of transport. Sadly they failed to invent detoxifying potion for the planet. The absolute cherry on top of this **** is the Fall. Anyway, what about the plot? Kinda meh, one of those junk movies that you forget immdiately once you leave the cinema.

Lens flares everywhere... Loved the original one with Arnold Schwarzenegger. This one far the worst from two.

Total Recall (2012) is loosely based on the 1966 Philip K. **** short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale". In this adaptation, Mars is not part of the plot. A movie with the same title (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger) and loosely based on the same short story was released in 1990. This film is a science fiction, action film with some steam-punk vibe. Most people would probably suggest it is pointed to a young-male (perhaps teenage) audience. If you enjoy science-fiction-action films I would think you would want to watch this. But, even if you don't enjoy science-fiction, you might want to watch this film. It has some really good acting (Bryan Cranston as Chancellor Cohaagen was excellent as you would assume), editing, directing, special effects, etc. I found the casting to be excellent. A concept of memories being the basis of personality is an interesting concept of the plot - but the idea is not deeply analyzed. When deciding a rating for a film like this I try to imagine myself as a teenager who has not watched thousands of films and read hundreds of novels. I think a rating needs to reflect the context of what the developers were aiming for.

I think it does a lot of things better than the original. The cast is better, I think it is more coherently written with a lot more focus on the "is this a dream" aspect rather than throwing it out of the window like the original. It's not perfect but I think they do a good enough job to make it their own and do it better than the first film.

This is a piece of garbage action movie. I found it so boring. But I did like the little twist at the start. Other than that, this movie is bad. I'm giving this film a D.

Total Recall stars Colin Farrell and is a remake of the 1990 original Total Recall film that stars Arnold Schwarzenegger.. The original was rubbish but this remake is even worse. It's not even violent and the action scenes are more like X-Men leftovers. Terrible film, terrible acting, boring, unconvincing and bland

The CGI cityscapes are really the most interesting part. The story is kind of blah. Lots of shooting, though. Of course. Obviously.

Pretty epic, not sure why so many mixed reviews and even negative ones but I liked it lot. it was fun, sure, unbelievable in places but still fun.

Not worth watching. The movie has quality, but it is surprisingly unoriginal in terms of creators imagination. And the reason for that is not that this is a remake of the famous film with Arnold Schwarzenegger. With the development of the plot, you will re-live many of the notable creations of recent years. Creators of scenery found inspiration in Deus EX: Human Revolution, the hero's path to remembering lies through Bourne Identity, the guide to avoiding the pursuit was studied by Minority Report, the persecutors were recruited in I Robot, etc. But the biggest disappointment for me was in the intrigue, the thing that everything is spinning around (honestly the idea with Mars seems more solid). In conclusion. Better watch Total Recoll with Arnold Schwarzenegger again or better yet, read We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Philip K. ****. It will be much more interesting and worth your time.

Cela fait longtemps que je n'ai pas vu le Total Recall de Verhoeven et sur le coup, j'aurais du mal à départager la version du Hollandais volant avec le cabotineur Schwarzenegger de celle de 2012 avec le très sérieux Farrell : ils ont en effet ce point commun de ne pas respecter la merveilleuse nouvelle de Philip K. **** et d'en avoir fait des films d'action décérébrés. Mais avant de revoir et de m'occuper comme il se doit du vieux Total Recall, autant m'affairer sur le Total Recall nouveau, comme le Beaujolais. Une cuvée qui permet d'apprécier la charmante Kate Beckinsale très à l'aise dans son rôle de méchante forcenée et le sémillant Bryan Cranston dans son rôle... de grand méchant qu'il semble apprécier ! Quant à Colin, il assure le strict minimum et se contente... de faire aussi bien que Schwarzy (c'est dire s'il est mauvais...) les blagues potaches en moins. De course-poursuite effrénée en course contre la montre et autres poursuites entrecoupées de dialogues clichés avec les méchants, le tout dans une réalisation un peu juste mais regardable, ce Total Recall s'avère définitivement aussi con qu'il est bas de plafond. Il ne parvient même pas à titiller un quelconque second ou troisième degré chez le spectateur, ni à le faire rire, car une telle stupidité étalée ainsi sur presque deux heures, ne devrait-on pas pouvoir en rire à l'insu du bon vouloir de son plein gré ? eh bien, non, hélas. J'étais plutôt à la limite de l'enui, désoeuvré devant cette cavalcade assez grotesque qui ne fait décidément pas honneur à la Science-Fiction. L'oeuvre de **** semble décidément inadaptable !

