winter_elf | Movies: Total Recall

Got a little behind on my movie reviews - so lets start up again :)

Total Recall

I enjoyed it - quite a bit.

The good: A good action flick, some pretty snazzy cgi, great distopic society and the best car chase I've seen in quite a while.

The bad: The original Arnold version had a deeper plot, fuzzy science (which I ignored, it's an action flick!), bladerunner rain (in that, hey, it's the future it's hell, it always rains in the slums!)

Let me just say - the art director/cgi lead - I love you. There is some really cool tech/future society/distopic living conditions. All the cgi/buildings/backgrounds was just amazing - all the stuff, the cool ideas, some darn cool tech, some wild elevators & freeways, the computer effects people were doing - awesome!

Worth seeing: Yes. Darn good action flick. I want to see it again for all the tech stuff/details.

That car chase on elevated freeway - Wow, just wow. A cool foot chase through a multilevel city - exciting and fun, and then.... a chase through elevator shafts. I'm afraid the first thing in my mind when they escaped into the elevator shaft was that scene in Galaxy Quest where Gwen says 'WHY IS THIS HERE! IT MAKES NO SENSE!' LOL. It was an exciting and interesting sequence - but really, just an excuse for 'chompers'. No really.

In the original Arnold flick - there is a lot more in depth clues/fuzzy stuff that this is all 'memorex' and not real. In this.. yea, not so much. There's a tiny homage at the beginning that he's doing the 'spy program', but it's pretty much dropped and more treated as 'he's having memory problems' rather than it's all in his head. So, the plot is pretty straight forward action with not as much fuzzyness on 'is he or isn't he'.

Coolest tech bit ever - the HAND phone! IDK! It was awesome!
Longest commute - through the EARTH! Wild (and let's ignore the fuzzy science)

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That was Jessica Biel and Beckingham, right?

I never saw the original--but this sounds like something I'd enjoy!

you never saw arnold's version!? Wow.

Yea, Biel and Beckinsale. They were pretty awesome. Lots of action.

I have a limited tolerance for really grim, gory action movies (which is what the original Total Recall was like, if I remember correctly). I can't explain why I like some (Die Hard) and not others (pretty much the entire Batman franchise).

I rather enjoyed Salt (with Angelina Jolie) despite some moments of shocked flinching. It was so unbelievable that it was easy for me to set aside the violence. I *loathed* the GI Joe movie. I was really distraught during most of Hanna, which was not only violent but really disturbing as well. Loved Captain America and the Avengers, have no intention of ever seeing any of the Dark Knight movies, even though I hear Anne Hathaway did a pretty kickass job in the latest one.

So, where does this one lie along that spectrum? :-)

pretty dead-on 'die hard' type action. No gore (no blood at all that I recall) and not grim. Also would classify this as close to a Bond type - wild stunts, fantastic locations, cool gadgets. Only bit that made me go 'oww!' was he dug a piece of technology out of his hand, but it was a brief shot.

Huh. I would not have classifed the original Total Recall as either gory or grim. Maybe a little bit more of blood - more along the lines of 'Salt'.

I skipped Hanna (the child thing freaked me out and I don't like psychologial thrillers). I agree - the Batman's are GRIM with a "G". I have not seen the newest. I saw the other two though.

The problem I had with the GI Joe movie - no personal caring towards the characters. Too many of them, and really cookiecutter. I guess if one is a big fan, then throwing all those characters you 'knew' them. Me, it was pretty much mindless action with no feeling.

hmm.. what had you flinching in Salt? The fact that a number of the stunts were close in/single person fights? The personal violence (against her fiance? (that bugged me) Strangling the other guy?

The problem I had with the GI Joe movie - no personal caring towards the characters. Too many of them, and really cookiecutter. I guess if one is a big fan, then throwing all those characters you 'knew' them. Me, it was pretty much mindless action with no feeling.

THIS. WORD. Left me completely cold, as did every trailer I saw for the Battleship movie. I wanted to see John Carter very much, but when I did see it, I was sadly disappointed--I think it tried to do too much--would have been better if they hadn't tried to tie up the ending with the Victorian England setting (and so, what? He returns ten years after he disappeared on his honeymoon night and expects everything to be as it was between them?) Also, I have a real problem with movies where people can look like anyone they want, regardless of the cause. That whole "no one is who they seem and you can't trust anyone, not even your best friend" crap has been really pervasive since 9/11 in movies and television, I think.

As for Salt, yeah, the slaying of the fiance, or husband or whoever the guy was in front of her as punishment for daring to try to live a normal life. I realize it made perfect sense for the storytelling, and it fit with the way she became exactly what they trained her to do--become a cold killing machine, but it sent a nasty jolt through me just the same. :-(

Hanna. OMG. Nearly destroyed me. Beautiful but brutal, heartbreaking but shocking, very disturbing. I was really upset for a long time after that one.

FYI-two other friends saw Total Recall on Monday and they were both OMG! COULD NOT TURN OFF BRAIN! (the 'fuzzy' science really bugged them.)

I admit, on action flicks - the more outlandish- I'm fine.

If you see it - make sure you are in a relaxed mood - have a drink and DO NOT TAKE THE BRAIN! :)

They did agree that the cgi/art design was good, the tech was good and the chase stuff was fine. But got distracted by freaking out on 'THAT CANNOT WORK'. *sigh*

Hah. Good to know. Sometimes I'm okay with that, but it was ridiculous in John Carter and that made the movie fail with me. As long as I know in advance though... :-)

edit for wrong icon!

Edited 2012-08-10 18:44 (UTC)

I just saw this Sunday and liked it a lot. And the science wasn't just fuzzy, it was totally over-the-top implausible. Also, once again we have heroes leaping from tall buildings and major fights with the hero hardly getting a scratch. HOWEVER, if you can put all that aside (which I mostly did), it was a cool action movie. Very fast-moving, lots of great futuristic technology shown--and yes, that hand phone was something. And Colin Ferrell was not too shabby either. I can see why the Ty and Zane group have listed him as a possible Ty. Yummy!

LOL! That was what my pal said when we left the theater 'no way, no way would they have survived that leap!'. LOL! *handwave* Action flick. You can out run explosions.

My utter favorite action flick - Live Free or Die Hard. I was LAUGHING hysterically and cheering at the totally over the top action. My favorite - taking out a helicopter with a car. Yea. My pal - she was like NO WAY the whole film. You just gotta let go and enjoy the mayhem :)

Movies: Total Recall

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