| Total Recall | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Len Wiseman |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by |
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| Based on |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Paul Cameron |
| Edited by | Christian Wagner |
| Music by | Harry Gregson-Williams |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing[1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 118 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States[1][3] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $125 million[4] |
| Box office | $211.8 million[4] |
Total Recall is a 2012 Americanscience fiction action film directed byLen Wiseman from a screenplay byKurt Wimmer andMark Bomback, conceived by Wimmer,Ronald Shusett,Dan O'Bannon, andJon Povill. It starsColin Farrell,Kate Beckinsale andJessica Biel. The film is anadaptation of the1990 film of the same name, which was inspired by the 1966 short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" byPhilip K. Dick. The supporting cast featuresBryan Cranston,Bokeem Woodbine,John Cho, andBill Nighy. Unlike the original film, the setting is on a futuristic Earth, not Mars.[5]
The film was first announced in 2009.[6] Produced byColumbia Pictures in association with producersNeal H. Moritz and Toby Jaffe'sOriginal Film,Total Recall was released in North America on August 3, 2012, to generally negative reviews, and grossed $211.8 million worldwide.
At the end of the 21st century,chemical warfare has devastated the Earth. The only habitable land left consists of two territories: the United Federation of Britain (UFB), located on theBritish Isles and northwestern Europe, and the Colony, spanning all ofAustralia. Factory workers from the Colony commute to the UFB each day via "The Fall", agravity elevator running through the Earth's core.[a] The disparity in living conditions has resulted in a group of people called the Resistance, deemed terrorists by the UFB, who seek to improve living conditions in the Colony.
Colony worker Douglas Quaid has been having unsettling dreams of being a secret agent partnered with an unnamed woman. Tired of his factory job building police robots with his friend Harry, he visits Rekall, a company that implants artificial memories. He decides on the fantasy of being a secret agent. During exploratory preparations by technician McClane, they discover that Quaid already has real memories of being a spy. As McClane starts to question Quaid about the memories, a squad of UFB police arrive, killing the Rekall staff in an attempt to arrest Quaid. Strange instincts kick in as Quaid defends himself, killing the entire squad. Upon returning home, Quaid relays the incident to his wife Lori, who attempts to kill him, revealing that she is a UFB intelligence agent and they have only been married for six weeks, not seven years as he believed. After Quaid escapes, he receives a phone call from Charles Hammond, a former colleague of his who directs him to a safe-deposit box. Inside it, Quaid finds a message from himself with the address of a UFB apartment.
Upon arriving at the UFB, Quaid is pursued by Lori and her team, but is rescued by Melina, the woman from his dreams. Recuperating at the apartment, Quaid finds another hidden recording, revealing his true identity as rogue UFB agent Carl Hauser, who was working for UFB Chancellor Cohaagen to infiltrate the Resistance before Hauser defected. He had discovered a kill code that can disable an army of robots that Cohaagen intends to use to destroy the Colony and give the UFB more living space, but was captured by UFB agents and implanted withfalse memories to manipulate him. Nonetheless, Matthias, the Resistance leader, should be able to retrieve the memory of the kill code. Subsequently, Melina reveals she was Hauser's lover before he was captured, comparing their matching scars from when they were shot while holding hands in Quaid's "dream". They are soon surrounded by the police and Harry, who claims that Quaid is still in a Rekall-induced dream and killing Melina is the only way out. A confused Quaid is initially uncertain until he sees a tear on Melina's cheek and shoots Harry. Lori pursues the pair, but they manage to escape.
Melina takes Quaid to see Matthias, who searches his memories until Lori and Cohaagen storm the Resistance base. Cohaagen reveals he came up with the idea of the kill code to trick Quaid into leading him to Matthias before killing Matthias, taking Melina prisoner, and ordering a team to restore Quaid's memory to the "old Hauser" before he was corrupted. However, Hammond reveals himself and frees Quaid, dying in the process.
