Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Total Recall Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 7, 2012

Winner of Special Achievement Academy Award for its visual effects, Dutch director Paul Verhoeven's "Total Recall" (1990) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Studio Canal. The supplemental features on the disc include a brand new interview with director Paul Verhoeven; making of featurette; in-depth look at the special effects; photo gallery; original trailer; restoration comparison; audio commentary with director Paul Verhoeven and Arnold Schwarzenegger; audio commentary with cinematographer Jost Vacano; and a lot more. In English, with optional English SDH, French, and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Somewhere on Mars

The future. Construction worker Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is obsessed with Mars. He does not quite understand why, but cannot stop dreaming about it. He attempts to convince his beautiful wife Lori (Sharon Stone) to travel with him to Mars, but she opposes the idea and thus inspires him to visit Rekall, a company that deals with memory implants.

The folks at Rekall offer Quaid exactly what he wants - a safe and affordable virtual trip to Mars with an entirely new identity. He quickly chooses the identity of a secret agent and sits back in the memory machine to enjoy the experience.

But during the memory transfer something goes terribly wrong and Quaid acquires a new personality, one that might have actually been blocked from him before. But when and where? And why?

While trying to figure out whether everything that is happening to him is real or part of the virtual trip he purchased from Rekall, Quaid meets all sorts of different characters who manage to make his life even more miserable than it already is. On top of everything else, his former friends and even his wife repeatedly try to kill him. Angry and seriously frustrated, Quaid travels to Mars to meet a powerful man who might have the answers to the apparently dangerous questions he has started asking.

Inspired by a short story written by Philip K. Dick, Dutch director Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall is a flashy and surprisingly violent sci-fi action film which has aged relatively well. Most of the special effects, for example, still look good, while the sets and costumes are some of the best that can be seen in similarly themed films.

The action is gory but stylish. The majority of the time it also makes sense, which is one of the strong points of the film. Schwarzenegger isn’t treated as a muscle man that simply looks good with arms and loves to kill either. He has decent lines and genuinely looks like a man facing a strange dilemma. The questions he asks throughout the film are the type of questions anyone in his shoes will likely ask.

The film stutters a bit in the second half, where it attempts to satirize with a degree of seriousness that is inappropriate. The few quick jabs at government control, for instance, are absolutely laughable. The finale also feels a bit too simplistic for a film that has demanded a great deal of concentration from the viewer.

Total Recall was lensed by cinematographer Jost Vacano, who is probably best known for his work with Volker Schlöndorff and Margarethe von Trotta on The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum, Wolfgang Petersen on Das Boot, and Verhoeven on his Soldier of Orange, Spatters and the hugely popular RoboCop.

The film’s impressive production designs were created by William Sandell (RoboCop, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World), while the unique costume designs were done by Erika Edell Phillips (RoboCop, Air Force One).

The late Jerry Goldsmith (Chinatown, Outland) composed the film’s soundtrack.

Note: In 1991, Total Recall won Special Achievement Academy Award for its visual effects (Eric Brevig, Rob Bottin, Tim McGovern, Alex Funke).

Total Recall Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Paul Verhoeven's Total Recall arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Studio Canal.

I don't have previous DVD or Blu-ray releases of this film in my library to do some direct comparisons, but I would be shocked if any of them come even remotely close in matching the quality of this new Blu-ray release. Simply put, the presentation is outstanding, on par with what we typically see from Criterion, Sony Pictures and Warner Brothers, among others.

Boasting a brand new high-definition transfer struck from the original film negative and approved by director Paul Verhoeven, Total Recall looks spectacular. From start to finish detail is outstanding, especially during well-lit close-ups (see screencapture #5), while clarity is, in my opinion, as good as it could possibly be. Some of the indoor footage from Mars, for instance, looks tremendous (see screencapture #18), while the outdoor footage where various special effects are used never appears flat. Contrast levels are also perfectly balanced. What impressed me the most, however, was the flawless color reproduction. When projected, the film conveys outstanding color depth, with the variety of reds, blues, and light browns looking notably lush and stable. Additionally, there are absolutely no traces of problematic degraining/denoising corrections. Naturally, a layer of healthy and very well resolved light grain could be seen throughout the entire film. Finally, there are no cuts, damage marks, or stains to report in this review. All in all, I do believe that this new Blu-ray release of Paul Verhoeven's Total Recall will be the definitive home video release of the film for many years to come. It is that good. (This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Note: The disc's adjustable main menu - the interface can be set in English, French, or German - indicates that this Blu-ray release is also meant to be sold in Germany and France. Naturally, the German and French releases should look just as impressive.

Total Recall Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Studio Canal have provided optional English SDH, German, and French subtitles for the main feature.

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track gives the film much needed depth and intensity. The sound is very bright, crisp, and always stable. Rather predictably, some of the shootouts are likely to test the muscles of your system. I should clarify that the intensity does not quite match that of recent action films, but it is very easy to tell that the audio has been optimized as best as possible. The dialog is clean, crisp, and free of problematic distortions. There are no audio dropouts to report in this review either.

Total Recall Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview - in this brand new interview, director Paul Verhoeven discusses the production history of Total Recall and its unique qualities, and comments on how the film has aged. The director also recalls his initial impressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger and discusses his work ethic. In English, not subtitled. (35 min, 1080p).

• Total Recall: The Special Effects - an in-depth look at the once very impressive special effects seen in Total Recall. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).

• Making of - a standard making of featurette with raw footage from the shooting of Total Recall and comments from director Paul Verhoeven and cast and crew members. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, PAL).

• Imagining Total Recall - in this featurette, co-screenwriter Ron Shusett, co-screenwriter Gary Goldman, production designer William Sandell, editor Frank Urioste, visual effects supervisor Eric Brevig, director Paul Verhoeven and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others, discuss Philip K. Dick's story and the production history of Total Recall. In English, not subtitled. (31 min, PAL).

• Restoration Comparison - a short demonstration with selected clips from the film. (6 min, 1080p).

• Photo Gallery - a gallery of stills from the film. Music only. (2 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - Carolco's original theatrical trailer for Total Recall. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, PAL).

• Commentary - this is the same audio commentary with director Paul Verhoeven and Arnold Schwarzenegger that has appeared on previous releases of Total Recall. In English.

NOTE: If one chooses the German or French main interfaces, in the special features section of the disc there are different supplemental features. Listed below are the supplemental features that cannot be accessed via the UK interface.

French Interface

• Lecon d'effets speciaux avec Kameleon - Morgan Hildebrand and Gerald Mignotte from Kameleon Studio discuss the special effects in Total Recall. Filmed in 2001. In French, not subtitled. (17 min, PAL).

• Autour de la litterature de SF et de Philip K. Dick avec Stephane Bourgoin - a video introduction to Total Recall by French writer, Sci-Fi expert, and criminologist Stephane Bourgoin. In French, not subtitled. (10 min, PAL).

German Interface

• Commentary - an audio commentary with cinematographer Jost Vacano (assisted by Marko Kregel). The audio commentary is in German with optional English subtitles.

Total Recall Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Studio Canal's new Blu-ray release of Paul Verhoeven's Total Recall is essentially the complete package fans of the film have been hoping to get. It features a brand new and approved by its director high-definition transfer struck from the original negative and a wealth of supplemental features, including an excellent exclusive new video interview with the Dutch director. There is no doubt in my mind that this will be the definitive home video release of Total Recall for years to come. Buy with confidence, folks, the film looks spectacular, the best it ever has. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.