It's definitely not as good as the original but the action scenes were well made, it was well acted, the special effects were really well made and the movie was very entertaining. Even though it's not as good as the original, it's still a good sci-fi/action movie.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

It's hilarious that some people think this remake is better than the original Total Recall. The original with Arnold had that mystery "Is this just an implanted dream"? unlike the 2012 version. The original was also very violent (a good thing), cheesy awesome, with humor, and outdated yet awesome effects/models that did not rely on CGI. Plus how on Earth could you not like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime?

I actually liked this film more than the original version from 1990. I don't think it's a problem that it diverged more from the original story and nobody travelled to Mars. The older film also made changes to Philip K. **** short story, they had to because it would be too short for a film and there wouldn't be any action. I think it's much better that they stayed on Earth instead of travelling to Mars and they showed a more up to date vision of the future with much of the land underwater. It's also an improvement that the protagonist's girlfriend is not a **** this time, which I hated in the original. The action scenes are good. The ambiguity is still somewhat in the story ,although the ending makes a conclusion.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

This movie has all the qualities **** sci-fi film but the true star of the movie was missing for me-Mars! The thing that made the original story so entertaining and whimsical was the concept of a human colony on the one world we constantly dream of which is our closest planetary neighbor. In this film I never really new who was who in the great civil conflict. Both the colony and ruling society were so identical in appearance that it was hard to focus an emotional attachment to the physicality of this sci-fi world. The scenes carried the highly produced and fantastical scenes and technology that is truly a future worth dreaming of much like the original however I found myself constantly wishing for the Martian fragility that the colony faced. In this version I never could figure out what made society so dire that the government had to conspire to take hold of a founded colonies land. Although the population was critical the advancements of this reality were so great that even the desolate and toxic areas outside of the city could have been re-populated so I never felt completely sold on this story. I have to give props to the action and fighting sequences between the stars of this film because they were quite intense and entertaining. Even though the one thing was missing that could have made “Total Recall” epic and I found it’s absence irritating I did enjoy the movie’s effects and view of the future-minus the conflict of course.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Dont listen to the critics. If u like steampunk this film is great! Action combiend with a deep story. It remind me of the overhyped inception movie. But not so serious

Compared to the original film, Total Recall lacks the wit and humour. However it contains satisfying action sequences and above average performances from it's cast to be entertaining enough.

Saw it on TV, why I didn't go to the movies was I saw the original, this is not like the original. Arnold in the original gives the whole movie a different quality and movie A was a sci fi whereas movie B, this one, is more future tech. They could have easily dropped some elements and called this movie memory war or something. Action was good but not overly believable and some aspects of the future like going through the centre of the earth and the rest of the world being uninhabitable were far fetched, if the rest of the world was poisoned I would like to have seen mutants. Anyway not great but I watched it with interest, so when a movie keeps your attention its pretty good.

