Thursday Movie Picks: Movies Featuring Amnesiacs

What day is it?

Oh, that's right, it's Thursday. Yeah, I'm at the age where I'll forget simple stuff like that. Most annoying, I'll walk into a room and stand there like an idiot because I can't remember what I went in there for. My wife swears up and down she's told me things of which I have no recollection whatsoever. I almost forgot to create this post.

Almost.

Luckily, I saw a couple other posts for this week's topic in Wanderer's Thursday Movie Picks meme: Movies Featuring Amnesiacs. In those posts, there were some great movies that I fully intended to pick and, yes, even a movie I'd nearly forgotten about. To check out those posts and get the ins and outs of participating, swing by Wandering Through the Shelves. Use the link, you know, in case you forgot the way. While you're here, check out the movies I've retrieved from the dark corridors of my memory. These aren't exactly hidden gems, so we'll just call them favorites.

Total Recall

(1990)

Douglas Quaid, our hero in Total Recall has some strange, but rather vivid dreams about being on Mars. They're so strong, he goes to a place that specializes in virtual vacations and decides to "go" to the red planet for himself, have a grand adventure with a beautiful woman by his side and get it out of his system. Since things are never as simple as they seem, he might really be on Mars, and it might be true that his memories were actually removed and he really is a secret agent named Hauser. Maybe. How it plays out is perhaps the finest adaptation of any Philip K. Dick writing. Sorry, I hate Blade Runner. Just had to slip that in there. It's certainly one of the best movies of Arnold Schwarzenegger's career. The 2012 remake starring Colin Farrell is okay, but I'd advise checking out this version. (Full Review)

The Long Kiss Goodnight

(1996)

When most people think of Geena Davis, they first think of her driving off a cliff with Susan Sarandon in Thelma and Louise or, perhaps, playing catcher in A League of Their Own. Me? I see her as regular old soccer mom Samantha Caine, who is completely thrown for a loop when some very dangerous people show up trying to kill her. She completely forgot that she was badass super secret agent Charly Baltimore. Bring Samuel L. Jackson along for the ride and we get one of the best action movies ever to have a female protagonist. And she's a lot more fun character than Jason Bourne. Yup, I said that.

Finding Nemo

(2003)

In this case, our amnesiac is not actually the protagonist of the film. She only kinda-sorta qualifies as an amnesiac. She's not even human. However, the movie is so good I can't help but include it. Dory, played wonderfully by Ellen DeGeneres, is a Pacific regal blue tang who suffers from short-term memory loss. She literally can't remember things that just happened. Still, she hangs with our hero Marlin every step of the way in an effort to find his son Nemo. As far as I'm concerned this is one of the great animated movies of all time. And yes, I'm extremely excited that 2016 will bring us Finding Dory.

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Total Recall (2012)

Directed by Len Wiseman.

2012. Rated PG-13, 118 minutes.

Cast: 

Colin Farrell

Kate Beckinsale

Jessica Biel

Bryan Cranston

Bokeem Woodbine

Bill Nighy

John Cho

Will Yun Lee

Mishael Morgan

Natalie Lisinska

In this version of the future, there are only two inhabitable places left on our great planet. To oversimplify, the more affluent folks live in Britain, also where the good jobs are, while poor people live in Australia, known as The Colony. In true dystopian fashion, the government is engaged in a bloody war with rebels from The Colony. Our focus is on Douglas Quaid (Farrell). He’s a regular joe from The Colony who works in Britain assembling automated police officers. Yes, it’s one helluva commute. He’s married to Lori (Beckinsale), a real-live cop. Despite all the chaos of the world around him, Doug’s biggest concern is the recurring nightmare he has and what it means. He decides to do something about it and finds himself at Rekall. They inject you with memories of whatever it is you want. Just about the time he gets strapped into the chair, the law bursts in shooting. Much to his own surprise, Doug manages to kill a bunch of flesh and blood cops plus some synthetic ones and escapes. Now, he really has to find out what’s going on. Yup, it’s a remake of the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie of the same name. Both are based on the Phillip K. Dick short story We’ll Remember It For You, Wholesale.

