Total Recall 2012 (1 Viewer)

[Kevin M]

Well...here's the first trailer:
[VIDEO]http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWMhADqlPYg[/VIDEO]
...yep.
I am not a fan of this decade long remake virus overtaking "Hollywood" and this doesn't alleviate my distaste with the trend very much.
Yeah it's glossy and loud, but the fact that the filmmakers are again trying to stay away from the remake stigma of late by using the "this is closer to the original story, it's not a remake" excuse is absurd since they retained the character names, set pieces, lines of dialog and title of the 1990 film that were not in the original short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, yet seemingly (from this trailer and the sparse info from the studio) have jettisoned the Mars/Outer-worldly aspect and humorous satire that was very much a part of PKD's story.
YMMV and I haven't seen it yet of course...well...we'll see.
Look, I know it's easy to call us people who are sick of this remake trend "reactionary" or "nostalgic"...and in response I can only point out one fact as proof that it has gone Way past the "too far" mark:
They remade Footloose.

 

[TravisR]

Bad movies like Footloose or Total Recall or I Spit On Your Grave or Ocean's Eleven and so on are better choices for remakes than actual good movies. Maybe a second attempt will result in a better movie. That's not to say "Hooray for remakes!" but if they have to remake movies (and since Hollywood is run by people too scared to take a chance and since audiences are most interested in seeing the familiar*, they apparently do have to remake movies) then I'd rather see them do one that didn't work the first time.
* Look at the top grossing movies of probably the last decade- the majority is sequels or adaptations of comic books, kids' book series, video games or amusement park rides.

 

[dpippel]

First Fright Night and now this. I wonder if there's a big banner on top of Colin Farrell's one-sheet that reads "YES, I WILL STAR IN YOUR LOUSY REMAKE. PLEASE CONTACT MY AGENT."

 

[Patrick Sun]

At Comicon last summer, it seemed like Colin Farrell was on every other panel for upcoming movies.

 

[WinstonCely]

Bad movies like Footloose or Total Recall or I Spit On Your Grave or Ocean's Eleven and so on are better choices for remakes than actual good movies. Maybe a second attempt will result in a better movie. That's not to say "Hooray for remakes!" but if they have to remake movies (and since Hollywood is run by people too scared to take a chance and since audiences are most interested in seeing the familiar*, they apparently do have to remake movies) then I'd rather see them do one that didn't work the first time.
* Look at the top grossing movies of probably the last decade- the majority is sequels or adaptations of comic books, kids' book series, video games or amusement park rides.

Um, I know you didn't just call Total Recall a bad movie. I'm not saying it was oscar material, but it happens to be a great action film. Many aspects of the film are fantastic, and to call the film bad on a few flaws (over the top acting on all accounts) is hardly fair. In fact, if this remake skimps out on some of what the original so entertaining are missing (ridiculous violence and adult content) then I'd be more prone to stay away.
However, I totally agree that if a film is bad, then it has more reason to be remade than anything else. Plan 9 From Outer Space pops to mind....
Also, I hardly think this film is going to be anything like the original short story from the looks of the trailer, but who knows till we see the actual film.

 

[TravisR]

Um, I know you didn't just call Total Recall a bad movie. I'm not saying it was oscar material, but it happens to be a great action film. Many aspects of the film are fantastic, and to call the film bad on a few flaws (over the top acting on all accounts) is hardly fair.

It's not a terrible movie and I loved it when I was young but rewatching when it came out on DVD, I thought the flaws sunk the entire movie.

 

[Jim_K]

When I first heard they were remaking this I had a little hope that they would go back to the source material and show me something I haven't seen before from the PK Dick universe.

Nope

from the trailer it looks like a pointless shot for shot remake of the 1990 film

I'll save my money for something more original this summer and wait to rent this on Blu-ray.

Also I have a completely different opinion on the original Total Recall than Travis. I consider it a sci-fi/action classic and I think it holds up very well. I'm pretty sure it received very good critical reviews also. But whatever, everyone's entitled to an opinion.

GET YOUR ASS TO MAHS!!!!!!!

 

[Steve_Pannell]

If I didn't know better the trailer makes me think "Jason Bourne Goes to Mars".
I don't know that this or any of the other recent remakes needed to be made but it looks interesting.

