In the far off future, World War III has happened, and only two superpowers, the United Federation of Britain (Europe), and The Colony (Australia), remain. One such Colony citizen, Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), works in a factory for Robot Soldiers called Synthetics. Bored with his life, Quaid decides to go to REKALL, which specializes in implanting fake memories in its customers.
So, he decides to be a secret agent. But then, everyone, even his wife, Lori (Kate Beckinsale), wants to kill him. Because, apparently, he really is a secret agent. And he's the only one who can help the Resistance, which includes his new friend Melina (Jessica Biel), overthrow the tyrannical Federation.
Or, maybe not. It is Phillip K. Dick after all.
Whereas the original story and film dealt with the Planet Mars, this new incarnation by director Len Wiseman (Underworld), keeps the action on Earth. What he's replaced the Red Planet with is a scenic blend of two other Phillip K. Dick adaptations: Blade Runner and Minority Report. It has Towering cities, East/West Art Deco, Flying Cars, Robot Soldiers, and many more. It's all great to look at, that's for sure.
There's also a few mindbending scenes, including a fake-out ending, that work really well. Unfortunately, there's also quite a bit of the wrong kind of mindbending as well. First, there's padding that ends up dragging the film up to two hours. Second, and more minor, is the eerie similarity between Lori and Melina. Those parts just turn the film from "Huh? Whoa!" to "Uhh, wha?!"
Overall, this is a film worth remembering, but not with enthusiasm. Still, it's not so bad that it'll make you want to forget it. It's just not a certified classic like the original film was.
No comments:
Post a Comment