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Total Recall (2012 film)

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This article is about the 2012 remake. For 1990 original film, see Total Recall (1990 film).
Total Recall
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLen Wiseman
Screenplay byKurt Wimmer
Mark Bomback
Story byRonald Shusett
Dan O'Bannon
Jon Povill
Kurt Wimmer
Produced byNeal H. Moritz
Toby Jaffe
StarringColin Farrell
Kate Beckinsale
Jessica Biel
Bryan Cranston
John Cho
Bill Nighy
CinematographyPaul Cameron
Edited byChristian Wagner
Music byHarry Gregson-Williams
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • August 3, 2012 (2012-08-03)
Running time
118 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$140 million
Box office$198,467,168[2]

Total Recall is a 2012 American dystopian science fiction action film remake of the 1990 film of the same name, which was in turn loosely based on the 1966 short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" by Philip K. Dick. The film centers upon an ordinary factory worker who accidentally discovers that his current life is a fabrication predicated upon false memories implanted into his brain by the government. Ensuing events leave no room for doubt that his true identity is that of a highly-trained secret agent. He then follows a trail of clues to gradually recover more suppressed memories and reassumes his original vocation with renewed dedication. Unlike the original film and the short story, the plot takes place on Earth rather than a trip to Mars[3] and exhibits more political overtones. The film blends Western and Eastern influences, most notably in the settings and dominant populations of the two nation-states in the story: the United Federation of Britain and the Colony (Australia).

Total Recall was directed by Len Wiseman and written by Mark Bomback, James Vanderbilt, and Kurt Wimmer. It stars Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, Will Yun Lee, and Bill Nighy. It was first announced in 2009[4] and was released in North America on August 3, 2012,[5] grossing over $198 million worldwide.[2] The film was released to lukewarm-to-negative critical reception. It received praise in certain areas such as its action sequences, but the film's lack of humor, emotional subtlety and character development drew the most criticism.

Plot

In the year 2084, chemical warfare devastates the Earth. There is little habitable land remaining and it is divided into two territories — the United Federation of Britain (UFB) and the Colony (Australia). Many residents of the Colony travel to the UFB to work in their factories via "the Fall", a gravity elevator, which travels through the Earth. A Resistance operating in the UFB seeks to improve life in the Colony.

The story centres around a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), who, tired with his dead-end job and mediocre existence, decides to visit Rekall, a virtual entertainment company that implants artificial memories. Bob McClane (John Cho), a Rekall salesman, convinces Quaid to be implanted with the memories of a secret agent. Just as Quaid is starting to be implanted, McClane discovers that he already has real memories of being a covert operative, when McClane and his co-workers are suddenly gunned down by a SWAT team. Quaid instinctively reacts and kills the officers before escaping. He returns home to his wife Lori (Kate Beckinsale), who attempts to kill him, revealing that she is an undercover UFB agent who has been monitoring him for the past six weeks. Quaid manages to escape, and Charles Hammond (Dylan Scott Smith), a man claiming to be a friend, contacts Quaid and directs him to a safe-deposit box. In the safe-deposit box, Quaid discovers a recorded message from his former self, leading him to an apartment in UFB.

While being pursued, Quaid meets Melina (Jessica Biel), the woman from his dreams. She helps him reach the apartment. Once there, Quaid triggers a second recording, revealing that his name is actually Carl Hauser, an agent working for UFB Chancellor Vilos Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston). After defecting to the Resistance, Hauser was captured and implanted with false memories. The recording reveals that Cohaagen will use robotic police to invade the Colony so the UFB will have more living space. Hauser, however, has seen a "kill code" that would stop the robotic forces. The code can be recovered from his memory by Resistance leader Matthias (Bill Nighy). Melina reveals that she was Hauser's lover, but the two were separated when Hauser was captured. The police surround the apartment building, trapping Quaid and Melina. Quaid's friend from the Colony, Harry (Bokeem Woodbine), tries to convince Quaid that he is still in a Rekall-induced dream and that killing Melina is the only way out. Quaid is conflicted, but after he notices a tear on Melina's cheek decides to shoot Harry instead. Lori and some drones then pursue the pair inside the building's lifts, but fail to capture them.

