Total Rehash?

I really wanted to like this movie.  I wasn't sure what to expect, because Len Wiseman directed one of my favorite action films, Live Free or Die Hard, but also directed terrible films like Underworld.  This isn't the worst summer movie, and it certainly isn't a bad film in any sense, but it failed to reach my expectations.

There are a few things I really enjoyed about this film.  I liked how it was fast-paced.  There were some solid action sequences and well choreographed fight scenes.  I think Colin Farrell was an okay cast.  I even enjoyed the set design in this film.  The first half of the film was even very enjoyable, but after that, this turned into a Michael Bay-style film.  

I could make several comparisons between this film and The Island.  This felt like the same kind of style; the pacing, action, and characters were almost parallel.  Colin Farrell's performance was good, but almost every negative thing about the film made it hard for me to care what happened to his character. Another issue I had was the redundant action scenes.  Chase scene after chase scene...they were all the same, nothing to set one apart from the other.  

I can get over that stuff.  What I cannot get over is more of a technical issue: the lens flares.  I noticed tons of lens flares in the trailer, which meant I knew I'd see even more in the film.  Not only does this look tacky, it is cliche and unnecessary...not only in this film, but in the majority of other films that utilize this effect.  It became annoying and distracting and I found myself mentally deducting stars from this film just based on that reason.  That's how bad it was. 

In conclusion, Total Recall is a watchable Sci-Fi film that is unnecessary but mildly enjoyable because of how fast of a watch it is.  Fast-paced action, although repetitive, makes for an easy, thoughtless viewing.  No need for a second pass.

MY RATING:

3 out of 5

-Kevin A. Millward