The trailer for the upcoming Total Recall is out, and it ticks many of the boxes that add up to a must-see movie. It has an intriguing premise. It has a character I’m interested in. It captures the look of Blade Runner without copying it. (And yes, “Reminds me of Blade Runner” is something I look for in a movie.) In fact, there’s a great deal to like here…but not everything.
The trailer is below. But first, let me ac-cen-tu-ate the positive.
It’s not Verhoeven.
The first film suffered from Verhoeven’s trademark Verhoeveness, a slightly surreal and slapstick approach to special effects and technology. This two-and-a-half minute trailer looks both serious and fun.
The special effects are top-notch.
The Total Recall trailer gives us eye-candy without inducing a diabetic coma. Flying cars. Whips made out of light. Disguises. It even gives us light-based interactive displays.
Where have I seen this before? Another Philip K. Dick-based movie Minority Report…and the video game, Mass Effect.
The remake adds to the original.
When our hero (his name is Quaid) goes to Rekal for a mental vacation, something goes wrong, so the company’s majordomo whips out a nasty-looking gun. (It’s about as disconcerting as finding out your manicurist keeps a dagger under her nail polish shelf.) Why is he armed? What does Rekal know about implantation that they’re keeping from their customers? These are good questions that I would love to see answered.