A little cheesy but has a great story

Rating: 7/10 (6 July 2012)

What would you do if you had the opportunity to take a virtual reality trip to Mars? It sounds like an awesome idea right? Well it ends up being not so awesome for Douglas Quaid when he takes his virtual reality tour, only to discover that a chip has been implanted in his brain and all of his memories are fake, and they were implanted there by some sort of secret government agency. Or... were they?
Total Recall is, in part, a sci-fi action flick as well as a mind bending thriller where nothing is as it seems and we're never really sure what is reality and what is a dream. Douglas Quaid, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is looking to escape reality through the virtual reality trip service Rekall. Things go awry and Quaid learns startling things about himself that he sets out to find the answers to. But, the question is, is it all really happening to Quaid or is it just a dream put together by the Rekall system? Throughout the film there are various events that hint towards both sides, and in the end we must decide for ourselves.
With this kind of ambiguity running rampant throughout the film there's an element of excitement that makes the whole film very interesting to watch. We want to know the truth, but we can't be too sure of anything. Then, at the same time the reality versus dream storyline is taking place, it's the undercurrent for the story taking place on Mars that has to do with the rebels trying to take down the Martian government so that they can get air at a fair price. Mars is run by the ruthless Cohaagen who is in charge of distributing all the air on Mars, and it is the thing that keeps him in such control over the whole planet. Quaid makes it his mission to defeat Cohaagen and save Mars from tyranny. But, once again, is he really doing all this or is it all in his mind?
Story wise, Total Recall is awesome. It's brilliantly original and wildly creative. It's what makes Total Recall an awesome film to watch, because it lacks in some other areas. Nothing too serious, but the film is a little cheesy with it's streak of dark humor running through it, some sappy dialogue, as well as pretty terrible acting. But it's definitely fun, and an overall really neat film to experience. It's a great work of sci-fi that shouldn't be missed by any sci-fi fans.