True Sci-Fi: Certifiably Crazy, with a Thoughtful Undercurrent

Rating: 6/10 (25 February 2013)

All in all, this is really one of the strangest films out there, in my opinion. On one hand, it is obviously a Schwarzenegger star vehicle, directed by the characteristically over-the-top Paul Verhoeven, a ludicrous gore-fest featuring no shortage of cheap thrills. On the other hand, it is a seriously conceptual science fiction trip, and however much it may depart from the Phillip K. Dick source material on which it is based, it still is a genuinely good, thoughtful story at its heart.
It opens with a beautiful, mysterious scene on Mars, but soon finds itself back on Earth, with Arnold and his crazy reptilian facial expressions, going 21st-century schizoid man on any number of enemies that he finds coming out of the woodwork to get him. Along the way, there is a lot of (obviously fake) blood, a lot of people dying dramatically, a lot of product placement, and plenty of shameless exploitation of all sorts of things.
But somehow, it never becomes disposable. From the word go, Schwarzenegger's title character is one worth caring about, and as the overall plot gradually reveals itself, one can easily become quite engrossed in it. This is not a film without real emotion. There is plenty of drama, a truly big, epic climax and a surprisingly artistic final frame.
There are two specific elements in TOTAL RECALL that I think bear mentioning. First, the excellent visual depictions of the planet Mars. I am referring to the *exteriors* where, whatever the filmmaking techniques used, a very evocative picture is painted of another world, both romantic and bleak at the same time.
The second thing is the performance of Rachel Ticotin. Her depiction of the character Melina makes this film far better and more watchable that it would have been otherwise. I cannot overstate that. I found myself looking her up to see what else she had acted in. In a film full of performances that are effective but most of them laughable nonetheless, Ticotin is really, seriously believable. For me, she is the heart. (Not Sharon Stone.)
I do not know how much I actually like this film. But it is an undeniably entertaining watch, with some interesting ideas about the future and no lack of visual craziness. It is far more violent than I had anticipated, so definitely not for everyone. Also, it is a bit dated when viewed in the present (2013), but not nearly so much as many other films from its era. I give it 6.5 out of 10.