Total Recall 2012 (Post-release)

[Rotwang]

Imagine if somebody made a demo about set-making, VFX, action shooting that was feature-length and they decided to add a few acting scenes to tie the whole thing together. That's how Total Recall felt, 99% of the effort went into crafting the effects and the feel of the film. (and quite nicely done in a Blade Runner forcibly rammed into Minority Report way)

The story seems like it was written on a napkin five minutes before shooting.

I also have a feeling that Hollywood execs are terrified by Mars and that any reference or use in future films is now strictly verboten, hence the haphazard storyline that doesn't evey try to challenge the Verhoeven version.

It felt very empty, full of missed opportunities. The bright side is that I had a free ticket.

 

[kell]

Total Bore.... sets look great, acting was like cardboard, story was thin and just an uniteresting retread and not very interesting.

What I really liked about the original was at the end the fade to white... makes you wonder was it real, or did Quaid actually have a schitzoid embolism.

 

[rodneyfaile]

Saw it today. Thought it was good. Nothing to go crazy over, but I was entertained. Pretty much the same way I feel about the original.

 

[NormanF]

There's a series on one of the cable channels called "Sons of Guns" that has one of the team that gets a fasination by the pistol/gun and they end up building one with help from the production crew. Has some cool behind the scenes items.

I gave up on that show when it became the "Kris and Stephanie hook up" show and I found out Stephanie and Will lost their licenses because they lost some Class III weapons. That is an actual weapon, so why didn't they just go out and buy one instead of trying to recreate it?

 

[ursus43]

I gave up on that show when it became the "Kris and Stephanie hook up" show and I found out Stephanie and Will lost their licenses because they lost some Class III weapons. That is an actual weapon, so why didn't they just go out and buy one instead of trying to recreate it?

Not sure. I know they swapped this for that, so I just guessed that it was either an aitsoft or domething. NOt a weapons person.

 

[Noeland]

The production sent Red Jacket some rubber stunt guns of the Kriss and what looked like a modified beretta or 2. They then built their own custom Kriss with red accents and such that looked nothing like that was in the film. It was just a marketing episode for both the movie and red jacket.

Oh, and someone showed up at the shop with a "flying car" which they fired the Kriss from in the end of the episode.

 

[ursus43]

And everyone saw the Obama cash in the briefcase?:eek

 

[Dao2]

Did see the Obama cash Was funny.

I'm easily amused with movies as long as they're my type but I did quite like this movie. I liked that it wasn't the same story, and the nods were great. Maybe I was just reading into things but there was a few nods to other things as well ;p

 

[Kerr Avon]

And everyone saw the Obama cash in the briefcase?:eek

Chinese Yen?

 

[Sundowner]

I thought that was Obama on that cash!

 

[hoverboard]

The action and visual stuff was great but thats about it. I'd wait for Redbox

I'm going to have to agree here. I went and saw this movie at a matinee today, and I almost fell asleep it was so bad. The action scenes and CGI were pretty awesome, but the plot felt painfully stale. The beginning of the movie really dragged, and Colin Farrel was no Schwarzenegger. If this was an original movie I would have said it was alright, but after the first one it was pretty bad. That being said, the synthetics were awesome looking.

However, three-boobed lady and "two weeks" lady made me smile.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Kate Bekinsales character was Sharon Stone's and Michael Ironside's characters combined, yet lacked absolutely ANY reason at all for disobeying Cohaagen's order to take Hauser alive, like Ironside's Richter did, because Quaid had killed his wife.

She had absolutely NO reason from beginning to end to want to kill Hauser, so that whole thing just feels forced and out of place because they couldn't be assed to come up with a believable and understandable reason for her to fight and want to kill him so badly.

And how horrible boring to see all of the character fight in the same way... even Biel's character who should definitely had been more street-brawl type compared to the other two. But no.

It was an okay film, but it felt devoid of any real emotion, paranoia, engaging characters, anything other than cool sets and visuals.

Still prefer the Schwarzenegger version as even with his kind of acting, he still made the character feel more believable and the chemistry between him and the actress playing Melina felt a lot deeper than the basically shallow and superficial chemistry between Farrell and Biel. Honestly didn't feel they had any kind of emotions for each other... and no... a single tear just doesn't make it so.

 

[airair]

crap movie, crap soundtrack score, a waste of time. its films like these which encourage bootlegging. its such a pointless remake and waste of money.

