Total Recall

"What is real?"

2012 1h 58m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 6,046

ActionScience FictionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Factory worker Doug Quaid takes a virtual mind-trip vacation with the Rekall company, opting for implanted memories of being a spy. When the procedure goes wrong, Quaid becomes a wanted man by the police and joins forces with a rebel fighter to stop the evil Chancellor Cohaagen.

“What is real?”

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Cast

Colin Farrell
Douglas Quaid / Hauser
Jessica Biel
Melina
Kate Beckinsale
Lori Quaid
Bill Nighy
Matthias
John Cho
McClane
Bryan Cranston
Cohaagen
Dylan Smith
Hammond
Cam Clarke
Terminal Announcer (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Len Wiseman
Writers: Mark Bomback, Jon Povill, Kurt Wimmer
Languages: English
Countries: Canada, India, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

$125M budget — tentpole studio territory.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Canada, India, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Len Wiseman, shot by Paul Cameron. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Harry Gregson-Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Christian Wagner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Colin Farrell and Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "What is real?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Len Wiseman directs. Paul Cameron behind the camera. Harry Gregson-Williams scores. Christian Wagner cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Canada, India, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1$125M budget — tentpole studio territory.
2Released 14 years ago.
3International production across 3 countries: Canada, India, United States of America.
4Directed by Len Wiseman, shot by Paul Cameron. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Harry Gregson-Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Christian Wagner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Colin Farrell and Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "What is real?".
9IMDB entry: tt1386703 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 15 themes, including "dystopia", "secret agent", "remake", "machine gun".

The technical file

Cinematography: Paul Cameron
Original score: Harry Gregson-Williams
Editing: Christian Wagner
Production design: Patrick Tatopoulos
Costume design: Sanja Milkovic Hays
Makeup / hair: Jordan Samuel
VFX supervisor: Angus Bickerton
Stunt coordinator: Spiro Razatos
Runtime: 118 min · 1h 58m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $125,000,000
Box office: $198,800,000
Return: 159% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Total Recall (2012)

Also by

Len Wiseman

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Community reviews

What people are saying

markuspm2013-12-24
Marriages can be quite complicated - and who said women cannot drive.
John Chard2014-04-12
★ 6/10
Reimaging suffers a Schizoid Embolism. This reboot of the Paul Verhoeven/Arnold Schwarzenegger 1990 monster hit finds Colin Farrell as factory worker Douglas Quaid who, in search of meaning in his life and maybe an answer to his weird dreams, visits Rekall, a company who implant fantastical memories to order. When something strange shows up during the initial procedure, Quaid finds that nothing in his life is at all what he thought. There's a lot of very good craft here, there really is, that is on proviso you are happy to indulge in stylised effects over character substance. It's also a cold hard fact that fans of the original Philip K. Dick story, and fans of the Verhoeven bonkers adaptation, are very unlikely to embrace such a candy shop approach to what was once an inventive premise. Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale file in for the two lead female roles, which on facial likeness is a smart bit of casting, while on a butt point of view they have two of the best in the business. Farrell is competently gruff rough and tough, but again can you avert the thought process away from Schwarzenegger cutting a swathe through a futuristic world? A big problem is that as much as Beckinsale is lovely and feisty, the decision by her husband, director Len Wiseman, to make her part a complete film filler, grates on the nerves with its obvious stench of nepotiz. Still, if you are looking for a sci-fi picture awash with outrageous excitement, bangs and crashes galore and a sexy cast? Then this will certainly give you cause to chomp down with glee on your popcorn. There's homage nods to the Arnie movie, which are gratefully received, the pace never sags and the art design for this futuristic world is grade "A" in quality. As remakes go it's OK and far from being a stinker, you can have fun here, but it can't deliver enough quality to those fans mentioned earlier, and they are right to have such high standards. 6/10
Dark Jedi2018-01-20
★ 7/10
I quite liked the 1990 version of Total Recall with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Thus I was somewhat concerned whether or not I would like this one since it would be impossible for me to watch it without comparing it to “the original”. Well, luckily, I did like it. I think the 1990 version is still my favourite but I did indeed like this one as well. It is said that this movie follows the original story better than the 1990 version. I wouldn’t know since I have not read it. Both are good stories with the same central idea although I have to say that the 1990 version of the story felt a wee bit more “grand” than this one. This movie is, of course, more modern in that the special effects are more up to 2012 standards. Having said that I think the funny idea of going through earth’s core in a tunnel through the planet is way more far-fetched than actually going to Mars and, although the gravity reversal was a good idea in itself, the instant on/off effect was just ridiculous. Obviously no scientific experts where hired for this movie. The 1990 version had a lot of action in it and this one doesn’t disappoint in that area. Actually, the entire film is pretty much one long action chase and a pretty well done at that. One gripe I have though is that I felt that Quaid was a bit on the wimpy side. But then, that probably comes from comparing with the Schwarzenegger “original”. So the bottom line is that I quite liked it, It’s a good solid action movie, but it didn’t de-throne the 1990 version.