Total Recall 2070
Tags: sci-fi

Plot synopsis:
In 2084, construction worker Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is having troubling dreams about Mars and a mysterious woman there. His wife Lori (Sharon Stone) dismisses the dreams and discourages him from thinking about Mars, where the governor, Vilos Cohaagen (Ronny Cox), is fighting rebels while searching for a rumored alien artifact located in the mines. At Rekall, a company that provides memory implants of vacations, Quaid opts for a memory trip to Mars as a Secret Agent fantasy. However, during the procedure, before the memory is implanted, something goes wrong, and Quaid starts revealing previously suppressed memories of actually being a Secret Agent. The company sedates him, wipes his memory of the visit, and sends him home. On the way home, Quaid is attacked by his friend Harry (Robert Costanzo) and some construction co-workers; he is forced to kill them, using elite fighting skills. He is then attacked in his apartment by Lori, who states that she was never his wife; their marriage was just a false memory implant, and Cohaagen sent her as an agent to monitor Quaid. He is then attacked and pursued by armed thugs led by Richter (Michael Ironside), Lori's real husband and Cohaagen's operative.
After evading his attackers, Quaid is given a suitcase containing money, gadgets, fake IDs, a disguise, and a video recording. The video is of Quaid himself, who identifies himself as "Hauser" and explains that he used to work for Cohaagen but switched sides after learning about the artifact and underwent the memory wipe to protect himself. "Hauser" instructs Quaid to remove a tracking device located inside his skull before ordering him to go to Mars and check into the Hilton Hotel with a fake ID. Quaid makes his way to Mars and follows clues to Venusville, the colony's red-light district, primarily populated by people mutated as a result of poor radiation shielding. He meets Benny (Mel Johnson, Jr.), a taxi driver, and Melina (Rachel Ticotin), the woman from his dreams; but she spurns him, believing that Quaid is still working for Cohaagen.
Quaid later encounters Dr. Edgemar (Roy Brocksmith) and Lori, who claim Quaid has suffered a "schizoid embolism" and is trapped in a fantasy based on the implanted memories. Edgemar warns that Quaid is headed for lunacy (his description loosely predicting later events) and a lobotomy if he does not return to reality, then offers Quaid a pill that would waken him from the dream. Quaid puts the pill in his mouth, but after seeing Edgemar sweating in fear, he kills Edgemar and spits out the pill. Lori alerts Richter's forces, who burst into the room and capture Quaid, but Melina rescues him, with Quaid killing Lori in the process. The two race back to the Venusville bar and escape into the tunnels with Benny. Unable to locate Quaid, Cohaagen shuts down the ventilation to Venusville, slowly asphyxiating its citizens. Quaid, Melina, and Benny are taken to a resistance base; and Quaid is introduced to Kuato (Marshall Bell), a parasitic twin conjoined to his brother's stomach. Kuato reads Quaid's mind and tells him that the alien artifact is a turbinium reactor that will create a breathable atmosphere for Mars when activated, eliminating Cohaagen's abusive monopoly on breathable air. Cohaagen's forces burst in and kill most of the resistance, including Kuato, who instructs Quaid to start the reactor. Benny reveals that he is also working for Cohaagen, and that he alerted Cohaagen's forces.
Quaid and Melina are taken to Cohaagen, who explains that the Quaid persona was a ploy by Hauser to infiltrate the mutants and lead Cohaagen to Kuato, thereby wiping out the resistance. Cohaagen orders Hauser's memory to be re-implanted in Quaid and Melina programmed as Hauser's obedient wife, but Quaid and Melina escape into the mines where the reactor is located. They work their way to the control room of the reactor, and Benny attacks them in an excavation machine. Quaid kills Benny, then confronts Richter and his men, killing them too.
Quaid reaches the reactor control room, where Cohaagen is waiting with a bomb. During the ensuing struggle, Cohaagen triggers the bomb, but Quaid throws it away, blowing out one of the walls of the control room and causing an explosive decompression. While reaching for the reactor controls, Quaid knocks out Cohaagen, and he is sucked out onto the Martian surface, killing him. Quaid manages to activate the reactor before he and Melina are also pulled out. The reactor releases air into the Martian atmosphere, saving Quaid, Melina and the rest of Mars' population. As humans walk onto the surface of the planet in its new atmosphere, Quaid momentarily pauses to wonder whether he is dreaming or not, before turning to kiss Melina.

Review: This is a great show, with underrated production values and subtlety.
People who watch movies, unfortunately do not always read books.
Some complains that it does not follow the Total Recall novel.
No, this is not an "action" series like the "Ahnold" movie "TR" was.
