Movie Review Monday: Total Recall
Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!
This week's movie is Paul Verhoeven's 1990 sci-fi action classic, Total Recall, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
A recent reboot of this movie was made starring Colin Farrell, but the original still has a unique campy charm to it, continuing the fun legacy of Arnold's action films from this era of cinema.
The basic plot of this movie is that Arnold's character, Douglas Quaid, realizes he has been brainwashed after going for an artificial memory implant. He then goes on the run and realizes his current memories of his ordinary life are fake and that he is actually an important piece in the middle of a rebel uprising taking place on Mars.
Much like Verhoeven's other classic sci-fi action movie from around this time, Robocop, Total Recall is eccentric, violent, and unlike anything else. This is a good thing, since even decades after its original release, it's a entertaining watch. Total Recall also uses pretty much entirely practical effects for all the crazy stuff in this sci-fi world. It's a refreshing change from the (albeit amazing) CGI of modern times.
If you haven't seen Robocop or this film, I encourage you to check them both out. They're relics of a bygone era in movies and are great sci-fi adventures. Starship Troopers is another of Verhoeven's work but I didn't find that to be as engaging.
Check out Total Recall streaming right now on Netflix!