 

[Kevin M]

Yeah, that's what I have been saying over at IMDB and YouTube (don't know why I go to those places as you get more thoughtful opinions out of sports bar bathroom stalls).
"It seems to be a mash-up of the original Total Recall - Blade Runner - The Bourne Identity - Minority Report and Inception....that last one probably being the biggest reason this was green-lighted IMO."
As I've said....we'll see.
Oh, BTW Steve, you do know that they seem to have taken out the whole Mars aspect completely (from what little there is to go on anyway) and kept it earth bound with only spy motifs don't you?

 

[Steve_Pannell]

Oh, BTW Steve, you do know that they seem to have taken out the whole Mars aspect completely (from what little there is to go on anyway) and kept it earth bound with only spy motifs don't you?

No. I didn't know that.
I have to admit that I haven't really paid much attention. They've made so many remakes lately that I just saw it as , here we go again.
But it still looks like it might be ok.

 

[Chuck Anstey]

Given that it only takes 20 minutes to get through Rekal and the immediate aftermath in the original story and only about 20 more minutes to finish it as written, it is possible that what we see is a slightly different take on filler material and we still get the same ending as the original story. Not likely but possible.

 

[Rhett_Y]

The wife wanted to see this one and boy it is pretty bad. One chase scene after another. There were a few nods to the Arny film but I didn't like this one as much.

 

[Quentin]

Ew. The original is on blu ray for $8. Do yourself a favor and get that instead.

 

[Stan]

Really enjoyed the original, still watch it from time to time and was looking forward to this new versi
Sounds like they really screwed it up and I have yet to hear anything positive about it. Didn't even know they removed the Mars aspect from the story until I bumped into this thread. Wasn't that about 90% of the original film?
I'll save some money and wait until it shows up at Redbox, HBO or someplace else.
Normally don't judge things until I've seen them, but this one is looking like a major bomb for the summer season.

 

[cineMANIAC]

Saw this today and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Had very low expectations going in, with the film being a PG-13. Yes, it is bloodless and a lot less violent than the original but I was somewhat intrigued the film. The visuals are especially good. Not too bad for $7.

 

[Chuck Anstey]

So is this film a reimagining of the previous Arnie film (sans Mars) or is it more like a redo of the original story "We'll remember it for you wholesale"?

 

[Tino]

Saw this today and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Had very low expectations going in, with the film being a PG-13. Yes, it is bloodless and a lot less violent than the original but I was somewhat intrigued the film. The visuals are especially good. Not too bad for $7.

Ditto.
Much better than I thought it would be. 3 stars out of 4

 

[cineMANIAC]

So is this film a reimagining of the previous Arnie film (sans Mars) or is it more like a redo of the original story "We'll remember it for you wholesale"?

I'm not familiar with the original story but the remake had (or felt like it had) a lot more going on plot-wise than the Arny film. Tell you one thing, the remake certainly wasn't dull and Kate Beckinsale was sexy as hell in her role as Quaid's wife/bad girl. I kept expecting someone from the 1990 film to make a cameo but didn't see anybody.

 

[Craig S]

I'm with Rhett on this one. It's one uninspired chase after another, so much so that I found myself nodding off near the end (this was an afternoon showing).

Colin Ferrell, who can be a fine actor, seems totally disinterested here. The filmmakers made the mistake of casting the two female leads with two actresses (Kate Beckinsale & Jessica Biel) who not only look somewhat alike, they at best have just competent acting skills. To put it bluntly, they are both boring here and neither has any chemistry with Ferrell. Finally, the great Bryan Cranston is just wasted.

And am I the only one who thought it odd that in a future where the last two inhabitable land masses are Great Britain and Australia, almost everyone speaks with an American accent??

I wil give major props to the production design team. The visuals of cities that have nowhere to go but up are often spectacular. And the concept and execution of The Fall is pretty cool too.

Despite the eye candy, the new Total Recall is a dreary affair. If you must see it, save your money and go to a matinee.

 

[Patrick Sun]

The amount of lens flare in this movie is pretty high.
I wished this movie was cheekier, it's just so monotone and morose, and the "dream, not a dream" aspect isn't really played up much at all. Lots of running and chasing.
I felt the film was missing a spark of human existentialism, a soul, so to speak, and then I saw who had a hand in writing the film: Kurt Wimmer. He's good on the futuristic look and feel, but always felt his material lacked in the characterizations.
I give it 2.5 stars or a grade of C+.