It's a mixture of sci-fi, mystery, police procedural and a lot of Red-Serling like philosophizing and speculating about the future and human nature.
Somebody who judges this series based on one episode seems to be a bit short-tempered.
Dick's novels and short stories and only connect him with the movie Blade Runner.
This is unfortunate because PKD's stories were more entertaining, layered and intellectually versatile than what is offered in Blade Runner.
Total Recall 2070 is less of an amalgamation of Blade Runner and Total Recall, and more a mix of their literary sources: 'We Can Remember It For You, Wholesale' [short story] and 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' [novel], both by PKD.
Both of these have very real, flawed characters with a quirky, inventive mood that always entertain.The story of Total Recall 2070 was nearly that of '...Sheep.'  For the benefit of the movie going masses' recognition, the names of things from the movie version of Total Recall were used.
The story was about the philosophy behind automated sentiency, mechanized religion and the need for humanity to regain its sense of purpose above the machine, while also living beside it.
This is something the series was only beginning to touch before it was canceled.The lack of knowledge about the show's true roots has led to a complete misunderstanding of it.
People call Total Recall 2070 a rip-off of the movies when in reality the movies were a pale shadows of their sources.
Total Recall 2070 is the most genuine incarnation of Philip K.
When I read this show was very much Philip K Dick inspired, using many of his ideas, rather than just a spin off, I knew I had to see it.Total Recall 2070 shows a futuristic world dominated by multinational corporations, many of them operating on Mars as well.
The backgrounds show us but a glimpse of a grim world that is rebuilding itself on technology, nature having been destroyed mostly.Unfortunately the show is not addictive at all and there are some important elements missing to make it great: humor, a clear direction of storyline, well- motivated and consistent emotions.
It too often feels as just another bland cop show, just set in the future, although it's really much deeper than your average police fare.
Some characters, like David Hume's wife, or the female lab researcher,Olan Chang, are underdeveloped.
But Hume and Farve, his android partner, are excellently casted.
Hume is the cool, but emotional and aggressive agent, while Farve is the brilliant investigator, looking for his unknown origins.The ambient synth music fits very well with the whole Blade Runner feel.
It would be unfair to compare it all with what Vangelis and Ridley Scott did for atmosphere: for a TV show they've done a good job transferring the script to a very watchable programme.Total Recall has occasional swearing and some sex but it is all functional, not just for the heck of it.
Overall a very smart show with a lot of conspiracy, cover ups, tensions, but most importantly very relevant issues regarding humanity's fate in a world where technology can be one's friend or worst enemy, depending who is using it, who wants to have it, who owns it and who decides what is legal to do with it.So, there's some good and some bad.
I hope to see a nice new cyberpunk/futuristic show soon, right now Westworld is the best one to watch.In particular avid Philip K Dick and sci fi fans should give this show a shot but you may get bored after an episode or 6..
At last someone has created characters that are flawed and full of insecurities; nobody is a jock or a superhero.I have tried to participate in a "Save the Program" campaign, along with others who have enjoyed the series, but it seems that our efforts have been unsuccessful so far..
Easton & Pruner play a perfect pair  of cops who work off each others strongpoints and makes for enlightening scenario of the future mental battles of crime.
Pruner is great as an android partner who craves human traits and feelings so he can fit in with his human counterpart Easton.
Great series set with a toned down "BladeRunner" motif.
In the first time I watched Total Recall 2070 I was just thinking "Blade Runner".
The backgrounds, the style, the futuristic look of the sets and the technology, all of them look like "Blade Runner".
Should have been called Blade Runner 2070..
Dick's other famous movie adaptation: Blade Runner, and not entirely from the movie Total Recall.
It also reminded me alot of the series TekWar with its future cops trying to thwart criminals that use the future's techno devices to commit their crimes and spread chaos in the uncertain times of the 21st century.
This show was great, although everyone who sees it is reminded of another P.K. Dick Movie Bladerunner.
Lets get them to release the entire show on DVD, once again its more like Harrison in Bladerunner than Arnold in Total Recall(pee ewe)..
I'm a huge fan of "Total Recall" (1990) with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone so I was interested in this TV show too.
They changed the story a little bit and added some new interesting moments here.
Second, the acting was great except for Cynthia Preston who played Olivia Hume.
I don't understand why this wonderful series lasted for only one season - it deserved much more and had a big potential..
Based on glowing 'must see' IMDb user comments (and in turn wanting to like it), I watched about half of the first season before giving up on this problematic series.The biggest problem stems from the distant, restrained writing which leaves us with the shell of a typical cop show that's been relocated to a corporate-controlled future.
