In the future, an ordinary guy tries to escape from his mundane life by going on a virtual adventure and ends up experiencing the real thing on an over the top trip to Mars. Or does he…?


With the 2012 remake on the way in August, now’s the perfect time to get reacquainted by the 1990 original. Directed by the just plain awesome Paul Verhoeven, right between smash hits RoboCop and Basic Instinct and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger at the height of his fame, Total Recallis just pure entertainment.

It may not boast subtle characterisation or even the more extensive satire of Verhoeven’s deeper works, but there’s a visceral charm to Total Recall that hasn’t dimmed after 20 years. The lurid violence is still arresting and while Verhoeven’s X rated cut remains lost, there’s plenty here to keep action fans sated. As one of the last pictures before CG work took over, there’s a wonderful physicality to the effects here, especially the model work by RobBottin.

This is Schwarzenegger’s film and he chew up scenery and enemies alike, spitting them out as some of the best one liners in film history. Sharon Stone is on fine form before her star turn in Basic Instinct and there’s nothing not to love about the over the top villainry of Michael Ironside and Ronny Cox. Highly recommended.

Extras: New bits include a riotous interview with Paul Verhoeven plus a featurette on the effects and that same old hilarious interview with director and star. You’ll also find the original special features on the blu-ray plus a trailer and a restoration comparison.