Before we begin i’m just going to start off by saying that I will not be comparing this film to the original. Doing so only diminishes the film as a separate piece and instead, leaves it as something to nit pick constantly. However they do reference to the original at some points and I found it pretty humorous. The only thing I will say about the older movie compared to this one is that they follow the same basic format with little change to the story minus the exclusion from the big red planet. Now that we have that out of the way, lets review the movie, How was it you ask? well hold on let me just finish typing and you’ll see. First off, its a very pretty film. honestly, the effects are very well done and the actual scenery from both the Colony and Britain are very well distinct. Both house half of the worlds population. But both are, like most societies are, split between social standards. This causes a feud between the two via fighting over they’re transportation between the two, know as “The Fall” which I found to be a great propaganda piece. The Colony is the slum of those two. While Britain is rich, beautiful, and architecturally superior. So effects, great, boom, done. How was the story Matt? well…if you lack previous knowledge of the original total recall its good and bad. It’s good because you get to experience an interesting story within a very cool sci fi universe about a man who’s bored with his life and decides to get his brain messed with by an organizationa that provides people with an alternate life. Only to end up not knowing if his new memories are real or if what he’s experiencing is the false memories. It’s bad because the 3rd act of the film is very very predictable. (the whole film is predicable if you’ve seen the original though.) Walking into the first half you are introduced to this very creative world and this very interesting story wondering and questioning whether what’s happening is reality or the work of those working at Rekall. You’re supposed to be left curious as to how the entire thing will play out. But at a certain point the writers decided to basically say “nope you can stop wondering whats what because this is whats happening” and then it turns into your stereotypical predicable action flick with stereotypical hero and villain. Thus taking away a lot of mystery and potential Don’t get me wrong, I love Bryan Cranston, he’s a great actor. But his role in this film was cliche at best. However, I did prefer Colin Ferrell over Arnold. Mainly because I can’t take Arnold seriously in the first place aside from Predator So to rap things up I’ll say this, The effects are great, the take on the future society is beyond interesting and I wish they explored it more along with exploring more of Rekall itself. The 3rd act falls flat along with the movies villain. The climax, while looking great, provides nothing special other than a cliche Hollywood ending.

It has a some great action just not enough actual story to the movie. Not enough character development in the movie. If you like action then you will like this movie but If you like anything else then you probably leave the theater disappointed and what the story really was.

Sluggish, predictable, and immediately fading from memory, this movie is far less entertaining than such sci-fi flicks as Timecop 2 or Streetfighter, let alone Verhoven's great original. The political satire is dull and heavy-handed, the visuals are utterly undistinct and even the action scenes offer nothing of interest. In short, an complete waste of time. The only thing that stands out in this ocean of recycled tosh is the solid acting of Farell and Beckisale, who does a fantastic Sharon Stone impression. The one feeling left in me after watching the movie was that these two deserved a better script.

I haven't seen the original, but I wasn't engaged in this at all. Aesthetically pleasing with the cinematography, but no real substance to back it up which is a shame.

It's not the same film but story are similar. Some reference of the old "Total Recall" with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Have a very good special effects and a good Cyberpunk ambiance. Just the end is ok but I had imagined a better ending with more ambiguity, more questions if the patient is dreaming or not ! Finally it's a good film for thé family but not thé movie that i could have been dreaming for a Total Recall Universe fan like me

Total Recall was cool, I appreciate it, bro. But the acting by Colin Farrell is the star of this film, he's not a Schwarzenegger or Stallone but he fits in the picture. Kate Beckensale is okay (UNDERWORLD ****) but could have been maintained as the bad girl. Bill Nighy was great, he was deadly and violent as hell. Jessica Biel was pretty bad, I wished that she could save the movie but Farrell, Nighy and Beckinsale steal the show. It has gadgets and cool sci fi future generating world with NUDITY! this one doesn't quite top the original- this one is way cooler but Total Recall by Paul Verhoven was better than this reboot. Cool, cool, and cool- Totall recall is made and saved by its gadgets and guns and thrilling sequences. It's fun.

Having never watched the original, I didn't quite know what to expect from this. The film is dry on humor, but the action scenes and great score from Harry Gregson-Williams kept me watching this again and again. The original might be better, but the remake was quite decent IMO. One of my favourite films of 2012.

Good action movie I guess. It starts to raise a cool premise, but then almost immediately abandons it in favor of CGI sequence after CGI sequence. The epitome of American "cinema". It's definitely a movie for teenagers. Sorry, guys. When I saw who directed it (Underworld clown) I was no longer surprised at what I got. A cool premise, but not much more, just like Underworld.

An entertaining action packed film with some mystery in it. It's not one of the best action movies but it is much better than some other that come out these years. The story is smart and the action scenes are impressive. The futuristic idea was nice too. I haven't seen the original but i enjoyed the re-make.

