I think it's fair to say that the last ten or so years of cinema has been mostly dominated by superhero movies, belated/legacy sequels and reboots/remakes of some our favourite films.
Over the coming weeks I’m going to be looking at a few of the remakes that have been released in recent years in an attempt to ascertain which are good, which are bad, and which (if any) are actually better than the originals.
It’s easy to dismiss remakes as being totally unnecessary, and for the most part I’d agree. Personally I don’t see the point in remaking a film that still holds up years later and is regarded by the general film-loving public as a classic. I mean, how can you expect to improve on something like that..?
Well, there is the argument that the youth of today might relate more to a modern retelling of a familiar story than the “old” movie itself. Of course the film studios know that however they decide to go about that retelling, as long as it’s got the original title attached to it, the likes of you and me who shake our fists in rage at the very idea of someone trampling on the legacy of some of our favourite movies, will inevitably spend our hard earned cash on going to see it.
It’s worth remembering too that some of the films we hold in high regard and even call "classics" are themselves remakes of older movies.
It’s true. A Fistful of Dollars (1964), The Magnificent Seven (1960), Scarface (1983), Cape Fear (1991), The Departed (2006), The Money Pit (1986), Three Men and a Baby (1987), Ocean’s Eleven (2001), The Mummy (1999), The Nutty Professor (1996) and Father of the Bride (1991) to name just a few, are all remakes themselves. Needless to say, the fact that you might not have known they were shows just how good they are, and how respectfully they were handled.
Sadly these days that’s rarely the case, with some of the best movies to come out of the 80s and 90s being shamefully and tragically recycled into Frankenstein’s monsters of their former, glorious selves.
There are however some remakes that I think reinvented the story to such a degree that, although they might not necessarily be better than the originals, they’re good enough to be enjoyed on their own merit. I plan to look at some of these over the coming weeks as part of a new feature I'm calling, Original vs Remake.
I thought we’d start things off this week though with a remake that proved somewhat controversial upon its release, no doubt because of the love people have for the original:
The 2012 remake of Total Recall (1990).
If you somehow haven’t seen the original, it’s a classic action/sci-fi/adventure starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Terminator), Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct), Michael Ironside (Scanners), Rachel Ticotin (Falling Down) and Ronny Cox (RoboCop) among many others.
This is what it’s about according to the internet:
“Douglas Quaid (Schwarzenegger) is a bored construction worker in the year 2084 who dreams of visiting the colonized Mars. He visits "Rekall," a company that plants false memories into people's brains, in order to experience the thrill of Mars without having to travel there. But something goes wrong during the procedure; Quaid discovers that his entire life is actually a false memory and that the people who implanted it in his head now want him dead.”
First off, the original is an absolute classic (as are most of the films I plan to look at as part of this feature) - there's no argument. Total Recall was one of Arnie's big hits in a long line of successful movies he made during his golden era. Surely the mere mention of a remake would immediately cause the blood to drain from the face of any self respecting Arnie/Total Recall fan?!
In fact Arnie himself was less than impressed with the idea and apparently ridiculed the film, saying in 2019: "Someone tried to do a remake of [Total Recall]. How stupid is that? Jesus!"
But what is it about the movie that makes it so beloved? Well, there are a number of things as it happens.
The Era
Perhaps the most obvious reason is the fact that it was made during an era where originality was pouring out of Hollywood. So many great movies were made during the late 70s, 80s and 90s, and in fact many of the franchises that are still being milked dry today can have their origins traced back to those decades.
Franchises like The Terminator, Predator, Lethal Weapon, Beverly Hills Cop, Rambo, Bad Boys, Rocky, Halloween, Alien, Indiana Jones and Star Wars (to name just a few), all began their life during that period. It was such a great time to be a film fan! Unfortunately though, somewhere around 2010 things started to change drastically as some studios began to realise that cashing in on already established titles rather than telling new and original stories was an easier and dare I say, safer option.
The Style
Another thing that makes the original so unique is that it’s directed by the Dutch filmmaking genius, Paul Verhoeven. Verhoeven’s filmmaking style is one of a kind with many of his films known for their graphic violence, sexual content and social satire (basically the kind of things missing from a lot of movies we get these days).
Movies like RoboCop (1987), Basic Instinct (1992), Starship Troopers (1997) and of course Total Recall (1990) have all played a part in establishing Verhoeven as one of the most visionary directors of the last five decades.
The Source Material
It doesn’t matter who stars in it or how much CGI it has, if a film doesn’t have a decent story it’s destined to be forgotten. Originality, although seriously lacking these days, is a key element to any movie, and Total Recall has a truck load of it.
In fact, Total Recall is loosely based on the short story, “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick. Several of Dick’s stories have been adapted into movies over the years, including “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” - Blade Runner (1982), “Second Variety” - Screamers (1995), “The Minority Report” - Minority Report (2002), “A Scanner Darkly” - A Scanner Darkly (2006) and “Adjustment Team” - The Adjustment Bureau (2011) among others. The screenplay for Total Recall though was written by Dan O’Bannon who wrote another sci-fi classic, Alien (1979).
