[08/05/2012]
While I was driving to the
theaters – actually the drive in since it was cheaper to go to, I was
“recalling” watching the 1990 version with Arnold right after my high school graduation party with the family. I remember going to Showplace 8 with
Charles and Uncle Jim (and possibly Byron) – I forget – after having the party
at the lounge at the Jefferson apartments that Charles and Aunt Nancy
lived. That was a big “impression” in my mind, especially knowing that
this was a very violent film and it starred the biggest actor of that time –
Arnold Schwarzenegger.
What should have happened was
I need to go to a “Total Recall” facility and erase those memories from my
mind. I would probably have enjoyed this film better if I never "recalled” the 1990 version.
In the Comic Con press
release, all of the cast was presenting to the audience that this 2012 version
will be more like the Philip K. Dick point of view, than the somewhat campy
1990. Yes, I would agree with that notion that the 1990 is campy and
filled with Arnold’s one liners – “consider this a divorce”. I
would have liked a more philosophical minded film – which is Philip K. Dick is
known for. Philip’s main obsession in his sci-fi writings was the issue
of distinguishing between what’s normal (reality) and what’s fantasy – and how
to distinguish this from the main character. “Blade Runner”, “A
Scanner Darkly”, and a little bit of “Minority Report” did well in presenting
Philip’s theme in one shape or another. Even the 1990 version had
those aspects in there. However many of the lesser known Philip K. Dick
adaptation’s to movies did not emphasize that as much, but did too much “chase
action scenes” that took too much away from the substance of Philip’s
themes: Paycheck, Next, and Imposter to name a few. My
expectation was that they would separate from the 1990 version by emphasizing
those themes as much.
Unfortunately, this “Total
Recall” version is more like Paycheck, Next, and Imposter. It’s more
“chase action scenes” than philosophical themes.
The only point I saw that
they took from Philip K. Dick is the settings of Blade Runner. In fact,
the original Philip K. Dick short story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale”
does include Mars. This version does not. I felt that the
screenwriters just took a copy of the 1990 version and just rearranged some of
the story and characters and they left that actual storyline pretty much the
same as before. There were actual lines that were rehashed from the
1990 version and used verbatim in this version. They actually had the
three breasted prostitute scene in this version. Since there are no
mutants in this version, why the three breasted prostitute?
They should have learned from
the Coen brothers how to make a better remake of a classic – “True Grit”.
It felt like they wanted you to rehash the Arnold version while watching this
deliberately. It was like a producer saying: “Hey, why don’t
we remake Blade Runner starring Sam Worthington as the Harrison Ford character
and replace Sean Bean’s character with a red headed actress. Instead of
being in Los Angeles, we settle the story in London. Change some of the
script lines and have the replicants be actual robots instead.”
The special effects were
superb, but I hardly judge a film anymore on special effects. Anybody can
make good special effects movies. It’s a dime a dozen.
I did like the Blade Runner /
Minority Report feel of the settings, but there was one technological
achievement (clue – a transport) that seemed too farfetched to be
realistic. This technology was critical to the storyline and messed up
the climax for me. The performances of Colin Ferrell, Kate Beckinsale,
Jessica Biel and (Walter White himself – i.e. “Breaking Bad) Bryan Cranston,
were actually pretty good. It’s the story that failed.
To me, this is an average
film. For you to enjoy it, I have to take this line of
reasoning. This movie “recalls” to me the differences in the “The
Christmas Carol” movies. Which version do you like the best – the George
C. Scott version, the Patrick Stewart version, or the original 1951 version
played by Alastair Sim. Despite Arnold Schwarzenegger’s version being a
bit campy, I still like the 1990 version. They did not meet my
expectations on the Philip K. Dick philosophical mode of the film, and the
story line was rehashed and flat. It’s a movie to rent, but not
enough to pay a full ticket to go to.
Too bad!
2012 Status
List of movies rankings by
DJJD:
The Dark Knight
Rises (A)
The Avengers (A)
Dark Shadows (B-)
Prometheus (C)
Total Recall (C-)
Anticipated films of 2012:
Skyfall [James Bond] High
The Hobbit: Unexpected Journey:
Above-Average
{Knocked
down from High due to news about Hobbit being a trilogy now}
FrankenWeenie:
Above-Average
Cloud
Atlas:
Average {from the directors of The Matrix}
Lincoln:
Average
The
Expendables
2: Average
Looper:
Average
ParaNorman:
Average
G.I.
Joe: Retaliation: Below-Average
Dredd:
Low
The
Bourne Legacy: Low
Hotel
Transylvania:
None
Rise
of the Guardians: None
Django
Unchained:
Low
{I
can’t believe I am saying about this for a Tarantino film.
Can
he actually make a non-violent film – just to do something different for a
change?}
Not going to touch with a ten
foot pole (notice unfortunately that this list is usually very long):
The Amazing Spider-Man
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
The Watch
Step Up Revolution
Ted
Brave
Battleship
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
Katy Perry
Ice Age: Continental Drift 3D
Men in Black 3
Rock of Ages
The Three Stooges
21 Jump Street
American Reunion
John Carter
Red Tails
Wrath of the Titans
The Dictator
The Raven
Contraband
This Means War
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Five-Year Engagement
That’s My Boy [in fact any Adam Sandler film – Sir, you’re not funny anymore]
Movies I might watch later on
Netflix:
Magic Mike
The Intouchables
Moonrise Kingdom
The Hunger Games
Snow White and the Huntsman
The Grey
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