Amazing sci-fi action adventure just keeps on giving

Rating: 10/10 (15 November 2016)

Much like his other hit movies ROBOCOP and STARSHIP TROOPERS, Dutch director Paul Verhoeven here delivers another exciting, entertaining and wholly fun slice of science fiction, packed to the brim with violence and gore. The premise on which the film is based is taken from a Philip K. Dick short story, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, and provides an engrossing look at the question of "what is reality?". Throughout the film, we are never sure if the events taking place are real, or a simple dream, and the ambiguity of the situation makes it all the more interesting.
Of course, on the surface, with all the psychological and metaphysical subtext aside, this is just another Schwarzenegger slam-blam action fest, but the fight scenes here are choreographed well and very stylised. The fight co-ordinators decided that due to Schwarzenegger's immense presence, all of his hits and kicks would be powerful blows capable of knocking out his enemies. Therefore it's a lot of fun watching Arnie beat his way through a huge army of bad guys, who all die screaming or shouting in agony.
The film also benefits from an above average cast. While Schwarzenegger gets to dig a little deeper into previously undiscovered acting skills, the film benefits from the early presence of Sharon Stone, before she made it big in Hollywood, as a hard-hitting, high-kicking secret agent posing as Arnie's wife. Her role also sets up a classic Schwarzenegger one liner, namely "consider that a divorce". Rachel Ticotin is the only person in the film who doesn't really gel into her role, being neither feisty nor powerful enough to assert herself, although part of the blame does lie within her underwritten role. The bad guys are played by Ronny Cox, who reprises his role as an evil dictator from ROBOCOP, and Michael Ironside who really gets his teeth into the role of a sociopathic murderer, forever hunting Arnie's character. In fact it is Ironside who steals the show as the ruthless villain of the piece.
Action fans will have a ball with the numerous set pieces in the film, from the subway shootout to the moment where Arnie is nearly crushed by a huge mining machine at the end. In between there is a memorable moment where Arnie chucks a bullet-riddled corpse at his pursuers down an escalator, and plenty of shootouts and battles. In fact the film is like a huge cat and mouse film, and there is action every five minutes. Almost so much, that it feels like an epic. The special effects, by Rob Bottin (THE THING) amongst others, are also excellent, and deservedly won an Oscar.
There is plenty of gore in the film for horror fans, as Arnie impales, shoots and battles the villains. A man gets drilled, Ironside gets his arms torn off in a unforgettable battle at the end of the film, and chief villain Cox has his eyes bulge out. Other effects include Arnie pulling a huge bug (the mechanical kind) out of his nose, numerous backdrops of futuristic settings and Mars, plenty of hi-tech machinery, and a whole race of mutants who are actually the good guys (echoing the classic horror of FREAKS). These mutants are a varied bunch, from radiation-scarred people to a man with a baby living on his chest, another man with a skeletal, monstrous arm and a woman with three breasts.
The script by Dan O'Bannon makes sure that things are always fun and never get too serious, and Arnie has plenty of one liners to entertain the audience with. In fact, TOTAL RECALL is so non-stop, it will leave you breathless at the end. TOTAL RECALL has to be one of my favourite science fiction films, and stands up to repeated viewing, whether you view it on a pure adrenaline level or as a crazy ride through drugs and fantasy.