Arnold Schwarzenegger always said he would be back.  Well on the 16th July he is.  The Ultimate Rekall Edition of Sci Fi classic “Total Recall” is being released on triple play DVD and Blu-Ray.

It’s a terrifically extravagant romp through the story of a man who believes there should be more to his life.  Construction Worker Douglas Quaid (Arnie) is dreaming of Mars and a mysterious woman.  He wants to go there but his beautiful wife (Sharon Stone) worries he’s becoming obsessed with the war torn planet and deters him from taking a trip to the colony.  Instead he decides on a ‘virtual vacation’ and heads off to mega conglomerate Rekall.

Rekall has the technology to implant the memory of any holiday a customer desires, guaranteed to seem as real as the real thing.  Quaid upgrades his package, taking the opportunity to travel with a new identity, that of a secret agent.  Except during the implant something goes terribly wrong and a hidden personality is uncovered with violent consequences.  Quaid’s world crumbles around him.  His wife and friends pursue him in a fight for his life and he travels to Mars to try and unravel who he really is and who he is working for.

There is one real problem with this movie.  It makes me feel old.  I remember if first time round and now it’s being released 20 years on, complete with it’s award winning, groundbreaking special effects and a rather young, but still not terribly good looking, Arnie.  The story is brilliant.  I always felt that the viewer was left to decide whether Douglas Quaid really was a secret agent or if this was all part of the memories implanted by Rekall.  Well finally, in the extras on this new release, Director Paul Verhoeven reveals his opinion and why the film is the way it is.  That is if you can keep up with what he is saying.  Verhoeven speaks frantically and with passion and I found myself engrossed with this new interview, trying to work out what makes the mans mind tick.  The new release is worth buying for this interview alone.

For those of you, like me, who loved this film when it first came out, you will love it for the same reasons you did 20 years ago.  For those of you who are watching it for the first time you are starting a love affair with the kind of movie that they just don’t make any more.  11 out of 10 for this one.

 

McH