Total Recall (2012)

No spoilers so read ahead :)

So I've just got back from the movie and I have to say that's the most enjoyable sci-fi action flick I've seen in a while. Thoroughly entertaining if a little bit by-the-numbers in certain sections. Massive logical inconsistances aside (this film should not be considered too deeply or it's flaw will show) the action was entertaining and well paced, and the visuals and world very well realised. As one the reviewers on metacritic said:

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Originally Posted by Corvin @ Metacritic

Before I launch into some gleeful pointing out of this movie's plentiful plot holes, I want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Total Recall. Possibly because it borrowed from some of my favorite movies. Not just Total Recall, but also hints of The Matrix, Fifth Element, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith found their way in, with perhaps a dash of Terminator and a sprinkle of Johnny Mnemonic, to name a few. Also, the special effects were excellent, and the protagonist and his love interest were relentlessly appealing, not to mention almost supernaturally attractive. The final five minutes might have viewers grown weary of climatic fist fight scenes rolling their eyes, but other than that, it was well paced and extremely enjoyable.

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...and I'd have to 100% agree with that assessment...I'm giving it 7.5/10, worth seeing :)

Can't be any worse than the original.

:)

I might well go and see it, thanks for posting.

Logical inconsistencies? Plot holes? Once upon a time films didn't have those... I don't remember the (IMHO quite good) original having plot holes.

On a semi related tangent do films these days have too many plot holes?

I personally thought the film was kind of average, there were some good bits in it but I think the original, albeit a bit cheesy, was certainly a better movie. I'm really not sure why they aren't putting more effort into new stories instead of recycling so many 80's movies as of late.

Did you know that all films made that were set on mars was a total flop ??

All except the original Arnie's Total Recall :)

Wonder why they didn't set the remake on mars ??

Yep, it's quite enjoyable as long as you don't worry about some of the plot holes. It's defo a film to switch off to and enjoy the visuals.

Sadly it does suffer from the classic 'protagonist will not die until the end' syndrome. That did start to get a bit silly.

Original Total Recall theme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjts5DrcdiU

Total Recall 2012 theme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjCOfXQN9C4

The Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack for the original is a classic,whereas the new one is just average.

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Originally Posted by MrNeil

Wonder why they didn't set the remake on mars ??

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If I recall (not totally) - the original short story didn't even get as far as Mars.

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Originally Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH

The Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack for the original is a classic,whereas the new one is just average.

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That's because almost all of Jerry Goldsmiths work is a classic :)

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Originally Posted by Agent

That's because almost all of Jerry Goldsmiths work is a classic :)

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True. OTH,look at the work by Basil Poledouris on Robocop - many of the soundtracks on Paul Verhoeven directed films were great. In fact the sad thing is that the Paul Verhoeven films had a dark humour to them which seems to go right over the head of the remakers.

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Originally Posted by DavidM

If I recall (not totally) - the original short story didn't even get as far as Mars.

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At least the original Total Recall even talked about Mars and Aliens which are in the original short story:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Can_..._You_Wholesale

I really hope as some point they don't remake the original Bladerunner,as Philip K. Dick actually himself approved of the film after seeing the script and some SFX reels.

All we see are made by numbers "remakes" 90% of the time,which seem to lack any sort of passion or soul IMHO and appear to be committee driven productions. You only have to watch the 2008 remake of the The Day the Earth Stood Still, to see how the people who made it were absolutely clueless about the meaning of the original film.

I would say the current Batman and Star Trek film series show how a "remake" or "re-imagining" should be done.

Bladerunner literally based on the book? I hope not as I found the book almost impenetrable with practically nothing in common with the film.

Remakes of the Godzilla films would be good fun though!

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Originally Posted by Bluecube

Bladerunner literally based on the book? I hope not as I found the book almost impenetrable with practically nothing in common with the film.

Remakes of the Godzilla films would be good fun though!

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The book and the film are very different,but Philip K. Dick actually seem to really like the version he saw in the film. He read the original script and saw 20 minutes of the SFX footage before he died.

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Originally Posted by Philip K. Dick

"I saw a segment of Douglas Trumbull's special effects for Blade Runner on the KNBC-TV news. I recognized it immediately. It was my own interior world. They caught it perfectly."

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Originally Posted by Philip K. Dick

"After I finished reading the screenplay, I got the novel out and looked through it. The two reinforce each other, so that someone who started with the novel would enjoy the movie and someone who started with the movie would enjoy the novel."

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All,I can see with a made by numbers remake would be more SFX effects,more pretty boys and girls and more explosions.

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Originally Posted by DavidM

If I recall (not totally) - the original short story didn't even get as far as Mars.

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It was the movie's i was talking about and as the the book its worth a read :)

I don't want to spoil anything but wasn't the ending a little, lame?

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Originally Posted by thatdamnhacker

I don't want to spoil anything but wasn't the ending a little, lame?

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It was exactly what was expected for a run of the mill action film really. Nothing new sadly :(