Total Recall (2012 film)
Total Recall is a 2012 American science fiction action film directed by Len Wiseman and starring Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel. The screenplay by Kurt Wimmer and Mark Bomback was based on the 1990 film of the same name, which was inspired by the 1966 short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" by Philip K. Dick. The supporting cast features Bryan Cranston, Bokeem Woodbine, John Cho, and Bill Nighy. Unlike the first film, the setting is on a dystopian Earth, not Mars. The film blends American and Asian influences, notably in the  settings and dominant populations of the two nation-states in the story: the United Federation of Britain (Western Europe) and the Colony (Australia). The film was first announced in 2009 and was released in North America on August 3, 2012, grossing over $198 million worldwide. The film received mixed to negative reviews, with the Rotten Tomatoes critical census praising the action sequences but saying that it lacks the elements of the original film that made it a classic. Plot. At the end of the 21st century, chemical warfare has devastated the Earth. The only habitable land left consists of  two territories: the United Federation of Britain (UFB), located on the British Isles and northwestern Europe; and the Colony, spanning all of Australia. Factory workers from the Colony commute to the UFB each day via "The Fall", a gravity elevator running through the Earth's core that takes 17 minutes to traverse. The disparity in living conditions has resulted in a group of people called the Resistance, deemed terrorists by the UFB, who seek to improve living conditions in the Colony. Colony worker Douglas Quaid has been having unsettling dreams of being a secret agent partnered with an unnamed woman . Tired of his factory job building police robots with his friend Harry, he visits Rekall, a company that implants artificial memories. He decides on the fantasy of being a secret agent. During exploratory preparations by technician McClane, they discover that Quaid already has real memories of being a spy. As McClane starts to question Quaid about the memories, a squad of UFB police arrive, killing the Rekall staff in an attempt to arrest Quaid. Strange instincts kick in as Quaid defends himself, killing the entire squad. Upon returning home, Quaid relays the incident to his wife Lori, who attempts to  kill him but fails. She reveals that she is a UFB intelligence agent and they have only been married for six weeks, not seven years as he believed. After Quaid escapes, he receives a phone call from Charles Hammond, a former colleague of his who directs him to a safe-deposit box. Inside it Quaid finds a message from himself with the address of an apartment in UFB. Shortly after arriving at UFB, Quaid is pursued by Lori and her team, but he is rescued by Melina, the woman from his dreams. Recuperating at the apartment, Quaid finds another hidden  recording, revealing his true identity of UFB agent Carl Hauser, working under the orders of Chancellor Cohaagen to infiltrate the Resistance. Hauser went rogue but was captured by the UFB and implanted with false memories to manipulate him. The recording reveals that Cohaagen would use an army of robots to wipe out the Colony, replace the Colonists as laborers, therefore giving the UFB more living space. Hauser had seen a "kill code", which could be recovered from his memory by Matthias, the Resistance leader, in order to disable the robots. Melina revealed that she was Hauser's lover before he  was captured, comparing their matching scars from a time they were shot while holding hands in Quaid's "dream". The police arrive and Harry appears, trying to convince Quaid that he is still in a Rekall-induced dream. Harry tells Quaid that killing Melina is the only way out. Quaid is confused and unsure what to do until he noticed a tear on Melina's cheek and shoots Harry. Lori pursues the pair, but they manage to escape. Melina takes Quaid to see Matthias. While Matthias searches Quaid's memories, Lori and Cohaagen storm the Resistance base. Cohaagen reveals that  the kill code was nothing but a trap to trick Quaid to lead them to Matthias. Cohaagen kills Matthias, takes Melina prisoner, and orders a team to restore Quaid's memory to the "old Hauser" before he was corrupted. As the officers are about to inject Quaid, Hammond reveals himself and frees Quaid, but dies in the process. Cohaagen loads The Fall with his invasion army of robots, and Quaid sneaks on board, setting timed explosives throughout the ship while searching for Melina. He frees her as The Fall arrives at the Colony. As they fight the soldiers and Cohaagen , Quaid's explosives detonate. Quaid and Melina jump off before the vessel plummets back into the tunnel and explodes underground, killing Cohaagen and destroying his army along with The Fall itself - the only way to reach the UFB. Quaid wakes up in the ambulance with Melina, whom he soon realises is in fact Lori wearing a holographic disguise. After a struggle, Quaid kills her with her own gun. He is then reunited with the real Melina as the news channels declare the Colony’s independence, while an advertisement for Rekall plays on a billboard in the background. Production. On June  2, 2009, "Variety" reported that Kurt Wimmer would write the script for the film. Mark Bomback was later brought on board, and James Vanderbilt did an uncredited "polish" on the script. Over a year later Len Wiseman was hired to direct. Paul Cameron is the film's cinematographer, and Christian Wagner is the film's editor. The soundtrack is a collaboration of Harry Gregson-Williams and Welsh electronica group Hybrid. Although described in the press as a "remake," star Jessica Biel claimed in her August 2, 2012 appearance on "The Daily Show" that the film is not a remake of  the 1990 film, but an adaptation of the original short story by Philip K. Dick. However, Biel's own character of "Melina" was not actually present in the original short story by Philip K. Dick and exists only in this film and the original 1990 