Prismark10 Total Recall is one of the great action movies of the 1990s. In fact it is one of the great films of the decade. Director Paul Verhoeven delivers a layered plot, bone crunching violence, state of the art special effects, satirical swipes at right wing corporations. In Arnold Schwarzenegger he found an actor who could deliver the heroics, the action and the violence.Based on a short story by Philip K Dick, 'We Can Remember It for You Wholesale.' Total Recall is set in a future where corporations run amok. Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a hard working construction worker who visits a company called Rekall that implants fake memories of a holiday to the planet Mars despite concerns expressed by his wife Lori (Sharon Stone) and his work colleague.While undergoing the process where he decides to upgrade his trip as a spy on a mission, it seems Quaid's memory has already been erased and his existing memory were recreated. Now Quaid is on the run with plenty of bad guys after him. With no one left he could trust, Quaid sets off to Mars to find the truth about himself. In Mars he finds he is someone who was feared and not liked. Quaid decides there is a secret about Mars worth fighting for and Quaid leads the resistance group against the company that runs the planet and controls the air supply.The violence is visceral and strong. The action is very well placed. Yet Total Recall also has a terrific story, the plotting is complex and always keeps you guessing whether it is a dream or is it real? With further re-watches you unravel further clues and the credit for that goes to the director.

gawain-15641 If this film had been billed as comedy instead of science fiction I would have given it a higher rating. But, alas, it seems that the director was only trying to appeal to the most unsophisticated audiences possible; and in that regard I guess he succeeded. The acting was terrible throughout. Arnold was his usual wooden self with some of the worst dialogue imaginable. Even his patented tough guy one-liners were predictable and lame (he says "consider that a divorce" after shooting Sharon Stone, his pretend wife, in the head). And most of his actions scenes, which comprised most of the movie, were simply laughable. It seems to me that Arnold's best acting work is as a robot.Sharon Stone wasn't much better unless her goal was to portray a cartoonish, sleazy bitch that no one could take seriously. If that was the case she pulled it off pretty well.It actually scares me to see so many reviewers rate this piece of trash 10 stars. What were they watching! How low are their standards! I suppose if all it takes are a bunch of loud explosions, lots of breaking glass, and completely implausible chase scenes to make one happy, then this film delivers on all counts. But is that what it has come to?After viewing this gigantic failure I Googled Philip K Dick to see if he was still around to witness this atrocious portrayal of his work. He wasn't. It was sad to see that he died so young (53), but at least he didn't have to witness this insult to his talent and imagination. Oh well, we'll always have Blade Runner!

O2D I wasn't expecting much from an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie but this was actually pretty good. I'm not really into action movies but this has plenty of fights and shoot outs, if that's your thing. There are a few good jokes. My favorite is that the midget hooker is named Thumbelina. That's comedy gold. The special effects aren't the best, it's easy to see that they are in front of a green screen, but it doesn't really hurt the movie. I'm sure the reboot has much better effects, I will have to check it out.

absalom-619-97223 One of the best movie i ever saw. Great plot, great cast ,entertaining, punch lines, twists, and endless action. I'm watching this film on my iPad almost every night. For a deep sweet sleep... personally I prefer the implant chair dream perception because all the violence thereafter seemed not a real one... Arnold Sharon Melina Ronnie Michael and Benny are unforgettable TOTAL RECALL FOREVER