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Total Recall
User Score
7.1 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 29
  3. Negative: 4 out of 29

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  1. TomV.
    Oct 20, 2006
    10
    An intricate and clever plot, with cinematography that will keep you riveted. Perhaps the most intelligent movie starring Schwarzenegger ever.
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  2. OneWhoKnows
    Aug 25, 2010
    10
    Philip K. Dick is one of the best sci-fi authors in history. In fact almost all his written work has been transposed into great film. Total Recall is one of his best efforts. Again this is a movie that requires a thought process, so if Napoleon Dynamite is your fave, give up and don't watch this movie because you will get lost. The ending is purposely left to your won interpretation... this makes it GREAT!… Expand
  3. monkeybrainspit
    Feb 28, 2011
    7
    “If I am not me, then who the hell am I?” In a time when interplanetary travel is common, one man yearns for better things. Douglas Quaid (Arnold Scwarzenneger), discontent with his life, dreams of vacationing to Mars. When an opportunity for a virtual vacation presents itself, Quaid visits Rekall Inc. for a memory implant. But during the procedure Quaid is plagued by memories of another life and heads to mars to try to unravel a forgotten past. When David Cronenberg passed on the project, director Paul Verhoeven, of ‘Robocop’ fame came to the rescue. And although I will always wonder what the talented Mr. Cronenberg would have pieced together, I think Verhoeven deserves credit for taking on the challenge. The film’s look is a trademark of Verhoevens and doesn’t shy away from being loud in appearance. The film was adapted from Philip K. Dick’s ‘We Can Remember It For You Wholesale’ and poses a question to the audience about whether the events after the memory implant are real or not. Undertones of corruption pull the movie along, but Verhoeven’s execution of these issues is done with little care. Direction: 7/10 (Verhoeven’s anti-subtle imagery and erotica influences drive this film) Cinematography: 8/10 (Jost Vocano’s improves Verhoeven’s excessive influences) Editing: 9/10 (Puente & Urioste make the right choices here, especially in the Johhny cab scenes) Acting: 6/10 (It’s Arnie & Stone. What did you expect? Michael Ironside does most of the work here) Dialogue: 5/10 (Too many hands spoiled this broth. Not awful, just disappointing it didn’t turn out) Sound: 10/10 (I was impressed for a film made in 1990. This almost makes up for the dialogue) Effects: 10/10 (It didn’t get a ‘Special Achievement Award’ for nothing. An Oscar well deserved) Art Direction: 8/10 (Verhoeven favourite James E. Tocci is called again to help the director) Costumes: 7/10 (Erica Edell Phillips gives the characters another subtle dimension) Music and/or Score: 7/10 (The music department provided a tasteful Sci-Fi feel to the film) Total Score: 77/100 For a film with plenty of action, explosive sounds and visual effects it still delivers an entertaining experience. But don’t be fooled – this film is not for anyone. Best suited for Sci-Fi aficionados and 80s action film buffs. Memorable moments included.… Expand
  4. AndrewM.
    May 10, 2004
    8
    I'm going to bump up the average rating of this a little... I saw this when it was first released, back when I was a teenager, and it was some of the greatest fun I ever had at the movies. Not to be taken too seriously, the film does do some mild sermoning, but it's true strengths and attractions lie in its (at the time) groundbreaking effects and the futuristic other-world atmosphere. Not to mention some of the star-trekish characters who pop-in now and again. It's possibly not as effective these days in light of the leaping bounds made with special effects, but 13-14 years ago this film was huge!!!… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. YoonC.
    Sep 21, 2003
    3
    Sharon Stone is hot, the other woman is not. Schwarzenegger is yet again typically Schwarzenegger in what is Verhoeven's umpteenth moronic action film which a few critics have defended as a post-modernist self-subversive exercise. This strikes me as examinging one's own feces and thinking it has value because it's been played with. I leave this kind of appraisal to critics with the sensibilities of proctologists. … Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. PatC.
    Jan 14, 2004
    7
    Damn good plot construction and storytelling. Makes the relativity of memory continuum a simple and accessible science fiction device. Borrows heavily from a slew of Hollywood genre so as to be a totally original creation made from components we're already comfortable with. Went on to perennial reruns on cable, where creative story line and clear plot execution rule. As contemplation of the hazards of artificially manipulated thought process, Robocop & Blade Runner are much more substantial, but this lesser concoction has stood the test of time as a reliable lower-common-denominator marketing war horse. Little of substance, but this is how good films are put together. The most memorable moments are the scary-in-their-authenticity interactions of Cox & Ironside as CEO and subordinate loose cannon, best viewed off-cable in their unsanitized glory. In the end, the film is haunted by an underlying silliness. Like its women, it turns out to be both demure and sleazy, although it contains an eye-popping rendition of the hypothetical effects of space vacuum on the human body. … Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. [Anonymous]
    Aug 27, 2005
    7
    The plot and concept are brilliant. I could almost say that this was a proto-Matrix. The political themes also seem a bit relevant in today's context, and may forshadow future issues in space colonization, and maybe colonization altogether. Action's nice. Sadly, some effects, once oscar winning, haven't held up over time. If today's FX were available back then, and the disturbing, bio-freaky parts kept to a minimum, this film would be damn near perfect, and it would get a nine. It's a miracle that T2, Arnold's peak, still looks awesome today, FX and all.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. vinee
    Mar 24, 2012
    4
    Why the hell they remake this movie which is subject to get released this year? LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
57 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 17
  3. Negative: 2 out of 17
  1. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    50
    The plot, based on a Phillip K. Dick story, is ingenious; and Arnold Schwarzenegger brings an effective blend of machismo and innocence to his role. Too bad director Paul Verhoeven lets brainless violence and tricky special effects swamp the cleverness of the tale itself. [22 June 1990, Arts, p.10]
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    83
    Starts out as mind-bending futuristic satire and then turns relentless -- it becomes a violent, postpunk version of an Indiana Jones cliff-hanger.
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  3. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    75
    A first-rate action movie, slickly done and with so many imaginative bonuses that, for a time, it feels like a classic in the making. It's not, but it's still solid and entertaining [1 June 1990]
See all critic reviews »