/ oliverharper www.olivers-ret... / ollieh82 / oliverharpersretrospec... / oliverharper1982 Total Recall (1990) Retrospective / Review Originally published March 2012. Let's Play Channel / retropodcasts
There was no remake. That didn't happen *goes back to a world where Star Wars prequels and Force Awakens,Total Recall,Robocop and Ghostbusters remakes don't exist*
Me too mate. I'll tell anyone who will listen 80s movies were the best. I've just started my 80s bluray collection and of course its loaded with Arnie and sly movies. But my top 2 80s flicks are Ghostbusters and Back to the future. 80s movies were the tits man!
Video was original blocked in many Countries. It seems to be okay now since I've re-uploaded it. Also I make the error by saying it was based on a novel but its actually based on a short story.
When I was a kid I had no doubt that everything happening was real and that in the end he did indeed save the day. But as an adult, after reading the short story and re-watching the movie multiple times I understand and enjoy the ambiguity.
@@tuxysmagicaljukebox5431 it pains me to have to explain this to you but here we go i guess; when a big movie studio wants to make a lot of money and cant be fucked coming up with an original idea (that should read "too scared to try anything new) they will spend billions on a remake no one asked for and make it PG for no reason. Oh did I say no reason? Its to cast the widest net possible to regain the money they just lost on the shit cash grab they just made because they are stupid cunts. So sometimes that rating is all you need.
Revel Heir Of course just because a movie is rated PG13 does not inherently make it bad. But I think you’re missing the point because most movies that are rated R and then remade in recent times in PG13 are done out of greed with little regard to the original source material and many factors which made it so great, thus why they make it PG13 to have more potential money to be made, which is why the PG13 rating has become a symbol of a remade movie that will suck. Examples include the remade Total Recall, recent Robocop, the recent and upcoming Terminator, the Die Hard movies, etc
You see that "R' at the bottom of the poster? That is the sign of quality. That is unlike the politically correct and inane PG-13 reboots/rehashes that were destined to come in the future due to Hollywood's inability to create anything original; instead acquiescing to milking 80s successful films dry.
+MICHAEL MAH PHOTOGRAPHY I believe that if the MPAA changed the age limit from 17 to 16 for "R" rated films, I think studios would take more chances. Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I think the "R" rated grosses would increase.
Who judges a film just because of it's MPAA rating? Because that's fucking stupid! I've seen a lot of R rated films that are complete garbage, and PG-13, PG and even G rated features that are better than any of the movies in question. Judging a film by it's MPAA rating is like judging an album by whether or not it has a Parental Advisory label on it.
@@tuxysmagicaljukebox5431 dude did you even watch the remake? It fucking sucked balls. And as far as ratings go, certainly a movie can be good no matter what its rated, but the grit and violence of this movie is a big part of the experience (like any Paul Verhoeven film) as well as the very identity of the movie and it's commentary. Just like being a PG experience is part of Star Wars identity. The point is that the remake was a neutered version and a pale immitation of the original. Look at the Conan movies, first one was badass, then some dickbrained idiot such as yourself came in whining and crying about the violence and declared "I dont see why this couldn't be just as good as a family film!" What did we get then? We got a big steaming pile of shit. People like you need to just shut the fuck up and just ignore R rated films if you cant handle the content and leave the grown ups to enjoy their own movies.
charlesvan13 They were both good... As was Ronny Cox's speech at the end: --------------------------------------------------- Ronny Cox: "Don't touch that. Get back. Arnold: "Come on Cohagen, give those people air..." Cox: "Can't do that... Mars will go into global meltdown.." Arnold: "Don't you think the people that created this thought of that...?.. Cox: "Who cares what they thought... In thirty seconds you'll be dead, I'll blow this place up and be home in time for Corn Flakes.... I didn't want it to end this way: I wanted Houser back. But noooo.... you had to go and become Doug Quaid." Arnold: "I am Quaid." Cox: "Your nothing, your nobody. You're just a silly, useless dream... Well all dreams come to an end." ------------------------------------------------------------
I absolutely love this movie, it's easily in my Top 3 favorites of all time. I still watch it like every year and it still is just as powerful and amazing as it was when I was a child.
