I watched Paul Verhoeven‘s 1990 sci-fi feature Total Recall last week, primarily in preparation for the upcoming remake and to reacquaint myself with the film after not having seen it for several years. To no real surprise it played just as expected, I never believed it was a great film, but it has some truly memorable sequences I’m not likely to ever forget. That said, I thought I’d feature those sequences here and ask if anything else from the film particularly stands out in your mind.
As a sci-fi film I think Total Recall holds some kind of a place in history (though I’m still not sure exactly what to call that “place”) and while it doesn’t feel like Len Wiseman‘s upcoming remake (watch the trailer here) is trampling on hallowed ground, I think Verhoeven’s original may pose as a potential roadblock for the new film in terms of receiving cross-generational acclaim.
If there’s anything to say about today’s films it’s that they don’t take many risks, often opting for the PG-13 rating so as to appeal to the widest audience, which means a lot of the harder edged stuff has to be cut out or never conceived in the first place. Wiseman’s Total Recall will be rated PG-13. Will the rating be something that hinders the end result? Will this new remake spark such interest that in 22 years someone will have found moments so memorable they are encouraged to write an article similar to this one?
NOTE: The final image in this article is not safe for work. It is on the second page of the post, but please consider yourself warned if you’re reading this from the comfort of your cubicle.
Opening on Mars
Verhoeven wastes no time before giving the audience a jolt. After the prolonged credit sequence he immediately shuffles us off to Mars where we learn it might be a good idea to stay indoors and what would happen if we didn’t. The moment not only offers a memorably goretastic look at an eye-popping Arnold, but gets one major plot point out of the way at the same time.
Get Ready for a Surprise
The effects in this film may be dated, but they are still quite impressive. I still remember seeing the trailer and Arnold’s head emerging from that four-tiered mask and thinking, “Oh hell yes, I have got to see that!”
You can watch the scene right here.
“When your hear the crunch you’re there”
The crunch and the stretching nostril are almost too much to bare, probably because, at least to me, it looks pretty real. That said, I have to assume I’m not the only one that has contemplated just whether or not this could actually be done should such a situation call for such a device. That little clamp opening inside your head and squeezing that orb out of your nose. Yikes!
For those that are quick to say it isn’t possible, let me remind you, storks don’t actually deliver babies to your doorstep… just saying.