Before we begin i’m just going to start off by saying that I will not be comparing this film to the original. Doing so only diminishes the film as a separate piece and instead, leaves it as something to nit pick constantly. However they do reference to the original at some points and I found it pretty humorous. The only thing I will say about the older movie compared to this one is that they follow the same basic format with little change to the story minus the exclusion from the big red planet. Now that we have that out of the way, lets review the movie, How was it you ask? well hold on let me just finish typing and you’ll see. First off, its a very pretty film. honestly, the effects are very well done and the actual scenery from both the Colony and Britain are very well distinct. Both house half of the worlds population. But both are, like most societies are, split between social standards. This causes a feud between the two via fighting over they’re transportation between the two, know as “The Fall” which I found to be a great propaganda piece. The Colony is the slum of those two. While Britain is rich, beautiful, and architecturally superior. So effects, great, boom, done. How was the story Matt? well…if you lack previous knowledge of the original total recall its good and bad. It’s good because you get to experience an interesting story within a very cool sci fi universe about a man who’s bored with his life and decides to get his brain messed with by an organizationa that provides people with an alternate life. Only to end up not knowing if his new memories are real or if what he’s experiencing is the false memories. It’s bad because the 3rd act of the film is very very predictable. (the whole film is predicable if you’ve seen the original though.) Walking into the first half you are introduced to this very creative world and this very interesting story wondering and questioning whether what’s happening is reality or the work of those working at Rekall. You’re supposed to be left curious as to how the entire thing will play out. But at a certain point the writers decided to basically say “nope you can stop wondering whats what because this is whats happening” and then it turns into your stereotypical predicable action flick with stereotypical hero and villain. Thus taking away a lot of mystery and potential Don’t get me wrong, I love Bryan Cranston, he’s a great actor. But his role in this film was cliche at best. However, I did prefer Colin Ferrell over Arnold. Mainly because I can’t take Arnold seriously in the first place aside from Predator So to rap things up I’ll say this, The effects are great, the take on the future society is beyond interesting and I wish they explored it more along with exploring more of Rekall itself. The 3rd act falls flat along with the movies villain. The climax, while looking great, provides nothing special other than a cliche Hollywood ending.

Definitely better than a 6.0. This is a great sci-fi movie with a more believable cyberpunk world than that overrated mess called "Blade Runner", an interesting plot, and great action sequences. Go watch it. NOW

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

This is easily one of the worst movies ever made on planet Earth. It was boring, corny, stupid, it had bad acting, and the runtime felt an hour longer than it really was. What a total ripoff money grab. I wish I didn't have to say this, but Total Recall, is Total Crap.

This was a good movie. It makes you wonder what is really going on. It moves at a fast pace and doesn`t get you bored. Takes you to another time. Not the best movie but kept my interest and was a good watch. Not to mention the fact that it`s different from the typical movie.

The cast are more than on par in this sic-fi action bonanza, but the often bewildering plot and back and forth story-telling leaves the new Total Recall with a lot to answer for. Colin Farrell takes the reigns from Arnold Schwarzenegger as Douglas, a man living at the end of the 21st Century, at time where there are only two survivalist nations on earth, the United Federation of Britain and The Colony, where most reside. The only means of transport is through the Fall, which travels through the core of the earth. So when Doug happens across Rekall, a memory implantation service, he always believes that something is missing from his life, and that Rekall is the answer. But an unexplained interruption happens in the process and Doug starts to instinctively act like an agent, something he wanted to be implanted but never got the chance, and now something that is trying to get the poor guy killed, he already has these memories. This sets up for a thrilling first hour in this remake and built a lot of promise by introducing an array of characters easily likeable and unlikeable. But the second hour was its own worst enemy. Too many times now do movies trade in a convincing story and excellent plot with big special effects and one explosion too many. Total Recall fails to progress the character development in this story and it becomes unclear just what exactly is happening, in regards to this being real or not, something which I hear is only slightly hinted at in the Director's Cut. The plot was back-tracking too much to the point of losing interest and getting invested in the big explosions for some enjoyment, simply because the quite interesting plot and drive took a back seat in the final hour. Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale and Brian Cranston are on exceptional for, but their characters are grossly under-developed and at times questionable to the point. But saying that, it is still a watchable and enjoyable film, with exceptional special effects to rival the biggest and baddest of blockbusters, but something that was also unnecessary, but still not a film that requires your full attention in the closing hour, its just a shame that it started off with so much promise, but perhaps the countless scenarios that it touched upon may indeed work for a sequel, something I certainly wouldn't mind seeing.