Flat characters and low production values seal the series' fate, removing whatever potential might have otherwise remained.As others have noted, comparisons to Blade Runner (1982), Total Recall (1990), and Star Trek: The Next Generation (at least as far as the Data-Farve android connection goes) are hard to avoid (and I am a fan of all three).
The series has far more in common with the android-laden themes Blade Runner offers than with the Schwarzenegger movie with which it shares little more than a title and a few images.
Thanks to user comments, I avoided comparing this series directly with the 'Recall' movie (as should you).Poor writing remained the series stumbling block.
Det. David Hume and his wife Olivia both start the series out having deep-seated feelings against trusting androids, yet Hume's android partner Farve gets accepted by both with only a whimper, after which the issue gets shelved.
In particular, Hume occasionally brings up trust issues with Farve, but moments later is willing to act as if he trusts him with his life.
We briefly see Olivia deal with her android-related issues, but this seems to be largely forgotten in favor of relegating her to the typical 'cop's wife' role.
The result is that Olivia's presence distracts from the plot, as opposed to revealing something about their respective characters.
In another character switch, Assessor agent James Calley at first seems to support Hume (allowing him to keep an illegal weapon), only to later set up Hume to clean up his dirty work (when he kills 'The Technician').
Questions of whether androids are sentient beings are mentioned occasionally, but are never the focus, only serving as a plot smokescreen.
Farve is taunted as being 'only a machine', but this question is forgotten before the next scene.Lesser irritations surface throughout the series.
With such prevalent communications, why don't the CPB officers contact Captain Ehrenthal when questions arise (the 'unauthorized surgery' scene from 'Brain Fever' comes to mind)?
Farve seemed resilient to some weapons, but he avoids getting in the line of fire (as opposed to Data, who had a willingness to sacrifice himself so that humans might live).
In one scene, Farve's gun lights up but no CG shot comes out, an error that could have easily been edited out given that the previous several shots worked.
Based on other production shortcuts that were taken, the sporadic dips in acting quality could be attributed to not allowing for necessary retakes to enable the actors to hit their marks.
Unfortunately, no amount of polish will bring any real shine to this series.
The writers just didn't tackle any big issues, not to mention the low production values.
This isn't to say that the series is completely without merit - it just doesn't warrant going to any great lengths to see.
If you want to see a Sci-Fi series done (nearly) right, try Battlestar Galactica (2003)..
The new offering from Showtime for their Sci-Friday lineup has promise - their sets live up to the hype and were shamelessly showcased a few times in the premiere, but overall the look is radical and consistent but not intrusive.
You may recognize Easton (Hume) from the somewhat obscure series "Two" on UPN and the even more short-lived show "VR-5".
The actor who portrays Hume's android partner does it flawlessly..
More Blade Runner than Total Recall.
Having just seen the first episode of the series the overwhelming impression was that it was a remake of Blade Runner.
The the gloomy sets, the constant advertising hoardings, the evil companies (Rekall is no longer a minor holiday company but is the equivalent of the Tyrell Corporation)were all more Blade Runner than Total Recall.
Infact the plot itself whereby androids are trying to extend their life was that of Blade Runner.
There was a minor plot involving fake holidays and an unnecessary trip to Mars to keep a link with the movie but throughout there was a sense that this was not the movie the producers wanted to make a series of.
The production values were good and if the plots become more original then it could be promising.
Oh..It did answer the question left hanging at the end of the movie ...was it reality or an implanted memory?
The movie ended with an atmosphere being restored to Mars but in the series there are still BioDomes and a red sky.
This above average television movie is a good sequel to "Bladerunner." While containing the basis elements of "Total Recall" in terms of virtual reality and brain-washing and the red tone color of Mars, this android-like movie (replicant isn't used in the movie) has many of the trappings of Bladerunner, the music, the rain, the Asian population, the outside, neon advertising.
Except for loose ending (as if the producer ran out of money or there was hope for a television series), this movie is tight, intelligent and steers away from the usual stereotypes.
The law enforcement administration plays it straight for the most part (a big change, a refreshing change), the forward movement of plot development from "Bladerunner" makes this movie a good sequel, building on "Bladerunner" instead of just copying it.
(January 25, 2019 update: This review possibly refers to the first and second episode of what eventually turned into a Canadian television series)..
Odd Late-night Gold.
This actually made the show work for me even more.What it seems like some people don't understand about this show is the creators didn't want to make just another spin-off.
Dick's questioning of what it means to be human.
The show takes the themes and style of Dick's writing and builds a unique story around it.
Having grown up immersed in the genre, I totally became enthralled with the plot.
Pure gold..
Although it tries to be "Blade Runner", Michael Easton is no Harrison Ford.
