Thrilling sci-fi/action film

Rating: 9/10 (25 July 2006)

Douglas Quaid works as a miner on Earth and recently he has been plagued with nightmares about Mars. There is human colony on Mars, but Quaid has spent his whole life on Earth, yet the nightmares seem increasingly real and convincing. Going against a friend's advice, Quaid goes to company that instills memories to check his memory and soon uncovers that not only is everything not as it seems, but Quaid himself is not who he thinks he is.
From the get-go this movie may seem like a sure-fire failure - a big studio financed science fiction movie with from complex source material. However, like 2002's 'Minority Report' this is also a terrific, twisty, adrenaline-rush of a film. Using elaborate sets and effects, which are pre-digital landscapes so that makes them even more amazing, the film shows an engrossing vision of the future. The success of the production is that the action and effects are kept second to the veering conspiracy storyline and that is what makes the movie very interesting, in addition to very exciting. Also, some great darkly toned, dead pan comic relief is inserted here and there along with Ronny Cox in another great "slime-in-an-Armani suit role" that tops his performance in RoboCop.
A minor strike against the film is violence, while not senseless, limits the film to be as enjoyable for everyone as 'Minority Report.' However, it remains a thrilling science fiction actioner that ranks among Arnold's few truly great movies. 9/10
Rated R for strong graphic violence, and profanity