Total Recall

Release Date: Aug 03, 2012 

Runtime: 1 hr. 49 min. 

Director: Len Wiseman 

Cast: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, Bokeem Woodbine, Bill Nighy.

Tired of the same routine and looking for something more? Welcome to Rekall: where your wildest fantasies can become a reality. Based on the short story by Philip K. Dick comes the second adaptation set in the distant future. In 2084, the world is torn between the rich and the poor — The United Federation of Britain versus The Colony. Stuck in the everyday grind, factory worker, Douglas Quaid, seeks a source of escape, visiting Rekall for a memory implantation. But as circumstance would have it, he gets more than he bargained for, triggering his past recollection that was meant to be erased. Colin Farrell plays the mistaken Quaid, taking the place of Arnold Schwarzenegger who had starred back in his heyday. Having already had success in the last year with "Horrible Bosses" and "Fright Night," Farrell returns to the genre that jump-started his career. Yet, unlike Arnold who had a way of bolstering his presence in the film, Farrell seems to fade into the background, being heavily overpowered by his surroundings. This correlates with the assertion, 'style over substance,' which Director Len Wiseman is all too familiar with. In what could only be described as "Blade Runner" meets "The Fifth Element," Wiseman pulls out all the stops in offering up a dystopian world that's glossy and drab, all at the same time. Hovering crafts and planetary core traveling are just some of the brassy by-products of the special effects, while nifty camerawork livens up the action that comes at staccato clicks. It's what Wiseman knows best, and works well with, but it doesn't abate the fact that it's still a remake, turned reboot. Obvious resemblances aside, the suspense and ambiguity are what's adequately missing in a film that questions reality. Offbeat from the original which took place on Mars, the hidden objective behind this futuristic world has less urgency than before, thus less tendency for us to care. Also, whether it's the script or weak acting, there is recurrently awkward dialogue that feels misplaced. If there's a silver lining in redoing this classic, it's seeing Kate Beckinsale do some high-powered brawling. She's not just a pretty face to boost the ratings...though that probably wouldn't be such a bad idea considering how poorly the film debuted. Whilst "Total Recall" is a far inferior remake/reboot, it works as a standalone action flick with the minimalist of standards. Just enjoy the scenery because that's all you'll really remember.

Rating: 2½ stars