"many studios being too afraid now to have R or 18 rated movies being released with huge budgets. its a shame they have now changed their attitudes to appeal to younger audiences or are afraid to lose money, which is a bit silly because there are far more people in the world over 18", and that there is what is wrong with the Film and Music industry. Which is why the majority of contemporary film and music is such garbage, people are just too afraid to try something new or make something that spoilt kids won't force their parents to take them to!
I really enjoyed the simplicity of Terminator 1. It is by far my favourite of the franchise I must say. The score and the premise seemed to possess more tension and more at stake. Meaning it's a Human and a Human on the run from a seemingly unstoppable machine.
Now we're talking... by far one my fave Arnie films. I saw this way before I was 18 haha... as I suspect most people probably did. I think they water films down far too much now days, there are so many movies that could of been that bit better if they had just toned it in a bit more maturer in my opinion. This had a great story & the visual effects still look great by today's standards. I was wondering have you now seen the remake Olli? If so what did you think to it?
Hey man I still haven't seen the remake, I did see it cheap in Asda a few weeks back but I thought shall I waste my money on a film I know Im gonna be disappointed with?..Nah!. lol
Thank you! I love that movie. The intro you have (The Dream - Total recall OST) reminds me of Basil Poledouris "Anvil of Crom" from Conan the Barbarian movie. My absolute favorite movie where Schwarzenegger all so stared.
I don't know what people are talking about, I never struggled with his acting, but I think he's been in several of the best movies ever made and he's often the difference between a great movie and a legendary movie.
Watching this as a 8 or 9 year old was freaky. That first scene on Mars where his eyes pop out. The mutated street urchins, pulling that glowing transmitter out of his nose, and of course "get ready for a surprise!" This is a classic!
The best part of the Total Recall experience is the Terminator 2 teaser on the VHS. It was directed by Stan Winston, and shows the manufacture of a T-800
I always thought it was real. If Quiad woke from this dream and returned home to find his wife still alive having never betrayed him, he would end up with some serious psychological issues. Rekall would never be viable as a company for screwing with people's heads so much
Oliver, love your work. Any chance you'll revisit this Retrospective and make it longer? This is one of my favorite action movies, and one of Arnie's best.
Loved the Retrospective. Keep making these things forever. I'm only left with one nagging question: So, now that Total Recall and Robocop have both been recycled as middle-of-the-road affairs with a PG-13 rating and the "pulled-back" violence Siskel and Ebert so passionately campaigned for, can we all just agree that these two critics suck? I hope they're both in purgatory right now--strapped to a chair and forced to watch those two remakes on eternal loop with only their own reviews pleading for their creation to break it up. That is, until they break down and apologize to the world for their asinine need to make every film ever made exactly like every other film ever made. I'm so glad George Miller made Fury Road and reminded us all why we love the HARD R. Can I get a holla from my homies on this one?
+Jim Slav I too could care less what sisco and bert and ernie think, a "professional" critic is a joke, we are all critics. And hell yea Fury Road was awesome!
It's not that 'critics suck' or that 'we're all critics'. Most Arnie movies in terms of cinema are not fantastic pieces of work, but are good at what they do (and I LOVE Arnold films). I do agree with you about the violence - these middle-of-the-road remakes are trash. One I did only recently see was 'Dredd' and it had just what I wanted - graphic violence, people being shot, no camera-pulling-away. Even explicit and suggestive scenes. It felt like it should, without any executive meddling and making it suitable for kids. Fury Road was the same. I laughed all the way through at the sheer balls of it, loved it. However, just because we are on the internet doesn't make us critics. Any critic worth their salt has actual qualifications in cinema studies and most serious critics can tell a good film from a bad one. A critic can identify and explain narrative, plot structure, casting, lighting, photography, colour and direction far better than 99.9% of RU-vid hacks who film themselves reviewing stuff and declare that they know Star Wars or whatever film they're dissing is 'badly written' and just need to wake us all up to their vision. What that doesn't mean is that all critics were in step with audiences. They disliked the violence, but these guys were old even in the 80s. They grew up in a different era of cinema. I think they even dislike Aliens...how can anyone say they disliked freaking ALIENS? But Siskel & Ebert were also not sci-fi fans, and were frequently very confused at what the hell was going on in some of these movies. They can't remember the characters or plot, and struggle to say anything positive, leading to the conclusion that they just didn't have any reason to want to like it. Total Recall probably surprised them a lot by being pretty damn good.
