Total Recall
A construction worker's dream vacation to Mars detonates into a violent identity crisis involving implanted memories, authoritarian power, and a buried revolutionary past.
Overview
A mind-bending journey through the depths of memory and identity awaits.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- propulsive
- paranoid
- campy
- action movie night
- science fiction marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the inventive production design, visual effects, and Schwarzenegger's sympathetic performance, while finding the latter half increasingly mechanical and excessively violent.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Quaid shifts between his ordinary construction-worker persona and memories of being the secret agent Hauser.
Rekall's memory implantation triggers the central uncertainty over which of Quaid's experiences are real.
Verhoeven pairs authoritarian Mars politics and broad humor with elaborate practical effects and extreme action violence.
Cohaagen's administration controls Mars while the resistance fights for breathable air and political freedom.
Films like Total Recall, and why
Blade Runner
shares dystopian science fiction, identity manipulation, neon futurism, and high-concept action spectacle
The Terminator
shares Arnold Schwarzenegger-led science fiction action, relentless pursuit, practical effects, and questions of identity
RoboCop
shares Paul Verhoeven's satirical action style, graphic violence, dystopian politics, and campy excess
The Running Man
shares Mars-set science fiction adventure, resistance against authoritarian power, and muscular blockbuster energy
Movie Details
- Director
- Paul Verhoeven
- Release Date
- 1990-06-01
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (6714)
Cast
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Rachel Ticotin
- Sharon Stone
- Michael Ironside
- Marshall Bell
- Michael Champion
- Mel Johnson Jr.
- Roy Brocksmith
- Rosemary Dunsmore
- Ronny Cox
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Total Recall about?
- A construction worker's dream vacation to Mars detonates into a violent identity crisis involving implanted memories, authoritarian power, and a buried revolutionary past.
- What is Total Recall like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Total Recall as breakneck, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Total Recall violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Total Recall as graphic.
- What did critics think of Total Recall?
- Critics broadly praised the inventive production design, visual effects, and Schwarzenegger's sympathetic performance, while finding the latter half increasingly mechanical and excessively violent.
- Which films are like Total Recall?
- Films with a similar feel include Blade Runner, The Terminator, RoboCop, and The Running Man.
- How long is Total Recall?
- Total Recall runs 113 minutes.
- Where can I watch Total Recall?
- In United States, Total Recall streams on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
