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STORY STUDY - MEDIUM: FILM - “Total Recall”

Jeffrey Tung
Sep 18, 2018
2 min read

What’s a better deal than being able to go to another planet? Why, having a memory of being there at a fraction of the cost.

Directed by Paul Verhoeven, screenplay by Ronald Shusett & Dan O'Bannon and Gary Goldman, story by Shusett & O’Bannon and Jon Povill, and inspired by the short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" by Philip K. Dick, Total Recall is about a construction worker who dreams about going to Mars, since he’s literally dreaming about it. His wife discourages it, seeing how there is a rebellion going on there (or at least, a city on Mars).

Instead, he decides to go to Rekall, a company that can implant any kind of memories into anyone. He is upsold an offer of having a memory implanted of going to Mars as a secret agent. However, before the process can take place, something goes wrong and he goes into a rage, revealing that he is, in fact, a secret agent.

On his way home, he finds himself being attacked by his loved ones, and being hunted down. To find out what’s going on, he must flee to Mars and get involved in the rebellion.

This film is practically a great representation of a crazy, fun, summer movie. It has action, it’s sci-fi, interplanetary travel, all surrounding a fascinating premise. Plus, you have Arnold Schwarzenegger one year before his heroic turn as the Terminator in Terminator 2.

The amount of special and practical effects used is astonishing. It’s actually to the point where it looks like body horror. While I’m certainly not a fan of that (even the opening scene freaks me out a little), I can certainly appreciate it within this kind of context. After all, it’s not meant to be scary; this is an action movie.

The film has a rich vs. poor metaphor going on. In the film, air is provided by a giant corporation on Mars, and the rebellion is aiming to turn on a machine that is able to provide a breathable atmosphere to the entire planet.

It even goes so far as to have an ambiguous ending. After going through this crazy, unbelievable adventure… is it all real or just a memory implant?

I knew about the film through popular culture, especially the many references of the lady with three breasts. I was familiar with the story, but for the longest time, I never sat down and watched it until I finally had the time. It's really cool film with over-the-top violence with a strong message behind it; a sentiment that is shared with Verhoeven’s two other sci-fi films: Robocop and Starship Troopers.

That being said, the over-the-top tone, while fun, does sometimes break the serious scenes in the movie. It's kind of hard to take threatening moment seriously when a one-liner is said or an effect looks outdated.

Total Recall is just an exciting film to watch with a lot of factors that will interest all kinds of moviegoers. It’s a cool action film, a cool sci-fi film, and a great showcase of special effects and makeup.