Total Recall Proved Fun And Thoughtfulness Were Not Mutually Exclusive In Blockbuster Fare

Ever had a dream you just can’t seem to shake? Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) sure has. Living on Earth in 2084, Quaid keeps having dreams of himself on Mars with the same brunette-haired woman. What does it mean? Quaid’s not sure beyond the fact that it makes him want to go to Mars. He’ll settle for the next best thing, implanted memories of taking a Mars vacation through the company Rekall. While there, Quaid stumbles onto a problem. Somebody’s already messed with his mind.  Quaid is not some construction worker living a humdrum life. He’s actually somebody else entirely, somebody capable of killing people and, maybe, starting a revolution on the planet Mars.

Based on the 1966 Phillip K. Dick short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, Total Recall see’s Paul Verhoeven working in the blend of science-fiction, social commentary and hard-R action that worked so well with his 1984 classic Robocop. Much like with that movie, Total Recall has blood and violence galore but it’s also got smart social commentary on its mind. Tragically, such commentary has only become more relevant today. Hearing Mars governor Vilos Cohaagen (Ronny Cox) demonize Mars natives protesting his actions echoes how a certain modern-day American leader demonizes anyone who dares to stand up against him.

What’s old is new again and while that’s bound to send one into a depressive spiral when it comes to real-world sociopolitical issues, it also means that Total Recall packs more of a wallop than ever. The screenplay, credited to Ronald Shusett, Dan O'Bannon and Gary Goldman, also works in providing a number of genuinely unexpected surprises as Quaid begins to unravel who he really is. The sense of mystery surrounding his actual identity is always a great device to keep the plot of Total Recall moving. This sense of intrigue is heightened by a scene where Quaid grabs a silver suitcase from an unknown helper, which takes on the ambiance of a 1970s political thriller like The Conversation or All The President’s Men. Those movies, like Total Recall, painted a portrait of a world where there’s nobody you can trust. Always a good aesthetic to channel in my book!

Of course, Total Recall doesn’t evoke such grounded thrillers for long. In fact, the writers and director Paul Verhoeven show a delightful affinity for throwing realism to the wind, especially once Dennis gets to Mars. Here, mutants with all sorts of over-the-top deformities linger in the background as casually as can be. This makes Total Recall’s Mars like the Mos Eisley Cantina in Star Wars, you could freeze each of these shots and unpack so many cool background details. Plus, the environment of Mars gets used for a number of creative action set pieces, including a thrilling scene involving a welcome station at Mars being exposed to the planets atmosphere.

These sequences show a lot of cleverness on the part of the writers and director in terms of how to create suspense when you’re lead character is played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. This guy circa. 1990 is the definition of strength, he looks like he could push a mountain with no problem. How could Ronny Cox be a threat to him? Total Recall smartly makes the conflict between Schwarzenegger’s Quaid and the antagonistic characters not one defined by hand-to-hand combat. Instead, Quaid faces off against adversaries who are a lot more influential in politics and have access to oppressive technology.

For example, Cox’s Cohaagen isn’t seen as a threat because he could beat up Quaid in a fight, he’s a threat because he’s cultivated enough power to cut off the oxygen supply for the residents of Mars. When he and Quaid eventually meet up to fight in the climax, the tension is derived not from whether Quaid can overpower Cohaagen, but from whether or not he can avoid being sucked into the atmosphere of Mars. Through these type of means, Total Recall makes it totally believable that this can be a David and Goliath story where Arnold Schwarzenegger is the David figure. Such thoughtful storytelling touches are executed so effortlessly that you won’t even notice them as you’re fist-pumping your way through the various shoot-outs and cool one-liners. Total Recall is another impressive Paul Verhoeven feature and my favorite kind of blockbuster, the kind that makes you think as often as it makes you cheer.