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My Unbiased Review of 'Total Recall' 2012, a Stunning Remake

How a scifi film set in the future relates to our lives today.

By Stephanie Published 4 years ago 3 min read
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Total Recall 2012

This review does not summarize the movie. It offers an honest opinion and my personal perspective on the film. If you have not seen this movie, this review will definitely inspire you to watch it! If you have seen this movie, this review will give you a new appreciation for the film.

This film is incredibly stunning visually. It is evident the director ensured that every single frame looks immaculate. This is what filmmaking is all about. It is a true work of art, both in story and in frame. The blue and green color scheme states a futuristic dignity, while the doom-filled shadows expose a hovering threat. The peeking slivers of sunshine act as a metaphor for what little hope is available in a future of such oppression.

The cast is awesome! Colin Farrell plays the main character, Carl Houser. Farrell plays a great range of emotions and physical agility. Kate Beckinsale plays a fantastic villain. She has a Cruella DeVil type of relentlessness and glare in her eyes. Jessica Biel has an intensity that elevates the plot. There is a lot of action in this movie. It has a small love story element for plot, but it is mostly non-stop action. The score, by Harry Gregson-Williams, is also incredible. It has a futuristic tone without sounding totally robotic and losing musical beauty.

What I noticed about this movie is that the main character, Carl Houser, believed he was so much less than he actually was simply because someone made his mind believe that. When in reality, he was so much more and capable of so much more. He was capable of exactly what he desired and dreamed of. But he had to be thrown into a situation where he would be forced to use these abilities in order to begin to even discover he had them. He still was not fully sure of who he was or what he was capable of. He had doubts, but he was beginning to discover the fulness of what he could do and who he was—his true identity. He was beginning to discover what was always there inside of him. It makes me think of us; how we are all searching for who we are and how each experience of life forces that out of us and it gets revealed. There are certainly appointed times for this manifestation but it is always there inside of us. We are already the person we will become because we were created for that.

Sometimes we are put into a situation that we don't like; it can be overwhelming or even threatening. By suddenly being forced to overcome these new challenges, the true us is forced to manifest. It pulls things out of us we never knew were there inside of us. There is a great power in unfair or "bad" circumstances, especially when your life is on the line because then you are literally fighting for your life and you see what you are truly made of.

It is also interesting how Houser’s false memories are holding him back. He truly does have false memories but so often even our real memories are inaccurate and therefore false. This movie pointed out that it is about what you can do now, not the past. Life is not always that simple of course, real bondage does exist. But it is important to not allow past memories of failures and bad experiences to hold us back. And often the challenges we face that threaten to destroy us, are the very things that will build us up into who we were meant to be.

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