 

[Jodo]

I aboutely loved the designs used in the movie, such as the robot cops, the overall scenery, and the white armor used by the officers...I would honestly go see it again for that alone. However, I realllllllly wish Colin Ferrel wasn't in this movie...

 

[Nexus6]

Saw this today, & I liked it quite a bit. I liked the visuals. The city street scenes reminded me of Blade Runner. Biel & Beckinsale did not disappoint. Farrell is NOT my favorite, & I didn't mind him in this. I liked the nods to the Verhoeven version, but I also liked a lot of the changes.

I'm utterly confounded at the number of people who HATEHATEHATED this film. Maybe all the b!tching had gotten my expectations so low that it couldn't help but be good. But whatever.

I'm a PKD fan, & this film is a worthy addition to the shamefully short list of book-to-film adaptations for this author.

That's right, I SAID IT! COME AT ME, BRO!!!

 

[Alan Castillo]

It premiered here only yesterday & I just got back from watching it.

A thoroughly enjoyable film and an excellent remake of the original. It's nice when a remake just keeps certain main elements but the sets etc etc are very, very different

SThe city street scenes reminded me of Blade Runner.

This was very nicely done too & I enjoyed comparing the 2 in my mind

There is only one thing I didn't get - what's with the 3-breasted chick :confused

Unlike the original, and if I am not mistaken or missed something very fundamental, there was no mention whatsoever after seeing her, about people being mutants due to the chemical poisoning of the air, or anything to do with any kind of mutants. So again, what's with the 3-breasted chick :confused ( a nod to the original perhaps ?)

I would very much have loved to see more told / details etc about 'The Fall' mode of transportation - that in itself, IMO, lends to a separate movie all on its own !

All in all, a good 7.5 / 10 & I'll get it on DVD :thumbsup

 

[IMIM2]

The whole thing about "The Fall" was absolutely blows my mind (in negative way).
Go into the earth core?
1. G-Force. The travel is for how long? So what is the speed? The speed it self is already producing negative G-Force (from falling), so perhaps it counter-balanced by increased G-force because it is near the core?
2. Heat. The earth's core is a melting lava (or some sort), so how can a railed system survived? Perhaps it is not as near as to the earth core as it illustrated.
3. The Flip. What is that all about? How long should it take? What would really happened at the apex, zero gravity?
4. The door was opened during the travel, so there is no positive pressure at the facility? What happen in the "tube", is it filled with air too, or vacuum? Supposed air from one side can "flow" to the other side?
5. When an object travel that fast, the air surround it will be compacted, so air pressure around the outer side will have higher pressure than on the inside. If the door opened, everything will be sucked out, and that would be the end of the movie. Even in mission:impossible, they have to wear goggles, magnet or suction device (even though I find it hard to believe the muscle grip can last that long).
6. Platform at the top side? The whole thing should be streamlined like a two sided bullet.

 

[OdiWan72]

Design - Awesome!
Acting - Cranston and Farrell *mäh*
Plot - ...

Overall a good popcorn movie, since I don´t tend to overthink plausability

Markus

 

[teragon]

Just seen it an hour ago, and I like it pretty much. Honest blockbuster with an actual story behind it, and I really enjoy the visual too from the cars to the robots and the city, not to mention Kate ^^(almost didn't recognize her without the catsuit and short hair).
I must say I didn't see the original, I'll check it out one day but I do believe I won't like it as much as a lot of you seems to like it, it's a generation thing, that's the problem with reboots/remakes, or that's my opinion at least.
Anyway, will buy in blu ray once it comes out.

 

[Demetrios2177]

IMIM2,

concerning the "Fall", there is an interesting entry on Wikipedia:

Gravity train - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

When I first read about the Fall concept, I Instantly decided to hate the film.

Then I watched it and found it more enjoyable than I had hoped I would, so to say. Yes, good sets and designs, but somehow with a feeling of seen-it-before, and I liked the red-haired-woman nod to Paul Verhoeven's version.
The three-breasted hooker was pointless, the hand-implant phone was, to me, only there to have an even nastier scene than Arnie's nose act.

What I actually found weird was that they had cast two actresses that are, to me, close to being indistinguishable, Beckinsale and Biel.
I liked what Colin Farrell did.
The zero-G fight in the Fall was a neat thing, but in all, the film did not impress me much.