Total Recall

Forget about the disposable Colin Farrell remake from 2012.

The film's visual invention is offset by its visceral nastiness. Schwarzenegger's self-deprecatory good humour prevails none the less.

Suffice it that machines crackle, futureworlds whirl and beings human and animal metamorphose before our eyes. Sci-fl addicts, see and enjoy. Everyone else may await, though not over-eagerly, the video.

Schwarzenegger is never going to make the De Niros and Hoffmans of this world lose a night's sleep, but he has acquired a new confidence as an actor under Verhoeven's guidance.

Total Recall is slick, sly and subversive, and if some of the special effects have aged somewhat, that only adds to the charm.

As Quaid, Schwarzenegger continues to stretch beyond his reach as an actor, relying on physical prowess to keep him in character.

Total Recall succeeds where hundreds of its contemporaries fail&#59; a sci-fi epic turning grand philosophical questions into undeniable and ludicrous fun.



Undoubtedly the film will make millions, but Schwarzenegger still can't act worth a damn and neither he nor anyone associated with the film can ever buy what they don't have -- it's called class.

There is no need to dress it up in order to have fun. [Full review in Spanish]

A joyful contradiction to be embraced for its raw sensory energy and momentum, but savored for its unpredictably complicated Dickian themes exploring the nature of identity, fantasies, and reality.