Great, very intricate script by the excellent Verhoeven

Rating: 8/10 (6 February 2000)

This movie is one of Arnold's best. Not just for the excellent Sci-fi story and action sequences but especially for the script. I recently re-viewed this movie and noticed some things I had never noticed before. They never REALLY tell you if Quaid (Arnold) is really a secret agent or it is just part of the program, at first glance it seems that he was a secret agent all along and the visit to Recall triggered his memory, yet consider that perhaps this is all part of the implanted memory! Consider these facts, the salesman says "by the end you'll kill the bad guy, get the girl and save the planet". Or a less ambiguous example, the technician in the memory implantation room says "blue sky on mars? huh, that's a new one" which is just what Quaid does, restores atmosphere to mars!
Verhoeven has a gift of including complex messages in movies that seem to be made to appeal to the lowest common denominator, (Starship Troopers, Robocop). Yet he has become one of my favorite directors due to his excellent style and use of satire. Watch this movie for the excellent story, watch it twice to pick up on what you missed.