Having never seen or really wanted to see the original Schwarzenegger version of this movie, I came to this version completely open minded. No previous films clouding my opinion or any references to elements of the original story, I watched this as a stand-alone film in its own right, and I am glad I did.
'Total Recall' is the futuristic story of Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), a factory worker bored with his life who decides to visit Recall, a centre that delivers a form of memory replacement to clients, allowing them to have fake memories of experiences and events that never actually occurred. However, when he visits the centre (which is viewed kind of in the way drugs are viewed today) it is realised that his request to have the experience of being a spy isn't actually as fake as he thought, and the experience unlocks forgotten memories within Doug regarding his secret past. Action ensues with his real history being revealed, his wife (Kate Beckingsale) not being who she appears and government secrets and plans are unveiled in the process.
To be completely honest I went into this expecting your run of the mill stereotypical action movie set in some dystopian future where the guy gets some girl and the bad guy dies and they all live happily ever after at the end of a load of action sequences that are generally pretty pointless and not all that inventive. This film, however, exceeded my expectations much more than I was expecting it to.
The action sequences throughout are surprisingly original, and I especially appreciated those involving anti-gravity elements. Don't get me wrong, all of the action sequences are based in the classic elements, with a mixture of car chases, fist fights and gun shooting sequences. It is the futuristic feel that allows for the action to contain a twist and a creative aspect that can sometimes be missing when a movie is set in a different time period. The team behind this film have taken full advantage of the freedom that comes with this element and it has allowed what could be a stereotypical remake to become a really good action film.
As well as this, the actors are all very well cast. Colin Farrell portrays the confusion of discovering a hidden past as well as being convincing as a serial killer/spy/whatever it is you want to call him. Kate Beckingsale is equally good at switching between the doting wife and her 'other role' (don't want to spoil it for you) and is equally matched by the performance by Jessica Biel (who I can't really say much about without there being spoilers).
To round all of that off, the special effects are pretty incredible, especially when a lack of gravity is involved. The world they have created is convincing (for what it is) and all of the elements seamlessly join to create the perfect environment for the story.
Overall, this film is a lot better than I was expecting and is, I feel, a good high paced action movie with a few twists and turns put in for good measure. I'm sure there will be some people out there who can and will compare it to the original and for fans of that film this may not be up to scratch. As I said (seen as I haven't seen the original) I can only say that as an individual movie, it is good and action lovers will enjoy it.
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