Yup, it’s another one of these stupid things: a preview for a preview. I won’t get into my usual rant about these ridiculous pieces of movie marketing, because I get the sense that we won’t be seeing the end to them anytime soon…probably because chumps like me keep posting them. Anyway! We’re getting a trailer for the remake of Total Recall this weekend, and based on what we see in this little teasery thing, I’m pleased to report that I think it actually shows some promise. First, they’re clearly straying from the campy, gorey style of Paul Verhoeven’s 1990 Arnie classic, which is a good thing, because by giving the movie a new feel and a less beefy star in Colin Farrell, I think the film will end up leaning more towards a “reimagining” of the original Philip K. Dick story upon which Total Recall was based, rather than being a straight-up remake. Even the plot synopsis from FirstShowing has enough of a new spin to it that the movie feels new and different:
The new story involves nation states Euromerica and New Shanghai, with Douglas Quaid (Farrell) a factory worker in the latter who begins to believe he is a spy, although he doesn t know for which side.
Hey, count me in! It’s sorta like Jason Bourne meets Minority Report or something. And Quaid doesn’t even go to Mars! Could be very interesting. There is one thing that has apparently transferred over from Verhoeven’s movie, though: the three-breasted space hooker. Clearly director Len Wiseman understands what people really want in a remake.
Total Recall comes out August 3, 2012.