TOTAL RECALL

The plot is a near carbon copy of the 1990 version sans the Colony being in Mars and the fascinating mutants. Instead, this version’s Colony is formerly Australia and the other habitable territory of Earth is the United Federation of Britain. The colonists want autonomy and the federation wants dictatorship over the colony. The key to freedom for one and control for the other lies in the hands of one Douglas Quaid. Never thought I’d miss Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cheesy one-liners but I did. This film’s dialogue is real-world based which compliments the overall feel of the movie. Colin Farrell takes to action like a duck to water, he is completely believable. Beckinsale is a seasoned action pro and it’s clearly evident in all her scenes. Cranston’s character is one-dimensional and underused while Jessica Biel’s role could have been played by any off-the-shelf Jessica Biel. The two reasons to watch this film on the big screen is for its cinematography and set design. The look of the film is loaded with minute details and the atmosphere is akin to that of BLADE RUNNER, the car chase scene is similar to THE FIFTH ELEMENT and even the robots look like a militarized version of those seen in I’ ROBOT. The film is a visual feast for the eyes but it sorely lacks original content. Len Wiseman is one of the best action film directors in Hollywood right now and he doesn’t disappoint when it comes to certain action scenes, but his version is missing the sheer grandiosity and magic of the 1990 version.

Rating: 4/10

S. V. Fernando