When a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or is he... Read allWhen a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or is he?When a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or is he?
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 7 wins & 16 nominations total
- Harry
- (as Bobby Costanzo)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter seeing Sharon Stone's performance as Lori in this movie, director Paul Verhoeven would cast her in the movie Basic Instinct (1992) due to her ability to play a character that could change from a timid charming sweetheart to a diabolical person and back again at a moment's notice. He also stated that this is the way Sharon Stone is in real life.
- GoofsQuaid touches walls, switches on lights, and grabs Lori's arms to explain that he is being hunted by spies, then shows his blood-covered hands to her, yet there is no blood on her arms or the walls.
- Quotes
Lori: Doug, honey... you wouldn't hurt me, would you, sweetheart? Sweetheart, be reasonable. After all, we're married!
[Lori goes for her gun, Quaid shoots her in the head, killing her]
Douglas Quaid: Consider that a divorce!
- Crazy creditsPlay the Total Recall (1990) video game by Acclaim.
- Alternate versionsThe Finnish theatrical release (1990) was rated K/F-18 but still cut by 23 seconds. The VHS release (1991) was rated K/F-16 and cut by 68 seconds. The DVD release of 2001 is rated K/F-18 and is listed as uncut.
- SoundtracksMutant Dancing
Written and Performed by Bruno Louchouarn
Produced by Joe La Mont
Published by Lygon St. Music and Barney Sue Music
One could consider "Total Recall" part of a Philip K. Dick trilogy: Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report. With A Scanner Darkly and Paycheck (among others) creating an extended trilogy (you know, like Douglas Adams did). Total Recall is easily worthy of standing beside Blade Runner. And even as a stand-alone sci-fi film, it ranks as one of the better ones of the 1990s, if not all time.
One of the great things about Total Recall is the ambiguous nature of the story. Is it a dream? A brain embolism? Reality? Any of these has evidence to support it and also to contradict it. And this is a strength for the movie.
There is a certain absurdity with the special effects -- eyes bulging and whatnot when the people lose oxygen. In real life you would simply die in space, not explode. But at the same time this was somewhat amusing and a bit comical so it can be overlooked. Besides, coming from Rob Bottin ("The Thing"), the focus should be on the strengths of the makeup and effects and not the possible shortfalls.
The casting was great. Arnold was a great choice, and no one else could be Quaid. Kurt Russell, Stallone, Swayze... these guys are great but not right for this part. And Sharon Stone was looking her best for this movie, and since her role seemed to be the sexpot wife who does little more than exercise and seduce her husband, that is a big endorsement.
Clearly the best character was Benny the Cab Driver, played by Mel Johnson, Jr in his only notable role. He stole the scenes he was in with great comic timing and an interesting back-story. I was quite interested by how he went from being what could have been a minor background role to a primary figure in the overall plot. Exquisite.
I guess I simply must recommend you see this movie. If you have not seen Blade Runner, watch that first. If you have not seen Minority Report, watch this first. But either way, be sure that you put this movie somewhere high on your to-do list.
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- El vengador del futuro
- Filming locations
- Estudios Churubusco - C. Atletas 2, Country Club Churubusco, Coyoacán, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico(Studio, Mars Federal Colony and Pyramid mines)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $65,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $119,412,921
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $25,533,700
- Jun 3, 1990
- Gross worldwide
- $261,317,921
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