Verhoeven's "sci-fi" thriller does not recall the total hype.

Rating: 4/10 (9 March 1999)

I'm sorry, but TOTAL RECALL is another in a series of endless "survival game" thrillers set in the future, and a constant throwback of THE RUNNING MAN, where killing nearly does all of the work. Paul Verhoeven did much better with STARSHIP TROOPERS overall, despite me not being a fan of his bloody science fiction stories. I get turned off for the bad acting, and especially parts of its writing, leaving me stunned out of a movie that generated millions of dollars. The same goes for the voluptuous vixens, one of which possessed the "Big Three" to make such a total embarrassment. Here is where science fiction started to carry a bad name for itself, and just by proving, it shows off a sleazy catfight between Sharon Stone and Rachel Ticotin. What TOTAL RECALL really stood out best was the nightmarish feeling of fantasy we get when we're living in a state of chaos. Arnie's your main man if breaking bones and blasting flesh is what you desire. Recommended only for Verhoeven buffs, but the movie is left criminally overrated to justify my interest.