Karl Pruner's "Farve" tries hard to be ST:TNG's Mr. Data, but his character lacks Data's depth and 'humanity'.Having seen every episode so far, I still have no idea what the show is about, other than that this amoral company has some insidious plan to take over the world.
The one character we, the audience, care about - Olivia Hume - has almost nothing to do, which is a shame because the lovely and talented Cynthia Preston is the best thing about the show.Although the sets are interesting in a Blade Runner-esque sort of way, the lighting is so overdone that everything looks flat and fake.
Total Recall 2070 was a 22 episode series which premiered on the ON TV Canadian channel and was later introduced to US audiences on the ShowTime cable channel.
Being on a premium cable channel meant minimal exposure for the series and as such it was not only under-appreciated but also difficult for a wide audience to actually view it and give it a chance -- and so the show never really got any kind of head start and was condemned from the get go to the point where it had to be scrapped after one season--But what a season it was.
A real shame because Total Recall 2070 was one of the most original, cutting edge and unique shows to ever appear on television.Total Recall 2070 has absolutely nothing to do with Verhoven's Total Recall film except for a few references (the Mars colonies, Virtual Trips, the Dystopian future concept and of course the name of the show).
In fact, Total Recall 2070 has much more relation to Blade Runner and many dub it simply "The Blade Runner Series".
To an extent this is true, however Total Recall 2070 goes far beyond Blade Runner in almost every aspect imaginable.
It's just as dark, foreboding, hard-core and intelligent as Blade Runner was.At an early glimpse the show looks like just another one of those cop shows that have littered our screen for years, but a deeper, more focused look reveals just how good this show really is.
If ever there was a show that rewarded repeated viewings of episodes--this is it.Total Recall 2070 follows the escapades of two cops in the Citizens Protection Bureau (The CPB).
During the pilot episode, Detective David Hume (the human cop) and his partner go on to check a simple disturbance call in a Rekall facility (Rekall is one of the Consortium mega corporations).
Hume's partner is killed during the shootout with the Androids and this sets the stage for Hume's new partner, Ian Favre.
Hume learns that his new partner is in fact not human, but rather an Android--A Flesh and Plasma based Alpha Android, the first of its kind.
Hume is of course reluctant to partner with an Android, but eventually learns to work with him.
The extremely complex relationship between Hume and Favre is what this show is about.Needless to say, the show contains many subtleties and nuances one does not pick up on first viewing (again, a similarity shared with Blade Runner).
Detectives Hume and Favre solve different cases as the show goes on, but many of these cases simply serve as a background to the real dilemmas and questions this show poses.
Total Recall 2070 has no such episodes.
With every episode, one learns more about Hume, Favre, the world in which they live in.
I was finding myself eager to learn more and more about the world, about the characters (all of whom are very interesting, deep and complex characters).The show's background seems fairly simple at first.
As the show progresses one realizes how much that world affects its characters and how complex it really is.
The year is 2070, the moral breakdown of society is evident, the sun is nothing more than artificial lighting, the world is dark, people are paranoid, Consortium companies (Mega Corporations) have unlimited control over the citizenry and over the government who are no more than puppet figure heads supported and funded almost exclusively by the Mega Corporations.
And so, Hume and Favre solve cases (all involving a Consortium company in one way or another) and try to restore some order into an extremely chaotic world where moral and legal boundaries are nothing but extinct.One truly has to see this show and appreciate it to realize just how great it is.
Granted, it's not nearly as revolutionary as films like Metropolis, Blade Runner, Brazil, etc.
I can only hope more shows like this arise in the future.
Such intelligent shows are an extreme rarity on today's pop television and eager and curious minds are hungry for something different, something unique--Total Recall 2070 was exactly that.P.S. Unfortunately only the pilot episode was released on DVD and on its own it is rather useless as the story truly picks up later during the season.
and as result, I can truly appreciate everything the creators of this series were trying to do.
Yes, it is is in the "Bladerunner" universe with SOME elements of "Total Recall" (otherwise know as "We Can Remember it for You Wholesale") but, it does so much more.
We recall the cliffhanger episode that ended the first and last season and get an intimation of the direction the creators wanted to take the show.
I have seen few series so far ahead of their time as was this one...
This movie is very stylish and sexy in its less than appealing future.
Though very watchable, it wasn't very re-watchable with some episodes going nowheres fast.The series revolves around 2 detectives protecting the rights of the underprivileged.
Made of flesh and blood.It also involves trying to prove that the organization known as REKALL, from the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, is one of the most evil organizations on the planet, yet though their methods are questionable, there is no proof that they are.
Reacting on prejudice in a way.Total Recall 2070 has a great style and atmosphere well suited for the series, and a questionable amount of sexual situations, including nudity and near nudity.