Rekall the Better Version

Rating: 9/10 (21 July 2013)

Once, when I was little boy, or 16, I ate up every movie I could in the theatres. Anything, everything. I studied films, read about them, watched as many trailers as I could and went to them all week long. And this was all pre-internet, so the research was limited to, well, real research.
Oddly, one completely escaped my radar: 1990's Total Recall. In fact, three weeks prior to release, I had never heard of it. Just saw a mostly black, movie teaser poster with a triangle on it. Later, I would discover it was a pyramid. Two weeks prior to opening, they inserted the SCHWARZENEGGER name on the same poster. I was excited, and then realized this would be a perfect opportunity to go into a movie cold for once. Within the final week beforehand, they just added the name of the movie to the poster. But, at that point, I was already hooked.
I remember this like it was yesterday. On opening day, Friday, June 1, 1990, I sat in AMC Metro Theatres for the very first screening, the 10AM showing, completely opened minded and gleefully ignorant to anything I was about to see, other than what appears might be a Sci-Fi Schwarzenegger flick. I was stoked and on the edge of my seat before the movie began.
By film's end, I was so pumped up, so excited, and so happy. The movie was 100% everything I wanted out of both an action and Schwarzenegger film. And it made me, to this day, love the feeling of going in completely blind.
Now, with today's world – i.e. the internet and, of course, Facebook – that's harder and harder to do. Nevertheless, if I get a tiny bit of interest in a big project, especially something I'm fond of already, i.e. Superman, I try my best to avoid all conversations, reviews, comments and absolutely spoilers.
I digress. This FIRST and BEST version of Total Recall, based on the Philip K. Dick's too-long title, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, is an almost 100% action packed Sci-Fi adventure of a not-so-ordinarily-built construction worker, Douglas Quaid (Schwarzenegger,) who, after a trip to the mind-altering Rekall Inc. place of the future, sets in motion a series of spy antics and leads him to Mars. There, he needs to regain his memory, save that planet and get the girl. You know, the usual.
I've been told, since I haven't read Dick's short story, that the updated 2012 version is more accurate to the book than this 1990 version. Who cares? This one was ten times more fun, so incredibly 90s – a plus for me and the ideal summer blockbuster. Also Schwarzenegger in his prime! (But, of course, we didn't know any different back then.) Not all movies based on (short or not) books are better if they're word-for-word the original source material.
Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of The Shining was very loosely based on the Stephen King book I read. That was okay by me. The movie was a near-masterpiece in film making. I like to say: I enjoyed both versions, Kubrick's and King's. Later, the TV-miniseries, The Shining was almost identical to King's version and itsucked.
And in 1993, I literally – dead serious here – finished the book, The Firm, while in line waiting for the sneak preview of the film based on the John Grisham novel. (I started the very long book 6 days prior, and even though I'm a slow reader, I did everything I could to get it done by the film's premiere. I barely accomplished that while in line!) Following the movie, I was very disappointed because they changed so much, including tone and how the incredibly smart the (book) character, Mitch McDeere, was now dumbed down in the film.
My opinion all changed for The Firm when I saw the follow-up movie: The Pelican Brief, which I also read. It was almost verbatim the book. So, during that movie, I knew exactly what was going to happen and when and that was no fun. (The Client followed suit, as well.)
Point is, even when a book is masterful, that doesn't mean a director/screenplay writer can't take it to a new level, while playing respectful homage to the original writer and characters. Total Recall took the simple idea, or synopsis printed above, and ran with it on another planet. It was fun, exciting, funny, thrilling, suspenseful, had a great score and great graphics. Sure some things are a bit out of date, but then, that's what they thought in 1990.
Despite some minor "futuristic" funnies, Director Verhoeven (who's becoming one of my favorite directors, if not just for that time period) gave me a thrill of a popcorn movie that holds up strongly today. Skip the 2012 version; stick with the original. Well, sorta.
Side Note and Spoiler – fair warned: It's not an implant. The movie's events were real. There's enough evidence throughout, from the looks that both his "wife" Lori (Stone) and friend/coworker, Harry (Robert Costanzo,) gave Quaid prior to his visit to Rekall to the Rekall people stating they keep up with "today's times" and that's why they would have a video picture of Quaid's girl, it's all real. I understand Verhoeven likes those open-ended, discussion-educing finales, but I believe this was all true.
Side Note II: Since I've seen this, and it's been many years ago, I've become quite the Star Trek: Voyager lover. In this movie, the automated cab driver's voice instantly told me he was dubbed by Voyager's Doctor, played by Robert Picardo. I was right. Yata! Still, love that man.