Review: Total Recall
"If I'm not me - who the hell am I?" asks Colin Farrell in this remake of Arnold Schwarzenneger's hit sci-fi.
Well, Mr Farrell, perhaps it is not you who should be asking that but the film itself. The movie strives not to be a completely identical rehash of the 1990 movie, adding in a wealth of special effects and visually impressive extras. However it is so desperate to show these off in comparison to the original that the characterization and impact of the film is lost amongst a show of smoke and mirrors.
Set at the end of the 21st century where Australia and Britain are the only two countries remaining in the world, Total Recall, incase you don't recall (tehe) is based around the story of Douglas Quaid (played with no particular gusto by Colin Farrell), a factory worker who believes he is destined for more than a life of 9-5 everyday. Suffering from violent dreams, Doug decides to visit Rekall, a facility which implants artificial memories. "I want to be a secret agent," he grins with naivety, as the machine begins placing the memories inside his brain. However, the implanted memories conflict with real memories of Doug's past life as a spy, and Doug soon learns that he is actually a double agent. Hunted by his 'wife' Lori (Kate Beckinsale), Doug/Hauser gets help from resistance member and former love interest Melina (Jessica Biel) as he attempts to find out who he really is and why he wiped his own memories.
While it has a few nods to the original, Total Recall brings nothing particularly new to the table, nor does it envoke the same sense of personal peril that "Arnie's version" did (as it shall always be known). Love it or hate it, Arnie's version managed to poke fun with a self deprecating sense of humour that was charming at worst, hilarious at best. The woman with three breasts makes an appearance (to a surprisingly nonchalant Farrell - does he see that kind of thing everyday?) but other than that, the film fails to take any comical advantage of its setting where Arnie's version did.
Colin Farrell does not excel in the role - he can pull off the action sequences, sure, but his character is lacking in any substance. Personally, I've always found Farrell to fare much better as a secondary character or a villain (see: Fright Night). The feeling that it's just another day on the job for him is rather prominent, and he lacks any believable chemistry with Jessica Biel, who plays her part nicely but really she's just a piece of eye candy during the 'talky' sequences. Her character is, for the most part, irrelevant and she seems to understand that.
That aside, however, Total Recall must be given merit for its fantastic special effects. The scenes in which Farrell and Biel are chased in flying cars are very exciting indeed, even if we don't particularly care about the characters involved. Also, the setting is given grim, dark life brilliantly as we become aware that the vast majority of the world is now inhabitable - the tattered buildings and smoky atmosphere display this excellently. Unfortunately, however, these are all just distractions from the fact that the story and the characters are lacking in any emotional investment.
Set at the end of the 21st century where Australia and Britain are the only two countries remaining in the world, Total Recall, incase you don't recall (tehe) is based around the story of Douglas Quaid (played with no particular gusto by Colin Farrell), a factory worker who believes he is destined for more than a life of 9-5 everyday. Suffering from violent dreams, Doug decides to visit Rekall, a facility which implants artificial memories. "I want to be a secret agent," he grins with naivety, as the machine begins placing the memories inside his brain. However, the implanted memories conflict with real memories of Doug's past life as a spy, and Doug soon learns that he is actually a double agent. Hunted by his 'wife' Lori (Kate Beckinsale), Doug/Hauser gets help from resistance member and former love interest Melina (Jessica Biel) as he attempts to find out who he really is and why he wiped his own memories.
While it has a few nods to the original, Total Recall brings nothing particularly new to the table, nor does it envoke the same sense of personal peril that "Arnie's version" did (as it shall always be known). Love it or hate it, Arnie's version managed to poke fun with a self deprecating sense of humour that was charming at worst, hilarious at best. The woman with three breasts makes an appearance (to a surprisingly nonchalant Farrell - does he see that kind of thing everyday?) but other than that, the film fails to take any comical advantage of its setting where Arnie's version did.
Colin Farrell does not excel in the role - he can pull off the action sequences, sure, but his character is lacking in any substance. Personally, I've always found Farrell to fare much better as a secondary character or a villain (see: Fright Night). The feeling that it's just another day on the job for him is rather prominent, and he lacks any believable chemistry with Jessica Biel, who plays her part nicely but really she's just a piece of eye candy during the 'talky' sequences. Her character is, for the most part, irrelevant and she seems to understand that.That aside, however, Total Recall must be given merit for its fantastic special effects. The scenes in which Farrell and Biel are chased in flying cars are very exciting indeed, even if we don't particularly care about the characters involved. Also, the setting is given grim, dark life brilliantly as we become aware that the vast majority of the world is now inhabitable - the tattered buildings and smoky atmosphere display this excellently. Unfortunately, however, these are all just distractions from the fact that the story and the characters are lacking in any emotional investment.
Summary
Although executed with technical proficiency, this remake of Total
Recall is, ironically given its narrative, without any true identity of
its own. It’s a completely serviceable, by-the-numbers action thriller with plenty of impressive sequences and pleasing eye candy, but
it’s all rather joyless despite its incessant action set-pieces. It’s
like a cover song by a decent, but forgettable tribute band. Their
rendition hits all the proper notes, but lacks soul.
5/10
See it if you liked: Minority Report (2002), Limitless (2011), The Bourne Identity (2002)
No comments:
Post a Comment