Getting To The Truth About Total Recall
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ม.ค. 2023
- Is Paul Verhoeven's Total Recall (1990) a dream or is it real?
Living In The Past is a show about revisiting pop culture from the past. Hosted by Jeremy Scott and Devin Kleffer (along with Carl the Intern), these two (three) friends can’t help but revisit the movies and TV shows that they loved from their younger years. Come along and get a little nostalgic with us as we look back, enjoy, and ask the important question: is it still OK to like this stuff?
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I read the short story, "We can remember it for you wholesale," many years before the movie. It was not a dream in the story, so I resolutely refuse to believe it was a dream in the movie. I'm a grumpy old man.
Haha! I will never deter someone from being a grumpy old man. It is just too much fun and I am enjoying being a middle aged grumpy man myself.
Yaa in the novel it wasn’t a dream but movies don’t always follow novels all the time but I don’t believe it’s a dream In the film either
Most of the time when the movie doesn’t follow the book it is a mistake and the movie is awful. That’s one of many reasons that the remake is terrible.
Agree... "Blue Skies on Mars"... it was a dream, but I can't explain Melina in his dream at the beginning.... great movie.
You could argue that Melina was a real person but Quaid’s Ego Trip was still a dream. Maybe when Rekall was setting up the secret agent Ego Trip they used profile pics of real Martian hookers for added realism. Quaid had also seen her somehow, in the background of a news story, or maybe he had browsed “hot Martian babes” and seen her pic.
Total Recall is a classic. I've watched it so many times. I also enjoyed the 2012 Total Recall. The 1990 Total Recall will always be the best. That's the genius about Total Recall. It keeps you guessing. If it wasn't a fantasy that happen inside Quaid's mind, McClaine telling Quaid what will happen in the secret agent implant and Ernie being given the "Blue Sky on Mars" implant could all be a coincidence and Melina appearing in Quaid's nightmares about Mars and when a drugged Quaid makes her his ideal woman is his subconscious and his former personality Hauser trying to resurface. At the end of the day, if it's fantasy or reality, it's live up to us the viewer to decide what is real and what is fake. If it really was a fantasy. McClaine tells Quaid prior to getting the implant. The "Blue Sky on Mars" on Mars and Melina was indeed a fantasy and was subtly hinted and foreshadows what happens after Quaid falls asleep in the implant chair and gets implanted with the Mars Secret Agent fantasy. If it was a fantasy, when Quaid spits out the pill that Dr. Edgemar claimed will return him to reality, Quaid was choosing the fantasy over reality.
I loved this flick. Saw it in the theater. In my teens I discovered Phillip K Dick’s novels and short stories and realized how much his stuff contributed to the SF movie landscape.
I discovered Phillip K. Dick in high school too. His work was so impressive to me. I remember reading some of his short stories and being blown away at how interesting they were.
When I first saw this I thought it was real and my friends and I had a big debate about it. Years later I watched it again and thought it was all a dream. The bit I struggle with is the giant machine on Mars appearing on the screen when the lady asks if he wants some aliens in his experience. That should mean it's real... or does it? Great movie!
Same thing I saw. Seeing it before he goes under would mean it’s a dream.
In the movie, right before he goes under, there’s an image of the alien thing on one of the monitors advertising the options. It’s definitely a dream.
Great movie, I’m nostalgic for anything Arnold
In lucid dreaming, which is essentially what we're watching, it is easy to have scenes where you are a third person observer. Then because of dream logic you go back into your perspective without contradiction, however you keep foreknowledge. Quad uses this foreknowledge throughout the film. For example the famous hologram fight scene - how did he know those troops were there to ambush them? Perhaps a bigger pointer to this being a dream is how many bullets fired at less than three meters miss him.
Great point!
*¡enjoyed at 9:26 pm Pacific Standard Time on Sunday, 29 January 2023!*
There was no need for a remake of this classic. I love the ambiguity, there is enough textual evidence to argue either way and plenty of red herrings, both ways are legitimate. It’s more fun if it was real though, when he freaks out and says “you blew my cover” I believe that is Houser, not the recall memory, because it wasn’t implanted yet.
recall! recall!
How do you have only 331 Subscribers? This channel is epic!
Thanks so much! Thanks for taking the time to write such encouraging words.
593 now 🙂
I hit the subscribed button because I was entertained and Obviously it took some work for You. Well done. And It was a dream imo.
Thanks Cory!
An argument for it being real: 1) Rekall's trips are memories, not real-time dreams. 2) The memories are pre-designed, stored on cassette. I'm not conviced Rekall would approve the design of a memory that would have the client start with a "schizoid embolism."
It's possible that Quaid was stuck in a dream loop, the very beginning could be one loop with Quaid falling over a cliff and smashing his helmet and the loop starts over again.
I really considered that too! Good call.
Interesting observations you've got here.
My take on this....Philip K Dick liked stories that questioned the nature of reality (he comes across in interviews as someone unsure of what reality was, drug use may have been involved). Verhoveven's movie interpretation is brilliant, it takes this uncertainty and presents it brilliantly. As a viewer, you can watch this film with either bias; it IS a simulation, it ISNT a simulation. And you can find breadcrumbs to support either view. Either bias is supported.
