Total Recall
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Synopsis
Get ready for a surprise, with a mind-blowing 4K restoration of the much loved sci-fi action classic, TOTAL RECALL, directed by Paul Verhoeven.
In celebration of Total Recall's 30th anniversary, this collection is one you won't forget. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (Douglas Quaid) and Sharon Stone (Lori Quaid), accompanied by an iconic soundtrack by Academy Award-winner Jerry Goldsmith this is the ultimate version of the cult classic.
Picture 8/10
Lionsgate and StudioCanal present Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall in a new 4K-UHD edition, delivering the film with a 2160p/24hz encode (with Dolby Vision) on the first triple-layer disc in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The disc makes use of a brand-new 4K restoration conducted by StudioCanal, scanned from the 35mm original camera negative. This edition also includes a standard dual-layer Blu-ray disc presenting the same restoration in 1080p/24hz. A third single-layer disc holds some of the special features. The 4K disc is (of course) “region free,” while the Blu-ray disc works in both region A and region B players (I have not checked region C). Since both the 4K disc and standard Blu-ray disc open with an option to select a region (France, Deutschland, United Kingdom, or United States) and show studio logos and options based on that selection, I'll assume this is the exact same set of discs that StudioCanal is using for their releases outside of the United States.
Save for one sequence all of the film’s special effects were done using optical effects, miniatures, and various camera tricks, and understandably all of this will limit the end results of the final 4K image. Though I get the sense some of the rough edges have been cleaned up for this restoration (the large wall screen in Quaid’s apartment doesn’t look as fake here as it has previously), you can still make out some of the seams and detect when things just look “off.” A few sequences where backgrounds are using optical effects are probably the most obvious as they can look a bit “faded” or washed out with crushing blacks.
All of these things ultimately “are what they are” and it’s doubtful much could be done about it without completely redoing them digitally, which I’m hoping would never be done. When you get past those rough edges, though, what you’re left with is an impressive, even gorgeous new presentation. It’s not like there was a lot of competition from previous editions, at least in North America, as they've never been all that stellar; even Lionsgate’s previous Blu-ray, which also touted a new restoration, could be pretty rough with noisy grain and a real washed out colour palette. Still, the presentation here is a stand-out, looking great an its own, and there is clearly no contest when compared with those other editions
Forgetting those rough edges around the effects the image is very clean, rendering grain levels beautifully and delivering an incredible amount of detail. It has an unbelievable film-like texture and every fine detail present onscreen, from clothing fabric to the pebbles on the Mars surface, really pop. I don’t recall any damage showing up at all, the restoration cleaning up any previous issues that were there before.
One of the biggest improvements here—and this more than likely comes down to Dolby Vision—is the rendering of the reds, which could be a bit problematic on the previous DVDs and Blu-rays. They look amazing here, cleanly rendered without coming off noisy, while blending smoothly, at least in the 4K presentation. They’re very bright and vibrant but don’t bleed or eat into anything. The film’s other colours also look wonderful, and it’s incredible the various shades you get here, but the film does lean yellow-er (or green-er in darker scenes) than previous editions. My television (a 65” LG OLED with Dolby Vision) does render Dolby Vision a bit warmer, but even turning Dolby Vision off (and looking at the SDR screen grabs I took) the picture still leans warmer than previous editions. Black levels can crush or look murky at times, not just during scenes with optical effects, though this was actually worse in the previous Lionsgate Blu-ray (which had weaker colours) and it could be inherent to the photography. Having said all of that, while it is warmer, it’s not too heavy and does actually suit the film, so I have little doubt this is the intended look and never found it distracting (not like a certain Varda box set).
The encode overall is good, with those heavy red scenes looking great. There is at least one moment where macroblocking is obvious, though: during the scene where the ship is first landing on Mars—right after the “get your ass to Mars” bit—it’s clear as day around the edges of the screen and around the ship for a second or so. The ninth screen capture supplied shows this (the image has been shrunk down from full resolution but it still reflects the effect I saw on my television screen and in the full-resolution image). The high-definition presentation on the second Blu-ray does not show this effect, though that presentation does show some banding effects in the reds.
Overall, despite a handful of minor issues this is a real stunner of a presentation. It’s incredibly sharp, looks like a film, and the reds look incredible. Really gorgeous in the end.
Audio 8/10
The film gets a Dolby Atmos upgrade, though I’ll confess I didn’t notice much of an upgrade (full disclosure: my system is still currently set up with a 5.1.2 configuration, the Atmos speakers at the front). Jerry Goldsmith’s score spreads out a bit more, as do some of the shoot-outs that occur (the subway sequence shows impovements), but outside of that I didn’t detect a significant difference compared to the older 5.1 mixes. It’s still a great action mix, though, utilizing the surround environment well enough: things are exploding or whizzing by, and direction is distinct. Volume levels are mixed nicely so that things get loud without drowning out anything important and bass is effective without overdoing it. Range is incredibly wide and dialogue is clear, easy to understand. I don’t think it offers a huge upgrade, but admittedly some of that could come down to me not having the full set of speakers.
