Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 2, 1990 TAG: 9006020250
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The film's main flaw is its lack of originality. Fans of director Paul Verhoeven and star Arnold Schwarzenegger are not going to find anything new here.
Instead, they're going to be reminded of "Robocop," "Running Man" and "The Terminator." "Total Recall" probably cost as much to make as all three of those combined, but it's not nearly as enjoyable as any of them.
The story is a confused chase that's been grafted onto a set of science-fiction cliches involving a dictatorial mining operation on Mars. It's thoroughly illogical and filled with loose ends.
It seems that construction worker Doug Quaid (Schwarzenegger) has recurring nightmares about Mars. Even though they frighten him terribly, he wants to go there. His wife Lori (Sharon Stone) quickly nixes the idea, but we know from the beginning that she's one of the bad guys.
Before long, evil government henchmen led by Richter (Michael Ironside) are after Quaid. He manages to kill most of them and elude the rest, just in time to stumble across a videotaped message from himself. Could it be that Quaid's memory of his former self has been erased? How? Why? Quaid heads to Mars to find out, but not before another dozen or so hapless henchmen bite the dust.
On Mars, he finds Melina (Rachel Ticotin), a woman who has appeared in his dreams, and Cohaagen (Ronny Cox), the baddest bad guy of them all. About then, the plot of the script by Ronald Shusett, Dan O'Bannon and Jon Povill flips out and becomes too goofy to describe. But the plot is only a vehicle to move the violence from one set to another.
That violence is so repetitive and uninspired that it's not particularly offensive. Once a location has been established - escalator, hotel room, nightclub, whatever - several people with various weapons show up. They grimace and open fire. Squibs of fake blood erupt on stunt men and women, who throw their hands in the air and fall down.
The loosely-jointed plot and the mechanical violence combine to overwhelm the characters. The protagonists have no more depth than figures in a video game. But the villains are given much more to work with, and the three of them do wonderful work. Ironside and Cox have built their careers on this kind of role, but Sharon Stone is every bit their equal. She's the best screen villainess since Ursula the Witch in "The Little Mermaid."
One intriguing special effect appears to be a computer-animated sequence in a vast cavern, reminiscent of that wonderful scene with the giant generators in "Forbidden Planet." With the aid of today's technology, however, the camera appears to flip and zoom all over the place. It's an impressive bit of showing off that has nothing to do with the rest of the movie.
But beyond some occasional bits of technical prowess, director Verhoeven shows none of the flair or wicked humor that made "Robocop" so memorable.
Instead, "Total Recall" is just another empty big-budget Hollywood blockbuster. It may or may not find the huge audience it has to attract to be a hit. `Total Recall' A Tri-Star picture playing at the Terrace (366-1677) and Salem Valley 8 (389-0444) theaters. Rated R for violence and brief nudity. One hour and 50 minutes.
by CNB