Total Recall (2012)

(Comicbook.com)

I don't remember much of the original Schwarzenegger film. I've always liked Colin Farrell in action movies, whether he's the good guy or the bad guy, but my expectations for remakes is always a tad lower.

Finding out about a past life (and I don't mean reincarnations) is always tricky. You're always not sure who to trust and what to believe. Twists present themselves on many opportunities. Too bad the trailers already revealed that his wife is actually an agent tasked to babysit him. Oh right, it's a remake, so there's no point in keeping any secrets.

So... is Stiffler's mom real or not real? (Photo from here)

I would have loved to see more of Bill Nighy than Bryan Cranston. Successful engaging stories always have an anchor that an audience probably relates to or feels for. I should be concerned about the main protagonist's character like Farrell's or Nighy's, but there isn't too much to invest on anyone really, emotion-wise.

"Invest in me then, in my golden hair." (BeyondHollywood.com)

Special effects are really top-grade. I'm not sure about the annoying sound effects, particularly in the fight scenes. Granted that there is little to no dialogue right smack in the middle of these scenes (mostly one-liners), but it really gave me a headache.

"Can somebody give me ear plugs, please?" (screencapped here)

At the end of it all...

One reason to kill time watching this:
Jessica Biel in tight rebel outfit. (screencapped here)

Another reason to gloss over the rest of the movie:
Kate Beckinsale in tight spy outfit. (Film.com)

And I'm a girl. Both kicked ass, by the way—well, maybe more Kate.


Total Recall (2012) gets a five out of ten, for not really entirely wasting almost two hours of my life.