VIDEO
'Recall' gets a makeover Try to erase from your mind the first "Total Recall," that campy, 1990 Paul Verhoeven blockbuster in which Arnold Schwarzenegger pays a company to implant Mars vacation memories in his brain. While it might not be a fully realized take on Philip K.Dick's 1966 forward-thinking story, the 2012 remake is still a far better film than the Verhoeven version.
As Douglas Quaid, the role formerly occupied by Schwarzenegger, Colin Farrell displays an ever-evolving combination of bewilderment, terror and über-confidence as a man with no idea how he learned to handle ammunition, yet capable of firing guns while doing an action-hero gymnastic routine. He brings realism to a hyper-real situation, something that eluded Schwarzenegger.
The futuristic gadgets get fresh, fun updates: cellphones that can be implanted in human hands; currency featuring President Obama's face; and the Fall, a gravity-twisting, carnival ride version of a transit system that stands as the film's most compelling special-effects achievement.
The DVD (Sony, $31) includes a gag reel, "Total Recall Insight Mode," "Science Fiction vs. Science Fact" featurette and a behind-the-scenes look at set production. The Blu-ray ($36-$41) adds a director's cut with 20 minutes of new footage, commentary and seven featurettes.
WASHINGTON POST
Colin Covert's take: There's plenty to excite the eye, but the mind remains unboggled. It's all visuals and no vision.
Also out Tuesday:
Movies: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days," "Liberal Arts," "Pitch Perfect," "Sleepwalk With Me," "10 Years," "Trouble With the Curve."
