Total Recall ***

An enjoyable action movie set in a dystopian future Earth where the 99% commute from the rainy, straight-from-Blade Runner world down under, to the highly mechanized and luxurious realm (with echoes of Minority Report) of the of the 1% in the only other livable space on the planet, "Total Recall" delivers a coherent vision of a world ripe for rebellion. Colin Ferrell as factory worker Douglas Quaid (who harbors a secret past) heads an extraordinarily good-looking cast along with female foes (or are they allies?) Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel.

Troubled by recurrent nightmares, Quaid visits a business that provides implanted memories that seem real, only to awaken another, more violent man inside. Ferrell is fine as the confused Quaid, drawing on reflexes he does not know he has, and searching for his real identity in a struggle that could spell the end, or the triumph, of the rebellion. There is mercifully little of the obvious is it real or is it a dream? trope, a few too many narrow escapes from hails of bullets, and a truly awful "listen to your heart to know the truth" speech. The rest is good action, a visit to another world, and a mild brain teaser.

The special effects are fine, and the atmosphere well-defined. The visual quotes from Blade Runner and Minority Report are well done, and act as tributes to the inspiration of their author, also as here Philip K. Dick, whose short story "We Can Remember it for You Wholesale" was the basis for the original 1990 "Total Recall" with Arnold Schwarzenegger as well. This one is set on Earth, not Mars, and makes a more relevant ecological point for today's audiences.