Remakes vs. Reboots

Total Recall opens
Friday August 3rd.

Reboots have been so popular in recent years that people almost don't talk about remakes anymore. Sure, Spider-Man, Batman and Superman have been rebooted (Superman TWICE!), but what about remakes? In recent years, Clash of the Titans was remade and even put out a sequel this year that had a modest box office dollars. There's been several remakes in the last decade from King Kong to Conan the Barbarian with varying results. Even if the movie is good, Hollywood feels the need to remake it. 

This week's release of Total Recall is no different. Formerly a highly successful early summer release in 1990, Arnold Schwarzenagger's sci-fi action film was Paul Verhoeven's follow-up to his 1987 hit Robocop. The film boasted an incredible cast with established stars and budding star by the name of Sharon Stone. Directed well by Verhoeven, the movie is about Douglas Quaid's empty life as he dreams about a woman on Mars that's not his wife on Earth. He goes to Rekall- a place that creates fake memories- despite the warnings from his friend. At Rekall, he becomes inspired to try out a new feature called "the ego trip", where he decides to try out being a secret agent. Eventually Quaid comes to realize that his entire life was memories that were implanted and leaves for Mars. Determined to find the truth, Quaid talks to the woman (Melina) that he's only seen in his dreams to help the Martian resistance. During that time he's approached by the head of Rekall, who suggests that every moment he's been experiencing is all a dream, but Quaid kills him. This leads to another great action scene and a classic Schwarzenagger one-liner that you'll see below. Total Recall is rated 7.5 on IMDb and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 83. It's also considered one of Verhoeven and Schwarzenagger's best films among avid fans and the films ambiguity was a big reason for it.

Friday, the remake will open featuring Colin Farrell, Kate Beckensale, Jessica Biel and Bryan Cranston. To say that it has a lot to live up to is an understatement, hence the dangers of a remake. Fans will come with a vengeance if their memories aren't met. The story has changed somewhat. Director Len Wiseman expanded the role for his wife (Kate Beckensale) as the part of Lori Quaid by combining the chasing husband (Michael Ironside) and Quaid's wife (Stone) in the original. There's no need to ask if Beckensale can deliver on the action since her Underworld movies keep drawing audiences, but how will this affect the plot. According to Entertainment Weekly, the plot is different too. For instance, there's no need to wait for a "get your ass to Mars" scene since they don't go to Mars. Apparently, the mutant aspect is changed and political overtones of today's culture are in. Will that enhance or hurt the story? This is also Wiseman's first film since 2007's Live Free or Die Hard -a film fans have mixed feelings about, but delivered some good action.

It's hard to say that the 2012 version can live up to the original. In a way, the filmmakers are starting behind the 8-ball. Judging by previews, they're attempting to tell their own story will paying homage to the original (a rule of every sequel, prequel, reboot and remake), but can that be enough? We will see starting this weekend.