Total Recall on Netflix offers a science fiction masterpiece mixing action and mystery, with Arnold Schwarzenegger in a cult role to be rediscovered.
When it comes to delivering great shows, Netflix regularly delights its subscribers by offering the greatest works of recent decades. The platform is not content with multiplying new releases, it also excels in highlighting cult films, these nuggets which have shaped the history of cinema and continue to inspire new creators In terms of science fiction, the Netflix library is now enriched with a monument: Total Recallcarried by Arnold Schwarzenegger in a masterful role. Forget Terminator for a moment…: here, it is on Mars that the Austrian star faces the unknown… and his own past. Let’s go back to this iconic film which electrified the movie-loving world in 1990, and which has lost none of its raw energy or its inventiveness.
Currently available on Netflix, Total Recall stands out as obvious for anyone wishing to revisit – or discover – a major chapter in the career ofArnold Schwarzenegger. An absolute must-see that revolutionized the genre with an explosive cocktail of action, psychological tension and innovative special effects for the time. But what made this film so cult, to the point of still being celebrated today?
Total Recall : when Schwarzenegger explodes in a science fiction masterpiece
Released on French screens on October 17, 1990, Total Recall is the work of the visionary director Paul Verhoevento whom we already owe the brutal and satirical RoboCop. This new sci-fi gem casts Arnold Schwarzenegger as Doug Quaid, a worker haunted every night by persistent dreams of Mars. Unable to differentiate his nightmares from reality, Quaid resorts to society Recalla laboratory capable of implanting false memories using hallucinogenic technology… until the experience awakens in him a much darker truth…: what if his memories were indeed real…?
Then begins a breathtaking chase, between manipulations, betrayals and revelations on the red planet. Schwarzenegger’s face, as massive as it is expressive, gives Doug Quaid the raw power and touching confusion that make this character an emblem of SF. By his side, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone – unforgettable in the skin of the “femme fatale”, and the formidable Michael Ironside play supporting roles that leave a lasting mark on the retina.
Imprinted with violence, paranoia and visual inventivenessthe film hits hard: upon its release in France, it attracted 2.3 million spectators in cinemas, achieved a press rating of 3.8 and an audience rating of 3.9 according to AlloCiné. Prohibited to children under twelve years old at the time, Total Recall deploys a tension that never weakens and invites reflection on memory, free will… and the possible escape from a reality that is never entirely clear.
Back behind the scenes: adaptation of Philip K. Dick and decisive choice of Arnold Schwarzenegger
Which is also the strength of Total Recallthis is its astonishing genesis. The screenplay is loosely inspired by the short story We can remember it for you wholesale from the master of science fiction Philip K. Dick. A short but dense work, which Hollywood wanted to adapt from the beginning of the 80s. The project then circulated between numerous creators… David Cronenberg – filmmaker with a disturbing imagination – works on the script for a while, before Paul Verhoeven takes the controls, at the instigation of Schwarzenegger himself, amazed by RoboCop and wishing to give his character a more complex aura.
This choice of director makes all the difference. Verhoeven injects his brand: a riot of action, a real reflection on identity, ingenious futuristic settings which pay homage to the paranoid style of Philip K. Dick while adapting it to the effectiveness of the blockbuster. For uncompromising SF fans, Total Recall became a benchmark, redefining the genre and inspiring a generation of films focused on the manipulation of reality.
At the heart of this mental labyrinth, Arnold Schwarzenegger delivers one of his most intense performances, alongside a lively cast. Sharon Stone explodes in her ambiguous role, Michael Ironside offers a chilling villain, and the audience succumbs to the radical atmosphere of the film. Popular science fiction has probably never been as impertinent and inventive as in this Total Recall now available on Netflix.
Sources: AlloCiné
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