One of the weakest sugar-coated sci-fi attempts from Hollywood

Rating: 3/10 (14 August 2007)

"Predator" and "Terminator" are good. "Commando" is funny and cool. "RoboCop" is great. But this one is a turkey, neither cool nor funny, neither good nor ultimately bad. It pretends to be something valuable. But such elements as the fighting between the main hero and his "wife" with "picturesque" martial arts moves, stupid taxi service with that cheap talking driver-doll that tries to joke, bits of action without proper "set piece" as a big macho is running, jumping, and killing some mutants and security guards, while trying to save the planet (is it a video-game? then where is the joystick?), pretentious performance and dialogues backed up by violence (remember the evil character shooting a lady in the bar just to show them who's the boss and his face expressions), too many trash-talking characters - especially mutants - making it all look hectic like some crowd scenes of "Star Wars" are ruining it, at least to me. Even a greatly executed (visually) scene with the talking female cyber-mask, which blows the whole place off, cannot save it all. When I witness such things, I am not interested in the plot. It is just another eye-candy from Hollywood - it can be mind-blowing (and perhaps it really is) but I don't care what happens next. If you can appreciate all those super-entertaining details, then it is possibly a movie for you. I cannot. "What a waste of everything" is the only phrase that comes to my mind.
Just one parallel to mention here. Does anybody remember the PD shoot-out scene in "Terminator" or any shooting scene in "RoboCop"? The backgrounds for those scenes were overwhelming. The shootouts looked real and serious. They were kind of "fortissimo". And even after repeated viewing I watch them with some sort of awe. And what do we have here? It all looks like a cheap "catch-me-if-you-can" game that just goes on and on till the finale. Cannot call any separate action scene even "mezzo-forte".
Maybe I'm completely wrong and it is just the choice of effects, actors, and one-liners, which are to blame.
Anyhow, I do not want to recall this "Total Recall" because it does not worth it. The only reason I type this comment is that I disagree with the film's high rating. It is to be 5 out of 10 at most. "RoboCop" (1987) is worth a thousandth buy (great job, Mr Paul Verhoeven) while "Total Recall" is not worth even a second look (can't believe it is the same Mr Paul Verhoeven behind this production).
3 out of 10 (to watch once is more than enough). Thanks for attention.