The Music
Orchestral themes in movies seem to be a lost art these days, but back in the 80s and 90s they were everywhere. From the opening credits of Total Recall, Jerry Goldsmith’s dramatic, atmospheric and heroic-themed score lets you know you’re in for an action-packed thrill ride even before a single actor has appeared on the screen.
Arnie
Arnie’s involvement and his sheer star power undoubtably adds a great deal to the movie, including its success. This was the first of many films he made in the 90s, and his next project after Twins (1988). He was on fire! Despite the interesting premise I don’t think the film would’ve been half as entertaining, or nearly as memorable without his larger than life performance.
In summery it’s graphic, it’s violent, it’s way ahead of it’s time, and it’s a just whole load of fun! It also has lines like “Get your ass to Mars” and other memorable lines that are infinitely quotable even to this day.
On to the Remake..
Now, I might be in the minority here, but I like the remake. It does what I think all remakes should do and that’s include key elements from the original movie, but reinvent it to the point where it can stand up completely on its own. It’s a daring thing to do because inevitably, fans of the original (who are already primed to hate it) will no doubt complain that too much was changed. On the flip side though, a shot for shot remake would invariably get criticised for being unimaginative.
Ok, so there’s no Arnie this time around, but instead you have Colin Farrell who, although not exactly an “action hero” (not that there are many of those around anymore) is relatable in an “everyman” kind of way. He plays the part of Douglas Quaid/Hauser really well, has a pretty decent American accent, and is most importantly believable in the role. He might not have the star power or charisma that Arnie has (who does?) but he’s certainly a better actor (sorry Arnie) and he’s extremely versatile.
The movie also stars Jessica Biel (Blade Trinity), Kate Beckinsale (Underworld), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Bill Nighy (Shawn of the Dead) and Bokeem Woodbine (Spiderman: Homecoming).
The plot of the remake is very similar to the original but instead of Mars and the breathable air reactor conspiracy being the central theme, the movie is set on earth in a dystopian future where chemical warfare has devastated the planet leaving only two hospitable territories: The United Federation of Britain (UFB) - located on the British Isles and northwestern Europe, and “The Colony” - basically the whole of Australia.
In order for workers to commute to each territory, a transport system called “The Fall” (a gravity elevator) has been created which runs through the earth’s core. This makes for some cool action sequences in the latter half of the movie.
There’s more…
Due to poor living conditions on the Colony compared to those in the UFB a resistance group has been formed in order to improve things. However, this group are considered terrorists by the UFB (see the similarities with the original yet?) and UFB Chancellor Cohaagen (the big bad played by Brian Cranston) wants to eradicate them. As with the original, Farrell’s character (previously played by Arnie) discovers to his surprise that he’s a former UFB agent who defected after falling in love with a member of the resistance and realising he was on the wrong side.
Interestingly, in this version they decided to make Quaid/Hauser’s wife the main antagonist for most of the movie. Played brilliantly by Kate Beckinsale the character is essentially Sharon Stone and Michael Ironside’s characters from the original combined. Personally I think it works really well and Beckinsale is excellent as the “ex-wife from hell” who’s in relentless pursuit of her former husband. In fact, she’s far more interesting than the movie’s main antagonist, Cohaagen.
The movie is visually impressive, very stylised and is reminiscent of films like Blade Runner, i,Robot, Minority Report, and even The Fifth Element. It certainly sets out to carve out its own identity rather than to retread old ground like your standard remake. Still, it cleverly includes key elements of, and at times nods to the original in updated and often imaginative ways. It does rely more heavily on CGI than the original does, but it feels necessary considering the vastness of the world it’s set in, and also the elaborate action and fight sequences that are constant throughout the film.
So what’s not to like?
Well, as entertaining as it is, and for all its good points, in my opinion the remake suffers from an overly complicated storyline and a more serious tone with no real levity, making it feel slightly oppressive at times.
The action sequences, as impressive as they are, are so relentless throughout the film that it all starts to drag a little in the second half. Also, whereas the original makes you care about the characters that are in peril (specifically Mars’ inhabitants who are left to suffocate before Quade activates the reactor), the remake makes it hard to invest in anyone other than the two main characters played by Colin Farrell and Jessica Biel, because none of them are explored to any real depth or play a part in the plot as much as those in the original do.
Of course I’m splitting hairs, but that’s what these posts are all about.
Final Verdict:
This is a decent remake in my opinion. As I've said, it’s brave, imaginative and visually impressive, and when taken for what it is, which is a new take on an old story, it’s an enjoyable two hour slice of escapism.
Is it as good as the original? No, but it deserves credit for being something almost entirely different.
The 1990 version, like many films from that era, has a charm and a fun quality that films these days just don’t seem to have. It also has Arnold Schwarzenegger’s charisma and sheer star power - not to mention quality storytelling to make it thoroughly entertaining and re-watchable even now, 30 years later.
Like with any of these remakes though, I wonder what younger audiences who don’t have the nostalgic attachment to the originals (if they’ve seen them at all) think of them. Will they have a fondness for them the way we have for the originals and still be watching them in years to come? Or do remakes have less of a re-watch quality to them because of their lack of originality?
Who knows?! All I know is that as much as I enjoyed the 2012 remake, if I was going to watch either version it would almost certainly be the Arnie classic every time.
“Baby, you make me wish I had three hands.”
What do you think? Have your say in the comments.
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