Taglines: What is real? What is recall?
Originally adapted by director Paul Verhoeven in 1990, author Philip K. Dick’s classic Sci-Fi short story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale returns to the big screen in this remake starring Colin Farrell, Bryan Cranston, and Kate Beckinsale, and directed by Underworld’s Len Wiseman. The planet has been decimated by nuclear war in the late 21st century, leaving only two nations — the United Federation of Britain and the Colony.
Douglas Quaid (Farrell) is a factory worker with a stable job and a loving wife (Beckinsale), but upon learning that a company named Rekall could grant him the memory of the ultimate espionage adventure, he decides that a virtual vacation is better than no vacation at all. But in the midst of having the new memories implanted, something goes haywire. Still strapped to the chair as the system breaks down, he’s branded a spy as the authorities close in, and quickly flees for his life.
Later, Quaid discovers that he has a secret identity, and he joins forces with rebel soldier Melina (Jessica Biel) on a mission to track down Matthias (Bill Nighy), the head of a fierce resistance movement that’s been labeled a terrorist organization by the tyrannical Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston). Cohaagen seeks to control the entire free world, and now the harder Quaid fights to defeat him, the clearer it becomes that his memory had been altered long before he walked into Rekall.
Total Recall is a 2012 American dystopian science-fiction action film directed by Len Wiseman. The screenplay by Kurt Wimmer and Mark Bomback was based on the 1990 film of the same name, which was adapted from the 1990 book by Piers Anthony. The book was inspired by the 1966 short story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick.
The film stars Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, Bokeem Woodbine, John Cho, and Bill Nighy. Unlike the first film, the setting is on a dystopian Earth, not Mars, and has more political themes. The film blends American and Asian influences, notably in the settings and dominant populations of the two nation-states in the story: the United Federation of Britain (Western Europe) and the Colony (Australia).
Total Recall was released on August 4, 2012, and opened in 3,601 theaters in the United States, grossing $9,092,341 on its opening day and $25,577,758 on its opening weekend, ranking #2 with a per theater average of $7,220. The film performed poorly domestically with only $58,877,969, but made a strong $139,589,199 outside of the United States for a total of $198,467,168[34][35] against a $125 million budget.
Total Recall (2012)
Directed by: Len Wiseman
Starring: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bokeem Woodbine, Bryan Cranston, Bill Nighy, Will Yun Lee, James McGowan, Natalie Lisinska, Michael Therriault, Mishael Morgan
Screenplay by: Kurt Wimmer, Mark Bomback
Production Design by: Patrick Tatopoulos
Cinematography by: Paul Cameron
Film Editing by: Christian Wagner
Costume Design by: Sanja Milkovic Hays
Set Decoration by: Carolyn ‘Cal’ Loucks
Art Direction by: Patrick Banister, Brandt Gordon, Oana Bogdan Miller
Music by: Harry Gregson-Williams
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, some sexual content, brief nudity, and language.
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: August 3, 2012
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