Actually Roger Ebert is a sci-fi fan, It's Gene Siskel who is not. I know it's been a year since you wrote the comment but I was just making a correction. He loves 2001, Blade Runner (after seeing multiple cuts), Star Wars, Alien (after repeated viewing) etc. And Roger actually gave the 1990 Total Recall a positive review.
Being such an iconic film from my childhood, I had no qualms on upgrading my copy to Blu-Ray. I had no idea that they'd done such a brilliant job, I literally felt like I was watching it for the first time again.
Someone help me I've been trapped here for hours watching these retrospective Reviews!!! Good work amazing reviews and great film choices, i can't put into words why i like all these films so much theres a grainy reality to all the films you selected they are all similar why can you explain. I love all these films but whats their secret?
Saw this in the theater. Still remember the exact summer day. Very memorable. Would have liked to have learned more about the production and backstory. Also, don't forget the one-liner "man, I got five kids to feed!"
Funny thing about this movie is that it's further events have been spoiled by the characters in the movie...yet you wouldn't notice up until you think about it.
Verhoeven mastered the art of camp violence; the proliferating squibs, and dismemberments, and casual disregard for bystanders' lives is so OTT that it becomes satirical, as you start to 'see' the filmmaker cackling at his own inhumanity, then the seriousness breaks down, and ironically, you can just enjoy wallowing in the carnage.
Me and my mate watched this last night with some fried chicken lol & we were utterly gripped from start to finish. The effects & score make this film a standout occasion. The dialogue is turgid but it suits Arnie's persona as well as the Gory action keeping you laughing throughout! This is a classic without any doubt in my mind.
This is a good example of filmmakers taking half-a-dozen short stories written by the same author and squashing them all together into a single storyline. The Golden Man (mutants), We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, and a few others. I was a huge fan of this ultraviolent film as a kid, but I would love to see what Cronenberg would have done with the material. Probably a much more cerebral, mind-bending film.
I loved the scene when Harry from work and the other guys dragged him into the alley . Imagine it was you and when you finally came to your senses there are men lying dead on the ground you have blood on your hands and a gun . You have no idea how you did this . Great Sci-Fi moment .
Surprised to get to see "Total Recall" at Putney Cinema in 1990 (I wasn't even asked for my age, 16 at the time) not remotely bothered by it's content - having seen similar movies beforehand. To say the least, I really enjoyed it and all of us have to thank Schwarzenegger in making sure this brilliant feature (stuck in "development hell" for years) seeing the light of day and recommended Paul Verhoeven as director after seeing 1987's "RoboCop" - the rest is history.
I remember when my mom for my 12th birthday dropped me and two of my best friends off at the theater to see this. The next year later my dad took me to see T-2: Judgement Day. Good times!
Another good retrospective review. Love this movie and for me there is one throw away line that many people miss that unlocks this movie. When Quaid goes to Recall, just as he's pulled back into the machine, the female techie (red hair and glasses) looks down at the programme disc in her hand and says 'umm, blue sky on Mars, thats a new one'
One of my all time favorites of Arnold Schwarzenegger, plus I'm a fan of Paul Verhoeven's films : RoboCop, Basic Instinct, Show Girls, and of course Total Recal, plus I was on location as an extra in Mexico City's Subway scenes
Since you said that you wanted to see more on the pratical effects than CGI, and a big-budget movie that is targeted for the older audience (18 or older). Well, you found the right guy here. Sadly, I'm not older to do that kind of stuff but when I do, you will see where I'm coming from.