Agree! That is the fun of it I think. Brilliant stuff.
I read somewhere an idea that the bright light just before the credits that washes over the screen is more than just sun glare, that it represents him being lobotomized
The original is so much better than the remake. The hard-scifi plot of the original and the book it is based on are really awesome. Schwarzenegger does a very decent job for an action/comedy flick actor. Awesome analysis for a movie most people today have either never known or forgotten about.
Thanks so much and thanks for watching.
The very best part of TR was when Arnold falls out onto Mars, at the end, and starts screaming in the most Arnold voice ever.
It is glorious!! Haha
That is one helluva dream.
I think he was dreaming, all the way around from the very beginning. But I do not mind. Excellent, entertaining movie. Arnold at his best
Yeah, it is one of my favorite Arnie films.
I'm your summing up at the end you mention the proposed sequel. So Quaid would have been running the pre-cog drpartment in Minority Report. Sounds fine by me.
Yeah, I thought that was an interesting way to move forward with the character/story.
What gets me is the looks of suspicion from Quaid's wife and friend, along with the Melina dream and, my weird theory, is that when they state the plot for his memory it is pretty generic in terms of plot. So in a way we can say they already said it so we're following it but in truth we are making our own story
Oh, I like your theory. Interesting.
I’m so glad someone else mentioned this as I’ve thought the same for years… that look Quaid’s wife give as he leaves for work is odd. Similar odd look when Quaid tells his friend about going to recall, after he tells him not to and they stop talking he gives a weird glance. This makes me think it’s not a dream.
Damn, I just posted a comment much to this effect, lol
Guess I'm slow on the draw!
I read an article once where the director or producer said that Quaid was stuck in a Rekall fantasy and the clue is the end of the film- the very end- where the screen burns out to white instead of fading to black as is more traditional in film. The burn out to white was to symbolize Quiad being lobotomized there at the very end. Of course that could be one person on the film's opinion just as Blade Runner participants disagree whether or not Deckard was a replicant.
The 2012 Total Recall has nothing to do with Total Recall and it stunk. This movie is my favorite Arnold flick, period.
We debated this in philosophy class in 2003 at university. It went from 50/50 its real or its all recall sim to about 20/80 its all a recall sim winning by far. I remember some big nerdy kid being really upset about this because he was obsessed with it.
When I was a kid I figured it was just real, but the more interesting plot would be its all secretly recall. One of my favorite movies.
There is no speculation because it’s all in the recall seen! It’s real.
Best video game ever.
Isn’t there a “thank you for using Recall” that plays with the credits ? Either at the beginning or the end of the credits !
I checked and didn't hear it. But I was moving pretty fast as I edited the video I was working on and might have missed it.
It can't possibly have been just a dream, it would be a bit hard to return home and see the wife he had just killed in self defense, very awkward silence at the diner table that night...
Haha! True.
Hmmm, "Blue Sky on Mars" "That's a new one"...... To me it was all part of the ego trip.
It is a dream Verhoeven confirmed this. When you see the flash of light right at the end, it’s him waking up.
Could be wrong, but I don't think Verhoeven ever confirmed that at all.
@@Roper122 th-cam.com/video/FNvod2crjyw/w-d-xo.html go to the 1:49:18 mark
@@northprime_unlimited First of all... thanks for that, appreciate the response.
But I don't think that's confirmation of a dream.
Look at the words he uses...
“ If “ you follow the dream story
That “ might “ be the end
The whole story “ might “ be a dream
I was under the impression that Verhoeven always wanted to make sure that you could read it either way. So that just sounds like him making sure that you could read it as a lobotomy if you hose to, not that it was definitely a dream.
@@Roper122 ok I can roll with that. Like an impressionistic painting…you get what you want out of it. Personally I saw it both ways kinda like the Blade Runner directors cut and theatrical versions…hmm, both PKD books even years later there’s still layers to be peeled.
@@northprime_unlimited I agree. THats what makes this movie and exquisite piece of art, it being open to both interpretations.
Saw it when it came out...after taking LSD...
Amazing! Now that would be interesting... you probably had it all figured out before the credits rolled. Hahah.
Watch the facial expressions and body language of his wife prior to him going to recall... That was my clue that it wasn't just a dream. Just sayin'
Always a fun debate, either way!
I agree, and also the facial expression of his work buddy after their convo about possibly going to Recall
@@FreeStyle786 yeh, for real. For me this clears up the debate, but what's the fun in that?
of course its real. I SAW IT I SAW IT ALL!!
2 weeks
Didn't Verhoven say that it WAS a schizoid embolism and that the white light at the very end was it happening?
I think so. I could't track down the quote from Verhoeven though.
It's a fantastic movie, the version a few years ago is so bad and the story half baked
Agree about the 2012 version. I was really disappointed.
You sound too hesitant when talking. Makes me feel tense.
That was the plan all along Sam.
if a company can really offer such a product they would be come vey rich
Excuse me but there seems to be a booger man sticking out of your chest