Extras 7/10
This edition adds some new material while porting over a lot (though not all) of the previous material found on other editions. The original audio commentary featuring Verhoeven and Schwarzenegger is back (notable at the time because Schwarzenegger was a paid a then-hefty sum for a DVD feature to participate in it) and despite some of the infamy it has acquired through the years I don’t think it’s a terrible track. Yes, Schwarzenegger might as well not be there as a lot of his comments don’t add a lot of value, simply just stating what’s on screen, but there are moments where he and Verhoeven get into decent conversations about what they wanted the film to be and why the film was important to them (though it’s obvious the film means more to Arnie than it does Verhoeven). I even like their conversation about the ending, which doesn’t explain whether what we saw actually happened or not, but does expose the many layers that were laid out throughout the film to leave either popular interpretation open, and Verhoeven does talk a lot about these elements as the film plays. Chances are fans have already listened to it by this point, but if you haven’t I do think it’s worthwhile, despite some of Schwarzenegger’s contributions being unintentionally funny. The commentary plays with both the 4K version on disc 1 and the high-def version on disc 2.
The remaining features (all in high-definition, or standard-definition upscales for the material made for DVD) are spread across the discs, though laid out a bit oddly. The 4K disc holds all of the new material, starting things off with what is probably the best new feature, the 56-minute documentary Total Excess: How Carolco Changed Hollywood. The documentary looks at how the company was formed by Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna, and how they would come to make First Blood and its eventual sequel, which became a huge hit. From there the documentary goes over a number of notable films, both successes (Total Recall, Terminator 2, Basic Instict) and failures (a lot, including Angel Heart and Jacob’s Ladder), attempting to explain their eventual downfall (overspending, some questionable financial decisions) which was guaranteed with Cutthroat Island. I enjoyed it, but it’s nowhere near as in-depth (or critical) as another similar documentary, Electric Boogaloo, which wasn’t afraid to hold back in its tale of Cannon Films in all of its crazy glory.
The disc also features Dreamers within the Dream, an 8-minute audio interview with production designer Ron Miller going over the film’s look and its props, with the need for everything to “look cool but plausible.” There is also the 21-minute Open Your Mind: Scoring “Total Recall,” an appreciation for Jerry Goldsmith’s avant-garde (for an action film especially) score for the film. The feature goes over a number of cues, explaining how they link specific scenes, work to suggest a dream, or even bring the film back to reality. The feature also goes over the extended score written for the film’s conclusion, which ended up only being used in fragments since Verhoeven had a different idea for the conclusion’s sound design (in the UK, StudioCanal is releasing a limited edition set that includes the soundtrack with the complete score).
The disc then closes with a new trailer, which is promoting the new 4K restoration.
Disc 2, a standard dual-layer Blu-ray disc, presents the film in high-definition (using the new restoration) along with the features Dreamers within the Dream and Open Your Mind. The remaining features pick up on the third disc, a standard single-layer Blu-ray. Oddly, Total Excess and the trailer also appear on this disc (making me wonder why they’re on the 4K disc since neither is presented in 4K), and they’re accompanied by a number of archival features. The 23-minute documentary around the film’s special effects makes another appearance, featuring effects artists Mark Stetson and Tim McGovern going over the film’s extensive model and practical effects work. Stetson talks about the gargantuan model work and explains how some of the more complicated shots were pulled off, all of which is accompanied by photos of the actual models. McGovern then talks about the film’s lone CGI effect, the x-ray sequence. Documentaries around practical effects are usually more interesting because of the hands-on work and trick photography that comes into play, while material around CGI is usually not as interesting because it’s all done in a virtual world, but the material around the CGI work for this films ends up being fascinating because—since this very early CGI—a lot of the final effect came from trial-and-error and dumb luck. McGovern also talks about how he didn’t receive a credit for his effects work (thanks to his company’s, Metrolight Studios, unfamiliarity with the movie industry), only to get one on the VHS release before having it removed again with subsequent releases. Sadly, his credit is still missing here.
This is then followed by an 8-minute making-of featurette created at the time of the film’s production and used more for promotional purposes. It has some okay behind-the-scenes material but I appreciated it more for getting the full, unedited Rekall ad at the beginning. The disc also features the 30-minute documentary Imagining Total Recall (an interlaced upscale), created originally for Artisan’s special edition DVD (the one where the disc was in a tin that looked like Mars, which I’m sad to have gotten rid of). Though there is some repetition from the commentary and some of the newer features, there’s more material around script development and the original Philip K. Dick story (thanks to interviews with script writer Ron Shusett), along with details around earlier incarnations of the film when it was sitting with Dino De Laurentiis. Even if you’ve gone through everything else it’s still worth watching. It’s also amusing to hear stories about how the shoot in Mexico led to a bunch of the crew getting sick.
Not everything has made it over unfortunately, with a newer 34-minute interview with Verhoeven missing, along with a featurette around Mars. Galleries are also missing. And sadly Lionsgate is not releasing a similar deluxe edition similar to what StudioCanal is releasing overseas, which includes a bunch of collectibles and the film’s 2-CD soundtrack. As it is, though, it’s a solid set of features, the documentary around Carolco being the stand-out.
Closing
A gorgeous looking upgrade that ports over most of the material from previous editions and includes some solid new ones. Very highly recommended.
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