Quaid and Melina meet with Matthias. While Matthias searches Quaid's memories, a SWAT team, led by Lori and Cohaagen, burst in. Cohaagen informs Matthias that Quaid/Hauser was secretly working for him without even knowing it, since his memories were altered, and that the kill code was a trap. Cohaagen kills Matthias and orders Hauser's mind restored. Quaid pleads with Cohaagen to spare Melina but he disregards this as Cohaagen and Lori take Melina away. Before Quaid's mind is altered, Hammond helps Quaid escape but is killed in the process.

Cohaagen then launches his invasion at the Fall terminal. Quaid arrives and manages to sneak on board, setting timed explosives throughout the ship while searching for Melina. After freeing her, they climb atop the Fall as it arrives at the Colony. There they fight the soldiers and Cohaagen, then Quaid's explosives detonate. Quaid and Melina jump off before the ship plummets back into the tunnel and explodes underground, killing Cohaagen and his army.

Waking up in an ambulance, Quaid is greeted by Melina. When he notices that she is missing a scar on her left hand, he realizes that she is in fact Lori in disguise; the pair fight and Lori is killed. Quaid finds the real Melina outside the ambulance and they embrace.

(In the extended director's cut, Quaid finds a bandage on the inside of his elbow, but there is no wound. He then remembers that a peace sign tattoo had been placed there while he was at Rekall. This hints that everything was an implanted Rekall memory that Quaid has been experiencing since sitting in the chair at Rekall. This ending is briefly suggested in the regular cut because at the end, Quaid stares a Rekall sign in the distance and momentarily wonders about his recent experiences.)

Cast

  • Colin Farrell as Douglas "Doug" Quaid/Carl Hauser, a factory worker suffering from strange violent dreams.[6]
  • Kate Beckinsale as Lori, a UFB undercover agent posing as Quaid's wife.[7]
  • Jessica Biel as Melina, a member of the Resistance and Quaid/Hauser's love interest.[7] The extended director's cut reveals that she is Matthias' daughter.
  • Bryan Cranston as Chancellor Vilos Cohaagen, the corrupt and ruthless Chancellor of the United Federation of Britain.[8]
  • Bokeem Woodbine as Harry, Quaid's best friend.
  • Bill Nighy as Matthias Lair, the leader of the Resistance.[9]
  • John Cho as Bob McClane, a rep for Rekall who offers Quaid the chance to experience an imagined adventure.[10]
  • Steve Byers as Henry Reed, a cover for Hauser

Ethan Hawke appears as Hauser's original appearance in the director's cut. In the script as originally filmed, both Hauser's memory and physical appearance were heavily altered by the UFB to turn him into Quaid. This plot point was excised from the theatrical cut, so Hawke appears only in the extended director's cut.

Production

On June 2, 2009, Variety reported that Kurt Wimmer would write the script for the film.[11] Mark Bomback also co-wrote[5] and James Vanderbilt did a "polish" on the script.[12] Over a year later Len Wiseman was hired to direct.[13] Paul Cameron is the film's cinematographer[14] and Christian Wagner is the film's editor.[15] The soundtrack is a collaboration of Harry Gregson-Williams and Welsh electronica group Hybrid.[16] Although described in the press as a "remake", star Jessica Biel claimed in her August 2, 2012 appearance on The Daily Show that the film is not a remake of the 1990 film, but an adaptation of the original short story by Philip K. Dick.[17] However, Biel's own character of "Melina" was not actually present in the original short story by Philip K. Dick and only exists in this film and the original 1990 film. The same goes 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 moving the action from Mars to "the Colony".

In August 2010, Arnold Schwarzenegger expressed an interest in reprising his role as Doug Quaid until October 2010, when it was officially reported in The Hollywood Reporter that Colin Farrell was on the top of the short list, which included Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender, to play Quaid.[18] On January 11, 2011, it was announced that Farrell had secured the role.[6] Farrell stated in April that the remake would not be the same as Dick's short story.[19]

Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel were both confirmed for roles on May 25,[7] after actresses Eva Green, Diane Kruger, and Kate Bosworth had previously been considered for Biel's role.[20] Actor Bryan Cranston was cast as the film's villain.[8][21] Ethan Hawke was reportedly cast in a cameo role, and commented that his character had a monologue about five pages long;[22][23] however, this role was apparently later cut. Though cut from the original film, Ethan Hawke is featured in the extended version of the film.[24] Later cast additions included Bill Nighy[25] and John Cho.[10]

