Total Recall 4K 1990

In the eighteen years since Total Recall was released, a lot has changed. Arnie went into politics, Paul left Hollywood, Yost Wakano gave up cinema, and Jerry Goldsmith, unfortunately, is no longer alive; but a long time ago these guys made a movie, the revision of which causes a storm of positive emotions, in its intensity comparable to the first viewing of The Last Crusade, or The Empire Strikes Back, or Aliens ... This is a real rollercoaster from the first to the last second ... Having received a much larger budget than his first Hollywood film, Paul Verhoeven sold out at full power, so that studio bosses grabbed their heads, MPAA officials threatenedly shook their fingers and pointed at the editing room door, and fans fought in delight, contemplating not only extraterrestrial action, but also a gorgeous film adaptation of the work of Philip Dick.

Over the years, "Total Recall" has not lost in the dynamics at all and it is still damn fun to watch, which is largely achieved not only by dashing action scenes, but also by the general construction of the plot. The authors are in no hurry to reveal all the cards. Is this a dream or reality? Even now, Paul Verhoeven deliberately avoids a direct answer, inviting the viewer to consider the events the way they like best. Did it really happen, or was it just Doug Quaid's far-fetched fantasy? There is no definite answer to this question. Moreover, the director constantly adds fuel to the fire, slipping one or the other character, retelling in advance the entire development of the plot. Surprisingly, the film works great in two ways. Both versions can be reasonably argued, and both versions have the right to exist.

Having gone through all the circles of the production hell (sixteen years in production, countless number of changing directors), "Total Recall" was released at the junction of two eras in the world of special effects. By 1990, animatronics had reached unprecedented heights, and CGI was just in its infancy. Now the scene with the metal detector can be recreated at home, but then it took weeks of painstaking work. The first attempts at overlaying CGI on live video are now perceived as museum pieces. But what really makes "Total Recall" in some way unique and beautiful is the mechanical special effects, various miniatures, dolls that even now keep a stiff upper lip and age with special grace, unlike their computer colleagues.