Day 15: Total Recall (1990)

Arnold Schwarzenegger fights corporate business men, mutants and the authorities on Mars, all while believing he's another man.

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Ironside, Sharon Stone
Directed by: Paul Verhoeven

The Positives:

- Good ol' fashioned 'head exploding on Mars' effects.
- Three tits. Awesome.

- The story premise was both original and exciting, even twenty years after it's release.

- I love futuristic films that are gritty and dirty instead of sleek and lustrous.

- Michael Ironside was the most entertaining to watch out of all the characters. He made you love to hate him.
- While some of the futuristic props leave a bit to be desired, the VFX are fantastic.

- There is enough fake blood in this film to fill at least three of the elevators in 'The Shining'. Got to love excessive violence.
- "The perfect mind-fuck" indeed.
- I remember reading somewhere that 'Minority Report' was going to be Spielberg's attempt at making a sequel for this flick. While it of course became it's own, superior film, I can definitely see how the two movies would and could fit together.

The Negatives:

- Some of the dialogue is groan-worthy to say the least.
- Now I see why Arnie was perfect for 'Terminator'. He can't act worth a shit. He's just as plastic and wooden here as he is as the T-600, and that's not a compliment.
- While Verhoeven is a great visual director, I don't think he always gets the best performances out of his actors. For ever actor who under performs (Arnie, Rachel Ticotin) there are an equal ammount who over-acts (Sharon Stone, Mel Johnson, Jr.)

Grade: B

If memory serves, after making this film both Arnie and Verhoven had about one good movie left in them. That's a shame considering how damn entertaining this film is. While the performances were lacking, the plot and effects make this one of the better sci-fi films of the '90s.