Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Remake is better looking, less violent, less thoughtful.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Total Recall (2012)
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 9 parent reviews
Based on 30 kid reviews
Kids say the movie is action-packed and visually impressive, yet it features significant levels of violence, swearing, and some nudity that many find excessive for a PG-13 rating. While some viewers prefer the original for its character and memorable lines, others appreciate this remake for its updated cinematography and faster pace, with opinions divided on whether it's a worthy successor or a disappointing attempt at a reboot.
- action packed
- graphic content
- mixed opinions
- strong visuals
- remake differences
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
A century in the future, the world has been rendered mostly uninhabitable. Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) works on an assembly line, building police sentry robots for a huge corporation. At home, he has recurring dreams about trying to escape with a mysterious girl (Jessica Biel). He decides to go to "Rekall," a company that specializes in implanting "memories." But as soon as he's hooked up to the machine, sentries attack, and Quaid finds himself fighting them off. He discovers that he's really "Hauser," a talented and deadly secret agent. Before long, he's involved in a life-or-death chase as he tries to figure out which side to fight for: the government or the "terrorists" who threaten to rise up and take over.
Is It Any Good?
Paul Verhoeven's original 1990 Total Recall was cartoonish, with over-the-top violence; Len Wiseman's remake improves on it in many ways, though in other ways, it's slightly inferior. To start, Farrell is much better suited to convey Quaid/Hauser's intense emotional ordeal than Arnold Schwarzenegger was. And Wiseman creates a great-looking universe that combines previous Philip K. Dick adaptations: the rainy, mash-up feel of Blade Runner and the high-tech computer age of Minority Report. The overall look is smoother.
The martial arts action in this take on TOTAL RECALL is more streamlined and less mean and crude than in the Verhoeven version, but it's arguably less fun as well. And though the newer movie feels current in terms of its themes of corporate greed and the "Occupy" movement, it also irons out any of Dick's original sci-fi ideas, and it doesn't seem to have a particularly good reason to exist. If only we could have combined the best parts of both!
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Total Recall's violence. Was it exciting or disturbing? How does it compare to the violence in the original movie?
Is Quaid a good role model? How does he know he's doing the right thing if he doesn't know what's going on? What does he use as his moral guide?
What does Total Recall have to say about our future? Which concepts in it are realistic? Which are fantasy?
Does this remake have any new ideas/messages that weren't conveyed in the original? Why do you think they decided to make a new version?
Movie Details
- In theaters : August 3, 2012
- On DVD or streaming : December 18, 2012
- Cast : Bryan Cranston , Colin Farrell , Jessica Biel , Kate Beckinsale
- Director : Len Wiseman
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Columbia Pictures
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Book Characters
- Run time : 118 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, some sexual content, brief nudity, and language
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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