On a reported budget of $200 million, principal photography began in Toronto on May 16, 2011, and ended on September 20, 2011.[26] Scenes were filmed at the Pinewood Toronto Studios,[27] as well as the University of Toronto, Lower Bay Station, CIBC Commerce Court, the University of Toronto Scarborough, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre,[28] and Guelph.[29] The film was shot with Red Epic digital cameras and Panavision anamorphic lenses.[30] After securing the film rights from Miramax Films, Columbia Pictures distributed the film.[11]

Release

Box office performance

Total Recall was released on August 3, 2012, and opened in 3,601 theaters in the United States, grossing $9,100,000 on its opening day and $25,577,758 on its opening weekend, ranking #2 with a per theater average of $7,220. As of October 13, 2012, the film made $58,877,969 domestically and $139,589,199 outside of the United States for a total of $198,467,168.[31][32]

Critical response

The film received mixed to negative reviews. It has a 31% "rotten" rating on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes based on 209 reviews, with the consensus stating: "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."[33] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 43, based on 41 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews."[34] Critics cited Total Recall's action sequences as "visually impressive". The film earned a Razzie Award nomination for Biel as Worst Supporting Actress.

Joe Williams of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gave the film a positive review, stating: "The richly constructed first hour is so superior to any feat of sci-fi speculation since "Minority Report" that the bland aftertaste of the chase finale is quickly forgotten."[35] Roger Ebert of the Chicago 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."[36] Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune also gave the film a positive review, 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."[37]

Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a mixed review, saying 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."[38] Amy Biancolli of the San Francisco Chronicle also gave the film a mixed review, stating: "For all of its dazzlingly rendered cityscapes and nonstop action, this revamped Total Recall is a bland thing—bloodless, airless, humorless, featureless. With or without the triple-bosomed prostitute."[39] Jen Chaney of The Washington Post gave the film two-stars-out-of-four, saying: "So what makes this 2012 Total Recall superior to the Arnie model? For starters, there's an actual actor in the starring role.... Still, this Recall has more than its share of flaws."[40] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film "C", stating that "this one is somberly kinetic and joyless."[41] Justin Chang of Variety gave the film a mixed review: "Crazy new gadgets, vigorous action sequences and a thorough production-design makeover aren't enough to keep Total Recall from feeling like a near-total redundancy."[42]

Kyle Smith of the New York Post gave the film a negative review, stating: "As for a villain, you could do worse than Bryan Cranston as the evil political overlord who is trying to stamp out the resistance... But... When he goes mano a mano with Farrell, it's not spine-tingling. It's embarrassing, like watching a dude beat up his dad."[43] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone also gave the film a negative review, stating that "since the new Recall is totally witless, don't expect laughs. Originality and coherence are also notably MIA."[44]

Possible sequel

In July 2012, Colin Farrell mention the possibility of doing another film.[45] Producer Neal Moritz said that if audience likes it, we’ll make a sequel.[46]

Video game

A 3D first-person shooter video game of the same name for iPhone, iPad and Android was released as a tie-in to the film.[47][48]

