This past weekend I attended the digital screening of Paul Verhoeven’s 1990 science fiction film Total Recall at 5th Avenue Cinema. This was my first time seeing the film and instead of cringing like I had expected, I truly enjoyed it and feel that it is a must-see flick.
Total Recall stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Douglas Quaid, a construction worker in the distant future. Quaid is dissatisfied with life. He keeps having a reccurring nightmare about being a secret agent on Mars. At first this seemed utterly ridiculous to me, but I kept reminding myself that Total Recall is a science fiction film and that I had to suspend my disbelief just a bit. It is quite humorous and although set in the future, the film has an incredible amount of late-‘80s and early-‘90s touches, the absurdity of which had me laughing hysterically at points.
The plot thickens when Quaid sees an advertisement for Rekall, a company that implants fake memories of perfect vacations specific to one’s ideal experiences. Against better advice, Quaid goes to Rekall and orders the special Mars package.
Before the memory implantation begins, though, Quaid goes into a violent rage. Before long the Rekall team realizes that his memory has already been erased. Gasp. To cover-up any involvement with him, the Rekall director orders his team to erase Quaid’s memories of the procedure, refund his credits and send him home.
This is where it gets real. Out of nowhere, everyone in Quaid’s life starts attacking him. It’s when his wife, Lori (Sharon Stone), tries to kill him that we start to understand a little bit better. Douglas Quaid, in actuality, is a secret agent whose memory got erased and has been exiled to Earth for joining the Mars rebellion. He has been watched over for the past six months by his fake wife to ensure his memory remains empty. It is here that some of the most amazing chase and fight scenes take place. Verhoeven’s genius is able to effect the audience in a multitude of ways, and creates such a long lasting effect that it leaves one reveling hours after the film has finished.
Quaid, upon discovering his true identity, or so he thinks, realizes that a bug has been implanted in his skull. Once removed, he goes on a journey to save a rebellion from the Earthly evil forces. There are so many aspects that make up this film it leaves your mind boggled. Is it really a reality? Is it just a dream? Who is the true Douglas Quaid? These questions remain unanswered, which was by far my favorite part of the film. The conclusion remains completely open to interpretation and although we all like to seek out resolution, the fun is in the guessing game.
Although this film has been overlooked by many, including me, Total Recall contains an overwhelming amount of vulnerability and through Schwarzenegger’s performance, we are exposed to an incredibly sympathetic character at the center of this high-tech universe.
I was taken on a crazy emotional journey by this film, and while personally I’m not the biggest fan of science fiction, I enjoyed the escape from reality. Total Recall opens up an entire world to us and if you can tap into the depths of your imagination, you too can be suspended from reality and enjoy the adventure.