I love total recall so much more than that piece of shat remake (which I sadly watched before the original). I especially love the opening credits which got me hooked right then and there.
Went to see this AS flick at the Midway Theater in Forest Hills, NY in 1990 all by my lonesome. Loved it. It kicked ass. Ironically, got into a conversation with some brainiac across the street in the diner (T-Bone) who knew everything about science fiction. Both establishments are still there.
lmao, I never had an interest in even watching the remake, luckily it didn't do good at the box office, the original was way too good for it to be remade, it has its charm.
The remake of Total Recall, is pure garbage. If a film does not look real, why bother making it..only dumb film directors, would wanna make a remake that trie's to outwin the previous film..it ain't gonna do well...time is money, film's are pretty much rushed these days due to budget costs..
laughing nutter yes, and I think remakes can be well done if you add something new, creative or different to the story like 2000s Planet of the Apes or the old Addams Family films, but saddly those are exceptions, not rules
I know, they seem to ruin a lot of film remakes, by rushing it, they should take their time, all they seem to want is money, when a film flops it's a huge embarrassment, just look at Terminator Genisys, Poltergeist, RoboCop, none of these remakes were any good, terrible, if you want to lose the audiences, then you should think of a film of a different title, not a title that's been known to billions of people. Money not gonna come that way..
Before you tell me to F off. Please hear me out. I like both 1990 and 2012 Total Recall. The 2012 Total Recall had loads of action. The Fall was a interesting concept. The film had good clever nods and references to the 1990 original.
Massive fan of your Retrospective/Reviews. Have been binge watching them galore. Please keep them coming. Any chance you will be reviewing The Warriors or Beverly Hills Cop? Great work man, keep it up.
From what i've heard, it's been confirmed that the canon intent is that it's all a comatose dream right after the visit to Recall and the 'fall asleep' sequence just prior to the memory implantation.
I always thought the soundtrack here... the main theme anyway was too close to 'anvil of crom' from Conan the Barbarian. Two different composers, but it seems that if Dino De Larentis is involved, and its Arnold, they all have the same music cues.
It took me awhile to really get into this movie because of how weird and futuristic things look in this movie but it wasn't until after I saw remake that I realized what a classic this movie is and I've started to appreciate it and like it a lot more. There are so many places in the country and the planet that I've never been to that I really want to go to but honestly cannot afford to go to these places. So I really hope they make faux memory implants a reality so I can be implanted with memories of going to places like Europe, Universal Studios Orlando or Hollywood, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and so on and so forth. I would also want a memory implant of civilian space travel too!
There was actually a short lived Total Recall TV series, that was shown on Sky back in the late 90's. It was supposed to be set in the same universe, but was nothing to do with the movie, being mostly a futuristic police drama
Hey there, Actually, we do know it was all a dream. The first time he is being strapped into the machine for the first 'dream' the technician say "That's a new one, blue sky on Mars" which is the last scene in the movie. That would be the end of his dream sequence and that's why the movie had to end on that shot. I'm sure there are some vids of this scene that'll show you what i mean. Really easy to miss, but once you hear it then it changes everything.
4:24 CGI never reached that level. The Last 20 years where a bit flawed. I hope we can bring that back....thos 80s/90s... sure a lot was cheesy, but alot of knowhow and heart was in it too.
Maybe it's time for Paul Verhoeven to do a extended and remastered DVD release. Which all the violent bits that were cut from the original theatrical release to secure an R rated is reinstated and all the practical effects are replaced with updated effects.
The practical effects are what made this good. What, would you just slap CGI over everything? How would that look better? In-camera effects and properly used miniatures always trumps CGI. Just look at Starship Troopers - effects sequences created in 1995/6 that are better than anything I've seen in the 20 years since.
They would probably be worse. Really, they probably wouldn't do any better than back then. They already tried to remake Total Recall and absolutely fucked it up.
