7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
Construction worker Douglas Quaid discovers a memory chip in his brain during a virtual-reality trip. He also finds that his past has been invented to conceal a plot of planetary domination. Soon, he’s off to Mars to find out who he is and who planted the chip.
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Ronny Cox, Michael IronsideAction | 100% |
Thriller | 87% |
Sci-Fi | 72% |
Adventure | 23% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH, French, German
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Note: There is no way to discuss Total Recall without revealing some of its twists. If you haven't seen
the film and don't want to know at least some of what happens, it's probably best to skip to the technical aspects of
the review below.
Great authors often arrive at similar ideas without there ever being even a whiff of plagiarism. Philip K. Dick had his
short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” published in 1966, just a few short months after a little
remembered novel by British science fiction writer L.P. Davies appeared. The Davies novel was entitled The Artificial
Man, and it was optioned by none other than William Castle and turned into the pretty cheesy if still moderately
enjoyable 1968 film Project X,
recently released on Blu-ray by Olive Films. The similarities between these two offerings are really rather remarkable:
both posit secret agents who have had their memories erased and who have had new identities “implanted” into their
synapses, and both feature the slow but steady breakdown of both a faux reality and the agent’s own mind,
which is struggling to reconcile “facts” it knows subconsciously aren’t right. Project X really could have
been the Total Recall of its day, had the film simply stuck closer to Davies’ original conception, because Davies’
novel unfolds very much like Total Recall does—with an unsuspecting man evidently ensconced in a fake
world who slowly begins to realize things are not exactly as they seem. Unfortunately Project X decided to
“give up the ghost” from the get go, letting the viewer in on the plot to keep the agent fooled, and that one decision
set the film off on a wrongheaded tack from which it never fully recovers (not to mention the less than stunning special
effects which were available on a relatively paltry Castle budget). Total Recall, on the other hand, plies much
the same territory as The Artificial Man (if not Project X), and sets up its central gambit perfectly, by
letting the audience figure out along with hero Douglas Quaid that he’s not who he’s been led to believe he is.
(There's one rather odd similarity between the Davies novel and Total Recall which may suggest that one of that
film's many screenwriters may have read the Davies novel: in The Artificial Man, the hero's real name is Hagen
Arnold, and in Total Recall the main villain bears the surname of Cohaagen.)
Total Recall is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal and Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. This is an all new high definition transfer supervised and approved by director Paul Verhoeven and struck from the original camera negative. As evidenced by the restoration comparison included on this Blu-ray as a supplement, the results are rather dramatic. Contrast is markedly better in this presentation, as is color timing and especially saturation. Despite the plethora of scenes bathed in red, fine object detail pops impressively, especially in close- ups. No extreme digital tweaking appears to be in evidence, so this transfer has a beautifully filmic appearance, with a nice layer of fine grain overlaying the entire film. Total Recall was done in the days of practical and optical effects, and those occasionally show their age, but not to any real detrimental effect.
Total Recall offers lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mixes in English, French and German (and sample the German track to hear Arnie speaking in his native tongue). The English track is an incredibly visceral experience, completely immersive and wonderfully nuanced. The film zooms from set piece to set piece with an abundance of gunfire, snapping bones and other foley effects clearly directional and rendered with excellent fidelity. Dialogue and Jerry Goldsmith's nicely bombastic score are well prioritized and are delivered cleanly and clearly. Dynamic range is extremely wide and LFE is utilized very effectively in several key sequences.
Total Recall remains one of the best Schwarzenegger films, one that is smart but visceral. It may stretch the bounds of credulity as it kind of stumbles through a still awkward third act, but overall this is still an incredibly effective and impressive piece that blends an intelligent screenplay with some great looking special effects. While some may have some niggling complaints about not all of the previously released supplements having been ported over to this new release, otherwise this is a completely stellar effort that offers superior video and audio. Highly recommended.
1990
Mind-Bending Edition
1990
1990
Retro VHS Collection
1990
1990
1990
3 Disc Edition
2012
+BD with the 3 versions
1991
2009
40th Anniversary Edition
1984
1987
2000
2005
2008
Unrated Extended Edition
2005
2015
2008
2015
20th Anniversary Edition
1997
1080i
2003
Director's Cut
2009
2013
15th Anniversary Edition
2005
Limited Edition
2004
PG-13 Theatrical Cut
2006
2011