Was It All Just a Dream?

Rating: 7/10 (27 June 2007)

"Total Recall" is an expensive futuristic Sci-fi film in which Arnold Schwarzeneggar saves Mars.
The story opens Douglas Quaid (Arnold) dreaming of walking hand in hand with a mysterious brunette (Rachel Ticotin) on Mars and then waking beside his wife Lori (Sharon Stone). Quaid has a desire to move to Mars but Lori is against it. Stuch in a menial construction job (you know that that's not going to last), Quaid is lured by an advertisement of a virtual holiday on Mars from a company known as Recall.
Quaid chooses to experience his "vacation" as a super spy with all of the inherent dangers. Then all hell breaks loose. The virtual machine malfunctions and Quaid suddenly finds himself pursued by unknown assailants. It seems that Quaid may have had his memory erased and that Lori isn't really his wife but an enemy agent.
Anyway, he manages to get to Mars where he discovers that his main adversaries are Cohaagen (Ronny Cox), who controls the settlement, its air and its wealth and his chief henchman Richter (Michael Ironside). He also discovers "the girl of his dreams", Melina (Ticotin) who seems to remember him as someone called Hauser. It seems that "Hauser" still holds some valuable information in his scrambled brain.
After dispatching half the population, Arnold brings the villains to justice and all live happily ever after....or do they?
Director Paul Verhoeven gives us plenty of action, great looking set pieces and plenty of extras for Arnold and company to mow down. The fight between Stone and Ticotin is a highlight as well as, the part where Stone kicks the crap out of Arnold. Verhoevan also leaves it to the viewer to decide whether the story was real or did Arnold actually have his virtual vacation.
Exciting science fiction.