The Film:  Total Recall

Year: 1990

Genre:  Sci-Fi

Directed By:  Paul Verhoeven

Written By:  Philip K. Dick (story), Ronald Shusett, Dan O’Bannon, Gary Goldman

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Rachel Ticotin

Why Rent It?

Hollywood has seemingly run out of ideas, which is why they’re remaking every movie that was good.

Sometimes, the remakes are great, and you get something like  The Dark Knight Rises or The Amazing Spiderman…And sometimes, you get Footloose and The Wicker Man.

So, now that Total Recall is being remade, we figured it was time to check out the original.

The Breakdown:

Total Recall brought Sharon Stone to the mainstream, even though she couldn’t act:

The only thing better than good Schwarzenegger is double Schwarzenegger:

Total Recall 2012′s special effects will undoubtedly be better, but considering that the original was made in 1990, it’s still pretty entertaining.

Final Analysis: 

Total Recall was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best films, but it was undoubtedly the beginning of the end for director Paul Verhoeven.  Verhoeven would go on to make Basic Instinct, and then murder his own career with Showgirls.

There is no doubt that Total Recall 2012 will look better than Verhoeven’s Total Recall.

But, in 1990, Total Recall won a special achievement Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Total Recall is available on DVD and at Netflix.