References

  1. ^ "Title « British Board of Film Classification". BBFC.co.uk. 2012-07-16. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
  2. ^ a b "Total Recall (2012) Total Lifetime Grosses". Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  3. ^ Warner, Kara (April 20, 2012). "Total Recall remake heads in 'a different direction' from original". MTV. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  4. ^ "A Total Recall Remake is Very Real". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline. February 26, 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  5. ^ a b Fischer, Russ (February 25, 2011). "Sony Schedules 'Total Recall' For August 2012, Also Dates 'I Hate You, Dad' And Kevin James' MMA Film". /Film. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Colin Farrell cast in 'Total Recall' remake". The Independent. January 12, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  7. ^ a b c Weintraub, Steve (May 25, 2011). "Exclusive: Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel Officially Cast in TOTAL RECALL; Filming Starts Monday in Toronto [UPDATED]". Collider.com. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Kate Beckinsale Offered TOTAL RECALL". Collider.com. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
  9. ^ "Open your mind to Bill Nighy as the new Kuato in the remake of Total Recall". Jablo.com. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  10. ^ a b Schaefer, Sandy (May 27, 2011). "Zach Braff Joins 'Oz'; John Cho Has 'Total Recall'". ScreenRant. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  11. ^ a b Fleming, Mike (June 2, 2009). "Wimmer to write 'Total Recall' remake". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  12. ^ Fernandez, Jay A. (March 24, 2011). "James Vanderbilt Returning to Pen 'Spider-Man' Sequel (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  13. ^ Sciretta, Peter (July 29, 2010). "Len Wiseman to Direct Total Recall". /Film. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  14. ^ Caranicas, Peter (February 15, 2011). "Revisionist History for 'Kennedys' crew". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  15. ^ "Total Recall (Remake) (2012)". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  16. ^ "Music for Total Recall « Hybrid". HybridSoundSystem.com. 2012-04-03. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
  17. ^ "Episode #17.134". The Daily Show. Season 17. Episode 134. August 2, 2012. Comedy Central.
  18. ^ Fernandez, Jay A. (October 21, 2010). "EXCLUSIVE: Colin Farrell Is Frontrunner for 'Total Recall' Lead". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  19. ^ Eisenberg, Eric (April 26, 2011). "Colin Farrell Says Total Recall Remake Won't Re-Adapt Philip K. Dick". Cinema Blend. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  20. ^ Fleming, Mike (March 22, 2011). "Who's Reading For 'Total Recall' Gals?". Deadline.com. Mail.com Media. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  21. ^ "Bryan Cranston Defends Total Recall Remake". ContactMusic.com. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  22. ^ Chitwood, Adam (May 20, 2011). "Ethan Hawke Reveals His TOTAL RECALL Cameo Involves 5-Page Monologue". Collider.com. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  23. ^ Kit, Borys (May 10, 2011). "Ethan Hawke Joins 'Total Recall' Remake (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  24. ^ "How Ethan Hawke's role in the new Total Recall changes everything". io9. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  25. ^ Johnson, James (May 25, 2011). "Bill Nighy Cast In 'Total Recall' Remake". The Inquisitr. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  26. ^ "In Production". Ontario Media Development Corporation. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  27. ^ Vlessing, Etan (December 23, 2010). "Report: Columbia Pictures' 'Total Recall' Headed to Toronto". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  28. ^ Woods, Michael (July 25, 2011). "Frustrated with Lake Shore closure? Blame Colin Farrell". The Toronto Star. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  29. ^ Tracey, Scott (August 22, 2011). "Total Recall major film shoot shakes up downtown Guelph". The Guelph Mercury. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  30. ^ Lezotte, Suzanne (January 27, 2012). "Paul Cameron Shoots from a "Ledge"". Panavision.com. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  31. ^ "Daily Box Office Results for Friday, August 3, 2012". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  32. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for August 3-5, 2012". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  33. ^ "Total Recall". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixter. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  34. ^ "Total Recall". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  35. ^ Williams, Joe (August 3, 2012). "Remake of 'Total Recall' creates its own identity". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. STLToday.com. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  36. ^ Ebert, Roger (August 1, 2012). "Total Recall (PG-13)". Chicago Sun-Times. RogerEbert.com. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  37. ^ Phillips, Michael (August 2, 2012). "'Total Recall': Remember this? ★★ 1/2". Chicago Tribune. A Tribune Newspaper. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  38. ^ Lowe, Justin (August 2, 2012). "Total Recall: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  39. ^ Biancolli, Amy (August 2, 2012). "'Total Recall' review: Memory lapse". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications Inc. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  40. ^ Chaney, Jen (August 3, 2012). "Total Recall". Washington Post. WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  41. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (August 6, 2012). "Total Recall". Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly Inc. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  42. ^ Chang, Justin (August 1, 2012). "Film Review: Total Recall". Variety. Reed Elsevier Properties Inc. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  43. ^ Smith, Kyle (August 2, 2012). "WATCH: Total recoil!". New York Post. NYP Holdings, Inc. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  44. ^ Travers, Peter (August 2, 2012). "Total Recall". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  45. ^ http://www.totalfilm.com/news/colin-farrell-talks-remaking-total-recall
  46. ^ http://screenrant.com/total-recall-2-sequel-rob-178874/
  47. ^ Haslam, Oliver (July 29, 2012). "Official Total Recall Game For iPhone And iPad Blasts Its Way Into The App Store – Download Now!". Redmond Pie.
  48. ^ (July 28, 2012). Total Recall for Android Now Available for Download. softpedia.
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