By Kate Rodger
Twenty years on, Total Recall is back.
Paul Verhoeven's original with Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t exactly a smash hit but it certainly hit the right cheesie note for its time, so it seemed fair enough that a 2012 take on the story might work.
Unfortunately, it misses the mark.
The premise is essentially the same. Man in future world has his memories messed with before finding out one day that his life and his wife ain't what he thought they were.
Colin Farrell does a fine enough job in Arnie's shoes, and the wife-gone-bad Kate Beckinsale still makes time to reapply the lipgloss as she kicks, smacks and shoots her way through the movie with Jessica Biel coming back from Farrell's past to remind him who his heart really belongs to.
Total Recall isn't a total waste of time but it’s certainly “capital A for average”.
While it looks slicker than it's predecessor, the premise itself feels dated, and a more convoluted plot doesn’t engage you enough to want to make the extra effort to work it all out. It’s a shame really.
Two stars.
Total Recall
:: Director: Len Wiseman
:: Starring: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, Bill Nighy, John Cho, Bokeem Woodbine
:: Running Time: 118 mins
:: Rating: M - contains violence, offensive language & nudity
:: Release Date: August 23, 2012
:: Trailer: Watch here
