Total Recall is based on the short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” by pulp science fiction writer Phillip K. Dick (who was also responsible for the premise of Bladerunner).  In this story he asks another question about the nature of reality.  Since we’re a product of our experiences and sensory inputs, what if our memories could be replaced, our brains reprogrammed by a machine?  Would our resulting identities be any less real?  And how could one differentiate a historically genuine past from one that was implanted?  That is the central ambiguity of Total Recall.

Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) lives a comfortable life in the not too distant future.  He shares an apartment with a lovely and loving wife, Lori (Sharon Stone), and has a low-stress construction job operating a jackhammer.  But he’s troubled nightly by vivid dreams about Mars, dreams that eventually provoke him - against his wife’s and coworker’s advice - to seek an Earthbound memory implanted vacation to the red planet at a company called Rekall.  The company specializes in artificially creating memories of a purchased experience; these memories are so compete, so compelling, that the client cannot tell that they are artificial.  In fact, the technology is so sophisticated, that Rekall can offer a change in identity to enhance the experience.  Quaid allows himself to be sold the secret agent option, one that will win the girl, destroy the villain, and save the planet.

Quaid is placed on one of Rekall’s machines, given a slow-acting anesthetic, and quizzed concerning his preferences (he orders the brunette of his Mars dreams: athletic, sleazy, and demure).  As the memory implant begins, Quaid’s adventure begins, in more ways than one, for it’s at this point that the film splits into two distinct paths, depending on your point of view.  Do we accept his overt experiences as reality or do we assume that we’re sharing artificial experiences as Rekall manipulates his brain with its hardware?

After seeming to awake on the machine’s coach as someone else, Quaid is furious that the people at Rekall have blown his cover.  As he lashes out, he must be sedated.  The operators realize that they had triggered a recall of a machine-suppressed memory; they erase his sales file, refund his money, and throw the unconscious Quaid into a cab.  When Quaid comes to, he’s thrust into a nonstop chase, constantly pursued by Richter (Michael Ironside) and his thugs.  The only way Quaid can save himself is to learn why his life is suddenly threatened.  Richter works for the sociopath Chief Administrator of Mars, Vilos Cohaagen (Ronny Cox in his Robocop, amoral-executive mode).  Richter wants Quaid dead - it seems that Lori is working for Richter and their relationship extends beyond the professional.  Cohaagen wants Quaid kept alive for reasons he keeps to himself.

Quaid will soon learn that he may be a former Cohaagen agent named Houser, and that the answers he seeks can only be found on Mars.  Fortunately, Houser left behind just the tools Quaid needs to travel to Mars and make contact with an underground movement that opposes Cohaagen’s tyranny.  On Mars, Quaid finds the brunette he ordered; she’s named Melina (Rachel Ticotin), and she’s connected to the rebels.  One action piece follows another, the body count rising dramatically.  As Quaid becomes more deeply involved, the writers and director play with his mind as well as the viewers’.  Dr. Edgemar (Roy Brocksmith) from Rekall stops by Quaid’s hotel room for a visit.  He explains that Quaid has suffered a schizoid embolism while being implanted with this experience and must immediately come down; he risks permanent brain damage if he does not.  He even brings along the loving Lori to help persuade Quaid.  Of course, Edgemar explains, neither of them is there; they’re merely electronic constructs bouncing around Quaid’s synapses.  Truth or dare?  Will Quaid save Mars?  Or is this all a dream?

The film takes great artistic license with science.  Arthur C. Clarke had to respond to doubters questioning Dave Bowman’s helmetless space walk in 2001 by explaining that man can indeed exist in a vacuum for a limited time; Verhoeven’s bulging eyes and ballooning bodies simply do not occur.  Weapons that fire bullets capable of puncturing a Mars atmospheric dome would most likely have been replaced with energy weapons and be banned; an accidental discharge would simply be too catastrophic to risk.  And without a dominance of nitrogen in the new Martian atmosphere, the oxygen/hydrogen mixture would be very unstable and dangerous.  But such criticism is hardly relevant; Total Recall is pure action wrapped around an intriguing concept.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is presented in a high definition transfer compressed with the MPEG-2 video CODEC.  The transfer print seems in rather good condition, lacking noticeable dirt and grime, but expect film grain to run throughout the presentation.  Color rendition is excellent, from natural skin tones to the harsh reds found on Mars.  Broad expanses of red are difficult to reproduce; on the DVD, contrast suffered when the color dominated the screen.  Not so much here . . . the high definition transfer holds up better, even when red threatens to overwhelm.  The black level is suitably deep, with no crush on either end of the video dynamic range.  The transfer impresses as a bit soft, and yet Sharon Stone’s freckles are clearly visible.  Small object detail is quite fine but not outstanding.  Since this was compressed in MPEG-2, I watched for the usual offenses; I didn’t spot any halos, macroblocking, or mosquito noise.  We’re left with a moderately film-like presentation that might have benefited from a more advanced CODEC or more disc space.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The disc offers a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX mix and DTS High Resolution 6.1 ES mix.  (Please note that the latter is not a lossless DTS HD Master track.)  Both are excellent, with the DTS taking the lead with a subtle timbre advantage.  The surround effects are very aggressive, immersing us in the action.  As you would expect, the surround channels decode perfectly into the center surround to provide a more solid surround experience.  Deep bass, extending well into the lowest octave, can only be reproduced with a fine subwoofer.  My pants legs were moving during some of the explosions.  Jerry Goldsmith’s driving orchestral score mixed with some synthesizer effects is presented across a wide sound stage and with a convincing fidelity.  Despite all the sonic fireworks, the sound effects and score never overwhelm the dialog.  Well done.

There are no alternate languages.  Optional subtitles are in English and Spanish.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Once again, an inefficiently compressed film in MPEG-2 on a single-layer disc leaves little room for extras.  The only supplement Lionsgate imported from a previous DVD release is the Visions of Mars featurette; it’s short, only running 5:28.  Dan McCleese, Chief Scientist, Mars Program, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratories gives us a tour of Mars science and the future of Mars exploration.  A pleasant complement to the feature film. 

The 120-minute film is organized into fourteen chapters.

Final Thoughts

The shear number of casualties (the greatest in any film up to its theatrical release date), and the overwhelming exaggeration of the violence (a considerable notch up from Verhoeven’s Robocop), might lend credibility to the notion that Quaid/Houser was not having a life experience but was merely experiencing a melodramatic construct.  But Verhoeven wasn’t as careful as M. Night Shyamalan was in his films as he established and obeyed the rules of logic that would maintain an entertaining ambiguity.  Many of the scenes are of action beyond Quaid’s point of view, action that he could not have observed and could not have been aware.  So we’re left with a more literal interpretation.  But then there’s the coincidence of the film’s plot so carefully following Quaid’s optional secret agent scenario, and the whiteout at film’s end accompanied by Jerry Goldsmith’s Rekall theme.  Perhaps it’s best to think less and simply enjoy the ride.  A reasonable transfer and a good audio track will please any fan of the film.