Barnes & Noble

One of the most expensive movies produced up to that time, 1990's Total Recall provides Arnold Schwarzenegger with a complicated story, extensive action sequences, and state-of-the-art special effects. Cast as a 21st-century construction worker whose virtual-vacation gear malfunctions, Arnold learns that he's been programmed with false memories of his earthbound existence and is actually a secret agent entangled in a proposed rebellion on draconian Mars. The nominal female lead is Rachel Ticotin, but it's Sharon Stone -- in femme fatale mode as Arnold's duplicitous spouse -- who really grabs viewer attention. The futuristic settings are lavishly designed, and Arnold gets his fair share of terse one-liners. But what sets Recall apart from so many other sci-fi movies is the practically fetishistic staging of graphic, brutal action scenes by director Paul Verhoeven, who provided a template for the decade's ultra-violent genre films. The Special Edition DVD offers a new wide-screen transfer enhanced for 16:9 televisions, along with a plethora of extras -- including a rare, full-length commentary by Schwarzenegger (in tandem with Verhoeven). Other supplemental features include the documentary "Imagining Total Recall," the featurette "Visions of Mars," galleries of photos and conceptual art, production notes, cast/crew filmographies, visual storyboard comparisons, and an assortment of theatrical trailers and TV spots. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

In Paul Verhoeven's wild sci-fi action movie Total Recall, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a 21st-century construction worker who discovers that his entire memory of the past derives from a memory chip implanted in his brain. Schwarzenegger learns that he's actually a secret agent who had become a threat to the government, so those in power planted the chip and invented a domestic lifestyle for him. Once he has realized his true identity, he travels to Mars to piece together the rest of his identity, as well as to find the man responsible for his implanted memory. Verhoeven has created a fast, furious action film with Total Recall, filled with impressive stunts and (literally) eye-popping visuals. Though the film bears only a passing resemblance to the Philip K. Dick short story it was based on ("We Can Remember It For You Wholesale"), the movie is an entertaining, if very violent, ride. Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Chicago Sun-Times

There may be people who overlook the Arnold Schwarzenegger performance in Total Recall - who think he isn't really acting. But the performance is one of the reasons the movie works so well. He isn't a superman this time, although he fights like one. He's a confused and frightened innocent, a man betrayed by the structure of reality itself. And in his vulnerability, he opens the way for Total Recall to be more than simply an action, violence and special effects extravaganza. Roger Ebert

Product Details

• UPC: 012236170488
• Source: LIONS GATE
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español
• Time: 1:53:00
• Sales Rank: 2,529

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Terminator 2: Judgment Day / Total Recall
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day/Total Recall/Red Heat/the Running Man

Features:

DVD MENU