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Total Recall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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n the future, Doug Quaid (Schwarzenegger) is a bored construction worker who dreams of adventure on Mars. An actual Martian vacation is beyond his means, but Rekall Inc. can give you the memory of a great vacation for a fraction of the cost. Despite the best efforts of his wife, Lori (Stone), to talk him out of it, Quaid goes to Rekall. His virtual Martian trip includes a secret agent plotline in which he'll be beset by danger on all sides, get the girl, kill the bad guys and save the whole planet.
But something goes wrong during the process, when it turns out that Quaid really was a secret agent on Mars named Hauser. His memory's been tampered with and he's been stuck in another life, as a bored construction worker on Earth. Now, though, his cover's blown and he's off to Mars with the deadly Richter (Ironside) in hot pursuit.
On Mars, Quaid finds himself caught up in a revolution against the iron grip of the evil Administrator, Cohaagen (Cox). There's an underground movement, a gorgeous girl and even an alien artifact with the power to transform Mars forever.
Or is there? "Inspired" by Philip K. Dick's story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, Total Recall works on two different levels. Is the story to be taken as presented? Or is this all a bad dream going on inside Quaid's head, result of a botched memory implant, as various characters keep insisting? The movie gleefully toys with viewers' expectations at this meta-level. Not only is nothing in the film's world quite what it seems—viewers can't really be sure what the movie itself is about.
This special limited-edition DVD release of Total Recall comes in a round metal tin that looks like Mars. The disc itself offers a carefully remastered version of the film, along with the usual raft of extras, including a commentary track with Schwarzenegger himself and director Paul Verhoeven.
Too many cooks spoil Mars
First conceived of as a sort of futuristic Walter Mitty tale (Quaid was originally an accountant, and Richard Dreyfus was to star!) Total Recall took a tortuous path to the screen, finally arriving as a loud, blustery, hyper-violent summer blockbuster. Verhoeven notes on the commentary track that some 30 different writers had a hand in the script at one time or another.
Given how much of a committee project Total Recall was, it's surprising that it comes as close as it does. But it still doesn't quite succeed. It's big and flashy, in some ways it's clever, and it even has a message. But it doesn't really have any soul. There's nothing going on inside that FX-laden exterior.
In some ways that's the problem with this special edition as well. There are plenty of extras, but they give the impression that the marketing department just shoveled in whatever it could find since more extras means more "special." They're a very mixed bag. Things like the production sketches and parallel storyboards are nice. But others are completely pointless, like "Rekall's Virtual Vacations," a set of three short loops of computer animation intended to suggest exotic locales like Martian Dunes.
The most notable extra is the "rare" audio commentary with the movie's star and director. Let's just say Schwarzenegger and Verhoeven don't come off as two guys with a lot in common. The track is often unintentionally hilarious. Verhoeven will be droning on, comparing his camera angles to Hitchcock's or talking about the film as a metaphor for Western colonialism. Then Schwarzenegger will cut in with something like "Look, there's the thing that came out of my nose. That's how the bad guys could find me."
Weird as it is, the track does offer some interesting insights. For example, Verhoeven explains why it was Sharon Stone's performance in Total Recall that led him to cast her in the film that made her a superstar in her own right, Basic Instinct.
Overall, the disc isn't a bad one. There's nothing here that will expand the film's audience beyond those who were already fans. But those fans should be able to find something they like among the extras.
Having seen both Terminator movies, I know Arnold can pull off a smart, edgy SF flick with plenty of action. And that's what Total Recall should have been. I'd always felt that the movie's problems had more to do with Verhoeven. After listening to both of them on this disc, I'm convinced of it. — John
Also in this issue: Futurama Premiere, The Matrix Revisited, Willow DVD and Another Day
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