Little dialogue and pure action... bad recipe for a film.

Like most remakes the original is way better, but if you wanna watch a decent action movie this one's not bad. I think if you've seen the original you'll know all the surprises.

This one pissed me off, it did. I loved the original. No story here, not even a rehash of the first new invention of the Philip K. **** story. If you must watch it, turn off the sound. The pictures are lovely.

The CGI was impeccable. Kate Beckinsale pulls off a brilliant character. But ultimately, it wasn't a very memorable movie. The plot was unimaginative, and the supporting characters were all archetype.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Why the film critics decided to band together on hating this movie has left me utterly baffled. Complaining that it is a sequel we didn't need is not a ****'s just whining. If you are going to attack a film I would appreciate a thoughtful argument defending your denouncement. While I haven't seen the first one, I don't care what strengths it may have possessed, there is no way that it invalidated the intensity of this remake. Total Recall was an excellent engaging ride through a decayed but recognizable futuristic world where what you see may or may not be what you get! It is an admirably creative story including unique gadgets, captivating plot twists, awesome fight scenes, and excellent visual effects! This film was everything I think it should have been! I don't care what everyone else says, I loved it.

I tend never to use a rating of 0, as it would state that the film is a 100% failure, not only artistically, but also technically. Hence my usual lowest rating being 1 out of 10. When the filmmakers remember to remove the lens cap prior to shooting, or when they don't film themselves while shooting against a reflecting surface, or when the boom mic doesn't swing at the top of the screen, that deserves to be taken into consideration. And that just what the rating of 1 does: acknowledge the minimum amount of professionalism put into a film. And that's just what can be said about Total Recall (2012). The universe the story unfolds into is sure good looking, but at the same time unimaginative and made of bits and pieces from other films. The acting is horrible -when will someone finally tell Kate Beckinsale to please just model?- The stunts are over the top, the characters bi-dimensional, and the movie fails to follow it's own logic.

This movie surprised the hell out of me..skipped it this summer cuz of bad word of **** the best summer movie of **** summer movie I mean a roller coaster thrill ride full of inventive action scenes and popcorn movie magic fun..I don't understand what all the hate for this movie is about..visuals are crisp and clean..feels fresh with 1 amazing imaginative set piece after the other..very well put together scifi flick..

This should of been renamed "Recalled", for both lovers of the original and fans of Philip K. ****. This doesn't even try to follow the short story, the trailers don't even lie. Convoluted script, boring leads, and those "references" from the original are shoehorned in (including the 3-breasted prostitute), just to remind us what we should of been watching. The setting feels nice but it feels like it's borrowed from Blade Runner and Minority Report. If Philip K. **** was alive, he'll wish that it was all a dream.

So I immediately don't know what to say about the movie. The PG-13 pops up & my heart drops. But a movie deserves a critic rating equal to the value it will hold in your heart. I haven't actually gone past the 5 minute & 59 second marker yet- as this movie is obviously rated improperly in the best way of my life. Not only do I get to see Kate Beckinsale's dreamy figure in white panties (which struck me odd for the rating) but then my ridiculously acute eye notices what I thought at first to be a smudge in a single frame. It's no frame jump of any kind, its completely Kate Beckinsale's **** showing through those knickers as clear as day. My life is complete..

The first hour is great. Unfortunately it falls away from there to become just another Sci Fi shoot em up. Sadly it doesn't have the feel and suspense of the original where we were led through feeling the desperation and anxiety of the main character. In this reboot all those moments feel rushed. Had potential but unfortunately dropped the ball. In saying this it is not a horrible film and will entertain most people for 2 hours on a rainy day. Check it out if you have nothing else to do.

Total Recall is at it's best when it's plowing it's own furrow. Elements (and sometimes whole scenes) that are taken directly from the original film feel a bit jarring and, strangely, forced. Although the original was no outright classic, it does score two major victories over this remake; firstly, the whole "is it real?" aspect is done better in the original and secondly, the 1986 version is a lot more fun. That said, this more serious version has some spectacular action scenes and a gorgeously realized sci-fi world to balance things out. Overall, Total Recall is a superior SF action romp.