film. The same is true for the characters of Cohaagen and Harry, along with the leader of the Resistance. This version of the film also uses the names Quaid and Lori for the main character and his wife, like the 1990 film, whereas in the original short story they were Quail and Kirsten. The basic  story also follows that of the original 1990 film, albeit with certain changes such as keeping the action on Earth rather than Mars. Also, this version does not credit Dick as a writer. In August 2010, Arnold Schwarzenegger expressed an interest in reprising his role as Quaid, but in October 2010 it was officially reported in "The Hollywood Reporter" that Colin Farrell was on top of the short list, which included Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender, to play Quaid. On January 11, 2011, it was announced that Farrell had secured the role. Farrell stated in April that the remake would  not be the same as Dick's short story. Beckinsale and Biel were both confirmed for roles on May 25, after actresses Eva Green, Diane Kruger, and Kate Bosworth had previously been considered for Biel's role. Actor Bryan Cranston was cast as the film's villain. Ethan Hawke was cast in a cameo role, and commented that his character had a monologue about five pages long; however, this role was cut from the theatrical version of film, but is part of the extended Director’s Cut. Later cast additions included Bill Nighy and John Cho. On a reported budget  of $125 million, principal photography began in Toronto on May 16, 2011, and ended on September 20, 2011. Scenes were filmed at the Pinewood Toronto Studios, as well as the University of Toronto, Lower Bay Station, CIBC Commerce Court, the University of Toronto Scarborough, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, and Guelph. The film was shot with Red Epic digital cameras and Panavision anamorphic lenses. After securing the film rights from Miramax, Columbia Pictures distributed the film. Music. The film score was composed and produced by Harry Gregson-Williams, with additional music performed by Hybrid. Release. "Total Recall" was released  on August 3, 2012, and opened in 3,601 theaters in the United States, grossing $9,092,341 on its opening day and $25,577,758 on its opening weekend, ranking #2 with a per theater average of $7,220. The film performed poorly domestically with only $58,877,969, and $139,589,199 outside of the United States for a total of $198,467,168 against a $125 million budget. The Director's Cut includes an extra 12 minutes of footage and there are several key differences compared to the theatrical version. In this version, both Hauser's memory "and" physical appearance were heavily  altered by the UFB to turn him into Quaid, and an uncredited Ethan Hawke portrays Hauser's original appearance in a pre-recorded hologram video. Additionally, Hauser is still working for Cohaagen and plans to get close to Matthias by seducing Melina, who is the Resistance leader's daughter in this version. The Director's Cut ends with Quaid, on finding the real Melina, noticing that his forearm is missing the Rekall symbol he received earlier. Recalling Matthias' words, during their short meeting, that the past blinds us to the present our heart wants, Quaid decides to accept his current  world with Melina as real. Reception. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 31% based on 235 reviews and an average rating of 5/10. The website's critical consensus states: "While it boasts some impressive action sequences, "Total Recall" lacks the intricate plotting, dry humor and fleshed out characters that made the original a sci-fi classic." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 43 out of 100 based on 41 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The film earned a Razzie Award nomination for Biel as Worst Supporting Actress. Joe Williams of the  St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote, "The richly constructed first hour is so superior to any feat of sci-fi speculation since "Minority Report" that the bland aftertaste of the chase finale is quickly forgotten." Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the film three stars out of four; praising its details, he stated: ""Total Recall" is well-crafted, high energy sci-fi. Like all stories inspired by Philip K. Dick, it deals with intriguing ideas. It never touched me emotionally, though, the way the 1990 film did, and strictly speaking, isn't necessary." Michael Phillips of the "Chicago Tribune  stating that the movie marches in predictable formations as well. But when Biel's rebel pulls over in her hover car and asks Farrell if he'd like a ride, your heart may sing as mine did." Justin Lowe of "The Hollywood Reporter" wrote that "the outcome is engaging enough, although not entirely satisfying from either a genre or narrative standpoint, lacking both substance and a degree of imagination." Amy Biancolli of the "San Francisco Chronicle" wrote, "For all of its dazzlingly rendered cityscapes and nonstop action, this revamped "Total Recall" is a bland thing—bloodless, airless, humorless, featureless. With  or without the triple-bosomed prostitute." Owen Gleiberman of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a "C", stating that "this one is somberly kinetic and joyless." Justin Chang of "Variety" wrote, "Crazy new gadgets, vigorous action sequences and a thorough production-design makeover aren't enough to keep "Total Recall" from feeling like a near-total redundancy." Kyle Smith of the "New York Post" wrote, "As for a villain, you could do worse than Bryan Cranston as the evil political overlord who is trying to stamp out the resistance... But... When he goes mano a mano with Farrell, it's not  spine-tingling. It's embarrassing, like watching a dude beat up his dad." Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" called it "totally witless" and said audiences should not expect comedic elements, originality, or coherence. Other media. A 3D first-person shooter video game of the same name for iPhone, iPad and Android was released as a tie-in to the film.