Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) is a factory line worker in a post-apocalyptic world. His life is generally quite dull, and he’s troubled by a recurring escapist dream. To get it out of his system he visits Rekall, a company that offers “virtual experiences” – “Olympic athlete,” “millionaire playboy,” “badass spy” and suchlike. As per his dreams, he picks badass spy. But in the middle of the procedure it turns out that – surprise! – Douglas already is a badass spy, who’s had his memory wiped for reasons unknown. His visit to Rekall blows his cover, and he’s pursued across what’s left of the world by Kate Beckinsale and her army of robots.
At times the film looks like an amalgamated banquet of great sci-fi action flicks. The first half-hour or so is pure Blade Runner, with a side helping of Bourne Identity, then Minority Report for the main course followed by The Matrix and 12 Monkeys for dessert. Several of the action sequences are extremely clever and well-made – one involves parkour through a futuristic Chinatown, another an inventive mind-bender involving high-tech lift shafts, where the constant gravitational shifts recall the video game Portal. Some, like the hovering car chase, are just inane and boring.
Unfortunately, the film doesn’t play nearly enough with the “is it all an illusion?” theme, largely wasting a great concept. After a fantastic first half it runs out of ideas somewhat, devolving into yet another mindless effects-driven slice of bombast, replete with pointless explogasms. Seriously, who the hell decided that a giant explosion is always adequate closure for an action film? They deserve to be blown up.
3.5
