A classic Schwartzenegger Action Movie

Rating: 8/10 (31 August 2012)

I love this movie: it is a science fiction film with almost non-stop action. It is based around a man, Douglas Quaid (Arnold Swarzenegger), who really wants to go to Mars, but his wife won't let him. He hears of this place called Rekall, which can implant memories of a holiday into his mind. Quaid goes to Rekall, but while they are implanting the memories, they uncover another memory where he is a secret agent in deep cover. Now that his cover has been blown, people are trying to kill him, and he must get to Mars to find out what is really going on.
This movie is based upon the story by Philip K. Dick called "We can remember it for you Wholesale", and I have had the pleasure of reading this story so I will first compare the two stories. It is interesting having read the original to see where they digressed. I shall then discuss whether the entire movie was a dream or not. I have no solid conclusion, and though the evidence points to it being a dream, I still believe it to be real, but then so does Quaid.
The differences between the stories are vast. There is no rebellion on Mars, and in fact Quaid never goes to Mars in the original story. When his memories are uncovered, he is much more passive, and Rekall are far more cunning, as they wipe his memory but only refund half of his money. Then the bug in his head is never removed, and it is because of this bug that Quaid ends up giving in. Another big difference is that Quaid has already committed the deed in the story, where in the movie, he is on Earth to prepare for the deed. Finally, we are convinced that in the story it is not a dream, we are never sure in the movie. Also, in the story, Quaid's wife is not a spy, she leaves him because she is convinced that she is mad.
I guess the major theme is whether we should mess with people's minds, and is it dangerous to implant memories. In both the movie and the book, the question of what will happen if there are already memory implants, and how the patient would react if these implants were disturbed. It also gives a new way of looking at spies and how they can be planted in the future when the mind can be adjusted - it is also curious to see how the memories would meld into the person's life.
Now, is this movie a dream. If it is then the dream begins after he leaves Rekall. Now, the things that suggest that it is a dream is that they doctor enters the room on Mars and explains everything to him, and his wife enters to try and convince him of it. When he kills the doctor, everything suddenly reverts back to the way it was before. The implant was called "Blue Skies on Mars," which is what happened in the end. The settings were to Quaid's exact specifications - the sleazy, athletic, demure brunette named Melina; he was a secret agent; and he had a luxury suite in the most expensive hotel on Mars. Kuato, as predicted at the beginning, was a two-headed alien, and the alien artifact is exactly the same as the one shown in the picture at rekal. Finally, the doctor's predictions come true, Quaid goes from being the saviour to Cohagen's busom buddy.
The reasons as to why this isn't a dream are also just a numerous. The rebellion on Mars was already going on before the dream started, though this could be incorporated into the dream. Melina was an exact duplicate of the one he saw in his first dream, which he could have created as well. The major factor is that the picture of the woman had white skin, while Melina was slightly tanned. Also, the dream and the desire to go to Mars suggest that there was an implant in Quaid beforehand. My biggest argument is that we see what is going on behind the scenes in the dream, which sort of suggest that this is real.
Another thing to consider is how his wife turned against him and so did his best friend. It is strange that his friend was trying to kill him when Cohagan later says that he was on Earth as a plant. Ricktor was not supposed to kill him but was trying to because he was a loose cannon, but Quaid's friend seemed to have very little to do with Ricktor. If this were a dream, then such things as Quaid's wife and best friend turning against him would not be there because it would not allow the suspension of disbelief. The thing that undermines that is that the procedure has failed on Quaid and he is in danger of becoming a vegetable trapped in his own dreamworld. As such there are a number of permanent adjustments being made to his world.
The movie never really answers this, and I know the movie quite well and have covered almost everything that falls on each side of the argument. I think that it is a dream, though I would rather it be real.
In itself, the movie is astounding. The effects are awesome today just as they were back when the movie was made. Now with computers such effects are commonplace, but we always look upon this movie in awe as to what it is. It is full of action, and has everything that a movie about Mars should have, and it also comes very good with the one liners. I love it.