Kick-ass sci-fi action movie standing on it's own feet.

I have very little momories about the original done in 1992 so I didn't care to much about that, if it was on Mars or not... Like @Pdr already said there are only two things it has in common "it´s is name and a 3 boobs woman" that's it. So don't compare it to the 1992 version, otherwise you could be disappointed.
But here are 1 or 2 things... at the scanner (train-station) scene I couln't help but notice this red haired woman in the yellow jacket - which looked a lot like the Arnolds mask from the original. I believe it was not just a reference but they wanted to make you beleive it's him/her for a second :) and 1 minute later there is this advertising sign (glass) showing a man with sunglasses - this dude looks a lot like the Terminator, doesn't it!? Or mybe it's just me :)
Also they talked about Mars, so I'm pretty sure that if there's a sequel it will definitely play on Mars.

From the very beginning I noticed what a great combination the score (soundtrack) was, it really fitted great, also I love the way they used the light, very cool.
And the camera-work - OMG! The first shooting scene, after he was falling out of the chair.... CRAZY! Somebody please tell me how they did that!?
But what amazed me the most about this movie is the incredible design of the sets, the robots & the technology they displayed - it was beautifully done (this must have cost big-time).
The fall & jump stunts were awesome they really looked great, the fight-scenes were OK, maybe a bit to much flip around by Kate but still good. I have to say Kate Beckinsale was even more bad-ass then Bryan Cranston (alias: Heisenberg with hair). The acting overall was good, nothing to complain about but nothing special either.

I enjoyed the twists & especially the time not knowing if he's dreaming or not.
But if the movie would have stopped 3 minutes earlier... at the black scene with the voices - it would have been top-notch! The last 2 scenes were needless.

**Overall : A fantastic sci-fi action film that is much better than its reviews imply.**

While based on the original Total Recall starring Arnold Schwarzenegger film from 1990, Total Recall (2012) differs in many ways. The tone is more serious and less zany than the first. The setting is on Earth rather than Mars, and the ending is left a little less ambiguous than the first. These differences caused mixed reviews, mostly from fans of the original. However, I enjoyed this film much more than the original! The acting and effects were much improved, and the action sequences were amazingly well done. Total Recall (2012) is more straightforward of a sci-fi action movie than its predecessor, but I find that a strength rather than a fault.

Totally class. Totally absorbing. Totally worth a watch...or ten dozen. There's a great story here, some great and convincing characters and mind-blowingly imaginative visuals. Not to mention two kick-ass women! If you want a rollercoaster ride from the comfort of your own sofa this is the movie for you. It's even worth putting up with Colin Farrell for.

Reimaging suffers a Schizoid Embolism.

This reboot of the Paul Verhoeven/Arnold Schwarzenegger 1990 monster hit finds Colin Farrell as factory worker Douglas Quaid who, in search of meaning in his life and maybe an answer to his weird dreams, visits Rekall, a company who implant fantastical memories to order. When something strange shows up during the initial procedure, Quaid finds that nothing in his life is at all what he thought.

There's a lot of very good craft here, there really is, that is on proviso you are happy to indulge in stylised effects over character substance. It's also a cold hard fact that fans of the original Philip K. Dick story, and fans of the Verhoeven bonkers adaptation, are very unlikely to embrace such a candy shop approach to what was once an inventive premise.

Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale file in for the two lead female roles, which on facial likeness is a smart bit of casting, while on a butt point of view they have two of the best in the business. Farrell is competently gruff rough and tough, but again can you avert the thought process away from Schwarzenegger cutting a swathe through a futuristic world? A big problem is that as much as Beckinsale is lovely and feisty, the decision by her husband, director Len Wiseman, to make her part a complete film filler, grates on the nerves with its obvious stench of nepotiz.

Still, if you are looking for a sci-fi picture awash with outrageous excitement, bangs and crashes galore and a sexy cast? Then this will certainly give you cause to chomp down with glee on your popcorn. There's homage nods to the Arnie movie, which are gratefully received, the pace never sags and the art design for this futuristic world is grade "A" in quality. As remakes go it's OK and far from being a stinker, you can have fun here, but it can't deliver enough quality to those fans mentioned earlier, and they are right to have such high standards. 6/10

I quite liked the 1990 version of Total Recall with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Thus I was somewhat concerned whether or not I would like this one since it would be impossible for me to watch it without comparing it to “the original”.

Well, luckily, I did like it. I think the 1990 version is still my favourite but I did indeed like this one as well. It is said that this movie follows the original story better than the 1990 version. I wouldn’t know since I have not read it. Both are good stories with the same central idea although I have to say that the 1990 version of the story felt a wee bit more “grand” than this one.

This movie is, of course, more modern in that the special effects are more up to 2012 standards. Having said that I think the funny idea of going through earth’s core in a tunnel through the planet is way more far-fetched than actually going to Mars and, although the gravity reversal was a good idea in itself, the instant on/off effect was just ridiculous. Obviously no scientific experts where hired for this movie.

The 1990 version had a lot of action in it and this one doesn’t disappoint in that area. Actually, the entire film is pretty much one long action chase and a pretty well done at that. One gripe I have though is that I felt that Quaid was a bit on the wimpy side. But then, that probably comes from comparing with the Schwarzenegger “original”.

So the bottom line is that I quite liked it, It’s a good solid action movie, but it didn’t de-throne the 1990 version.