Total Recall

It plays better than it reviews — the watch lands harder than the write-ups suggest.

• “One of the most complex and visually interesting science fiction movies in a long time.”

  Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times · 88

• “Starts out as mind-bending futuristic satire and then turns relentless -- it becomes a violent, postpunk version of an Indiana Jones cliff-hanger.”

  Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly · 83

• “A worthy entry in the dystopian cycle of SF movies launched by "Blade Runner" (including "The Terminator" and "Robocop"), this seems less derivative than most of its predecessors yet equally accomplished in its straight-ahead storytelling, with plenty of provocative satiric undertones and scenic details.”

  Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader · 80

• “Fast, witty, glamorous, with thrill piling on giggle atop gasp. [11 June 1990, p.85]”

  Richard Corliss, Time · 80

• “If the movie sometimes seems overwhelmed by its budget and its legendary third-act problems, it's still entertainingly raw and brutal, full of whiplash pace and juicy exaggeration. [1 June 1990, Calendar, p.F-1]”

  Michael Wilmington, Los Angeles Times · 80