For those of us old enough to remember, or with a hankering for old sci-fi and/or Governator flicks, the muscle-bound Austrian in the room is that original. This one keeps the action here on Earth as opposed to Mars, does away with mutants with one three-boobed exception (one of a few homages to the first movie) and the limited oxygen supply. Vibrant and varied colors are traded in for a fairly monochromatic look. It also combines a few different characters into one and ramps up the action. In fact, there are times when it feels like one continuous chase scene. While this is fun, it’s not always filling. For starters, our hero’s motivation for going to Rekall in the first place is misguided. In Arnold’s version, it was clear. Doug dreams about Mars all the time and wants to go, but can’t afford it, so he goes to Rekall for the next best thing. Farrell’s Quaid should be walking into a psychiatrist’s office, not a place where reality is manufactured. Nonetheless, that’s where he goes. Okay, fine.

From there, thankfully, much is the same between the two films. Most of the plot points from the original are hit, sometimes in a different order, but they are there. Farrell gives us a wild-eyed, bewildered performance that serves the film well. He gets plenty of help from some pretty awesome special fx, the hyperkinetic pacing and he two ladies fighting over him. Kate Beckinsale is in her cold-blooded Selene mode, sans vampire teeth and tight black leather. Biel is her more compassionate, but equal, opposite. The two provide more than their fair share of the action including some knock-down drag-outs with Farrell and each other. If there is a clear advantage for this movie over its predecessor they are it. Together, they dwarf what Sharon Stone and Rachel Ticotin were able to accomplish in the original.

That said, Total Recall still falls well short of Arnie’s film. It forsakes storytelling in favor of being bigger and brawnier. The result is a movie that’s fun to sit through but seems to be lacking all the little touches that make the first movie special. Of course, if you haven’t seen the original, this is irrelevant to you and this version will probably work just fine. In fact, if you go back and watch the older movie after seeing this one, you might find it dated and think I’m crazy. Still, I’m not quite on the bandwagon with all those folks calling this a horrible picture. True, it lacks the nuance of its predecessor making it feel emptier. However, I don’t think it is a bad movie. It’s just not my Total Recall.

MY SCORE: 6/10

Total Recall (1990)

 

Directed by Paul Verhoeven.

1990. Rated R, 113 minutes.

Cast:

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Rachel Ticotin

Sharon Stone

Ronny Cox

Michael Ironside

Marshall Bell

Mel Johnson Jr.

Michael Champion

Ray Baker

Rosemary Dunsmore

Roy Brocksmith

Douglas Quaid (Schwarzenegger) is a construction worker who shares his life with Lori (Stone), his beautiful wife. Things are going great except for one thing: every night he has dreams of being on Mars that include some violent adventures and a lovely brunette. He then spends much of his day thinking of going to the red planet. Soon, he decides to go to Rekall. They’re a company specializing in the fabrication of vacations by injecting you with stuff that makes you believe you've actually been wherever it is you want to go without you ever leaving their offices. Of course, things don’t go so smoothly for our hero and what they give him doesn't seen to take. Nevertheless, his co-worker from the construction job and even his wife are suddenly trying to kill him. Sure enough, the authorities are trying to do the same. He gets some help from a stranger who advises him to get to Mars ASAP. Still not sure of what’s going on, he does. When he gets there he discovers the authorities there are also after him and even the locals hate him. They all think he’s some guy named Hauser. Lots of mayhem ensues while Doug tries to figure out what’s going on and we try to figure out if what we’re seeing is real or part of Doug’s Rekall experience.

Total Recall weaves a tale complex enough for thinking viewers yet still simple enough for the shoot ‘em up crowd. The action scenes come at fairly quick intervals while the plot between them twists and folds back on itself. It is of labyrinthine design and precise execution. The maze we travel is fun, not frustrating even if we're not always positive of what we’re watching. It is that rare popcorn flick that manages to both entertain the masses and screw with their heads.

Never known as a master thespian, star Arnold Schwarzenegger gives what is arguably his best performance. For a change, he goes beyond grunts and one-liners to give us something resembling a real human being. It’s also the only one of his better portrayals from before he became a parody of himself. Of course, the action sequences come natural to him so no worries there. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting he should’ve been recognized by the Academy, or anything. I’m simply saying he’s better than usual.

As with any older sci-fi flicks, how well the fx have held up is a concern. The mutants are all marvels of the grotesque. Occasionally, it is too apparent that something is a prosthetic or is just a bit hokey looking. Thankfully, this doesn't happen too often. In fact, I’d say there are just as many occurrences of things that still look really good.

Looking back through Arnie’s filmography hindsight makes it clear this is one of his most ambitious movies. It is not content to simply let him beat up a bunch of people and crack lame jokes. There are a couple of corny moments, but TR actually challenges us. The trick is that it does so without going over our heads, but still giving us enough to keep us locked in. For my money, it’s his best aside from the original Terminator.

MY SCORE: 8.5/10