The problem with Len Wiseman‘s remake of Total Recall is a lack of imagination. Yes, that’s a problem most remakes suffer from, but this version of Total Recall actually doesn’t clash much with the Paul Verhoeven-helmed, Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring film of the past. The names and plot remain more or less the same, as does the mysterious memory-implanting company ReKall, but where Verhoeven built an entire planet—populating it with mutants and promising that, yes, there is life on Mars—Wiseman shrinks his worldview considerably, ousting Mars entirely to focus on a poisoned-earth narrative where the rich get richer while the poor build the engines of their own destruction. While the living space issue and the rich/poor divide suggest a film mindful of current events (Verhoeven, by contrast, seemed more concerned with having a good time), Wiseman’s fictionalized current events are window dressing to a plot that sees a stock Chosen One fight to dismantle an army of killer robots. There’s a long, distinguished line of movies like that, and Total Recall just doesn’t stack up. (more…)
