The question everyone is asking is why bother to re-make a film which was so successful comparatively recently? - well, at least in 1990. I thought the Arnie/Paul Verhoeven original was pretty good, notwithstanding the robot-like star playing a human being - which one might well describe as 'acting out of character'. But of course, a significant part of today's audience wouldn't even have been born when this early version was released.
I quite like Colin Farrell - well, physically anyway. For me he filled the main role satisfactorily without being especially memorable. I haven't read the Philip K.Dick short story on which the film's idea is based and expanded - but I believe that this new film is closer to the author's original concept than the earlier one.
It would be disingenuous if I was to be harsh about this film because, frankly, I did enjoy it, something I wasn't expecting after reading two or three reviews which were decidedly less than enthusiastic. I've just been to the IMDb site and given it a rating which is actually higher than the average of those several hundred who were there before me, and that doesn't happen very often.
True, I can't see this film turning out to be anything like the classic status that the 1990 film merited, but marking it in terms of my own personal enjoyment it gets a respectably solid score of.................7/10.
I'm looking forward to seeing - purely as the original is one of my favourite films. Growing up without a TV - and without cinema visits - meant that the films I saw first were at the end of school years when you took in board games and the like...
ReplyDelete...I was introduced to Total Recall, The Lost Boys and The Rocky Horror Picture Show in such a way and they all remain firm favourites!
If the original was one of your all-time faves, Andrew, then this has got a lot to live up to. I've not seen the original in full again since it was released all those years ago and so, apart from remembering that I liked it, there was not much else to compare it with. However, I did get the reference to the original film when Farrell goes through passport control in a different physical guise. (Lady in yellow coat - I'll say no more.)
Delete'Rocky Horror', yes - but I always feel it goes somewhat downhill at the point when Frank N'Furter himself loses control. But I do still love it.
'The Lost Boys'? There's something familiar about the title but I need reminding myself about it.
As far as this new 'Total Recall' is concerned I think for you to enjoy it you need to try (like in the film) to erase from your memory the original version. On its own terms I think it stands up.
Greg and I are looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, we are learning the prices of movies here in metro Washington DC are about twice what they were in Dayton, Ohio. I think our excursions to the cinema will be quite necessarily curtailed going forward.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering what you think of the original, Cubby, which I presume you've seen. This new one will come out better if you try to forget as much as you can of the earlier version, (which is not an easy think to do.
DeleteI'd imagine that cinema tickets are as crucifyingly expensive in your capital as they are in London. I lived in London for two years 20 years ago and even then it was impossible to go very regularly - and they are surely even higher by a long way now.
Iwill pass on this one!
ReplyDeleteJ.G., do you mean that you will pass on my recommendation to someone else - or that you will take no notice of what I say? Okay, I think I know. :-)
ReplyDelete