Cohaagen loads the Fall with his robot army as Quaid sneaks on board, setting timed explosives throughout the vessel while searching for Melina. After reaching the Colony and freeing her, they fight Cohaagen and his soldiers until Quaid's explosives detonate. Quaid and Melina jump off before the vessel plummets back into the tunnel and explodes underground, killing Cohaagen and destroying his army along with the Fall itself.
Quaid wakes up in an ambulance with Melina, who he soon realizes is a holographically disguised Lori. Quaid eventually kills her before reuniting with the real Melina as news channels declare the Colony's independence from the UFB.
On June 2, 2009,Variety reported thatKurt Wimmer would write the script for the film.[13]Mark Bomback was later brought on board,[14] andJames Vanderbilt did an uncredited "polish" on the script.[15] Over a year laterLen Wiseman was hired to direct.[16] Paul Cameron is the film's cinematographer,[17] andChristian Wagner is the film's editor.[18] The soundtrack is a collaboration ofHarry Gregson-Williams and Welsh electronica groupHybrid.[19]
Although described in the press as a "remake," star Jessica Biel claimed in her August 2, 2012 appearance onThe Daily Show that the film is not a remake of the 1990 film, but an adaptation of the original short story byPhilip K. Dick.[20] However, Biel's own character of "Melina" was not actually present in the original short story by Philip K. Dick and exists only in this film and the original 1990 film. The same is true for the characters of Cohaagen and Harry, along with the leader of the Resistance. This version of the film also uses the names Quaid and Lori for the main character and his wife, like the 1990 film, whereas in the original short story they were Quail and Kirsten. The basic story also follows that of the original 1990 film, albeit with certain changes such as keeping the action on Earth rather than Mars. Also, this version does not credit Dick as a writer.[21]
In August 2010,Arnold Schwarzenegger expressed an interest in reprising his role as Quaid, but in October 2010 it was officially reported inThe Hollywood Reporter thatColin Farrell was on top of the short list, which includedTom Hardy andMichael Fassbender, to play Quaid.[22] On January 11, 2011, it was announced that Farrell had secured the role.[8] Farrell stated in April that the remake would not be the same as Dick's short story.[23] Schwarzenegger ridiculed the film in 2019 saying, "someone tried to do a remake of [Total Recall]. How stupid is that? Jesus!"[24]
Beckinsale and Biel were both confirmed for roles on May 25,[9] after actressesEva Green,Diane Kruger, andKate Bosworth had previously been considered for Biel's role.[25] Actor Bryan Cranston was cast as the film's villain.[10][26]Ethan Hawke was cast in acameo role, and commented that his character had a monologue about five pages long;[27][28] however, this role was cut from the theatrical version of film, but is part of the extended Director's Cut.[29] Later cast additions included Bill Nighy[30] and John Cho.[12]
On a reported budget of $125 million,principal photography began in Toronto on May 16, 2011, and ended on September 20, 2011.[31] Scenes were filmed at thePinewood Toronto Studios,[32] as well as theUniversity of Toronto,Lower Bay Station, CIBC Commerce Court, theUniversity of Toronto Scarborough, theMetro Toronto Convention Centre,[33] andGuelph.[34] The film was shot withRed Epicdigital cameras andPanavisionanamorphic lenses.[35] After securing the film rights fromMiramax,Columbia Pictures distributed the film.[13]
| Total Recall | |
|---|---|
| Film score by | |
| Released | July 31, 2012 |
| Length | 56:22 |
| Label | Madison Gate Records |
The film score was composed and produced byHarry Gregson-Williams, with additional music performed byHybrid.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Dream" | 3:35 |
| 2. | "The Fall" | 2:11 |
| 3. | "Colony" | 1:56 |
| 4. | "The Tripping Den" | 2:50 |
| 5. | "Rekall" | 2:51 |
| 6. | "Rooftop Chase" | 2:23 |
| 7. | "Hand Call" | 2:50 |
| 8. | "The Vault" | 4:50 |
| 9. | "Customs" | 1:40 |
| 10. | "Car Chase Pt. 1" | 2:44 |
| 11. | "Car Chase Pt. 2" | 1:34 |
| 12. | "The Key" | 1:24 |
| 13. | "The Scar On Your Hand" | 4:15 |
| 14. | "Elevator Chase" | 5:21 |
| 15. | "Train To Matthias" | 4:03 |
| 16. | "Saving Melina" | 2:35 |
| 17. | "Gravity Reversing" | 2:19 |
| 18. | "Up Top Fight" | 2:52 |
| 19. | "The Fall Collapses" | 1:35 |
| 20. | "It's Hard To Believe, Isn't It?" | 2:34 |
| Total length: | 56:22 | |
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Total Recall was released on August 3, 2012. TheDirector's Cut includes an extra 12 minutes of footage and there are several key differences compared to the theatrical version. In this version, both Hauser's memoryand physical appearance were heavily altered by the UFB to turn him into Quaid, and an uncreditedEthan Hawke portrays Hauser's original appearance in a pre-recorded hologram video.[29] Additionally, Hauser is still working for Cohaagen and plans to get close to Matthias by seducing Melina, who is the Resistance leader's daughter in this version. The Director's Cut ends with Quaid, on finding the real Melina, noticing that his forearm is missing the Rekall symbol he received earlier. Recalling Matthias' words, during their short meeting, that the past blinds us to the present our heart wants, Quaid decides to accept his current world with Melina as real.
The film opened in 3,601 theaters and earned $25.8 million on its opening weekend; the film grossed $58.9 million in the United States and Canada and $152.9 million internationally, grossing $211.8 million worldwide against a production budget of $125 million.[4]
OnRotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 30% based on 236 reviews and an average rating of 5/10. The website's critical consensus states: "While it boasts some impressive action sequences,Total Recall lacks the intricate plotting, dry humor and fleshed out characters that made the original a sci-fi classic."[37] OnMetacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 43 out of 100 based on 41 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[38] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.[39]
Joe Williams of theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote, "The richly constructed first hour is so superior to any feat of sci-fispeculation sinceMinority Report that the bland aftertaste of the chase finale is quickly forgotten."[40]Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film three stars out of four; praising its details, he stated: "Total Recall is well-crafted, high energy sci-fi. Like all stories inspired by Philip K. Dick, it deals with intriguing ideas. It never touched me emotionally, though, the way the 1990 film did, and strictly speaking, isn't necessary."[41]Michael Phillips of theChicago Tribune stating that "the movie marches in predictable formations as well. But when Biel's rebel pulls over in her hover car and asks Farrell if he'd like a ride, your heart may sing as mine did."[42]
Justin Lowe ofThe Hollywood Reporter wrote that "the outcome is engaging enough, although not entirely satisfying from either a genre or narrative standpoint, lacking both substance and a degree of imagination."[43] Amy Biancolli of theSan Francisco Chronicle wrote, "For all of its dazzlingly rendered cityscapes and nonstop action, this revampedTotal Recall is a bland thing—bloodless, airless, humorless, featureless. With or without the triple-bosomed prostitute."[44]Owen Gleiberman ofEntertainment Weekly gave the film a "C", stating that "this one is somberly kinetic and joyless."[45] Justin Chang ofVariety wrote, "Crazy new gadgets, vigorous action sequences and a thorough production-design makeover aren't enough to keepTotal Recall from feeling like a near-total redundancy."[46]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone called it "totally witless" and said audiences should not expect comedic elements, originality, or coherence.[47]
Jessica Biel was nominated forRazzie Award for the role of Melina in the Worst Supporting Actress category.[48]
A 3Dfirst-person shooter video game of the same name foriPhone,iPad andAndroid was released as atie-in to the film.[49][50]
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