Hollywood is an environment that is filled with fear. No one is willing to take risks and make films which are unique and different. Instead we get an endless parade of remakes and sequels. I'm not opposed to remakes and/or sequels but it just gets a bit tiring when that is all studios seem to make. I also think that they need to be made more interesting and different to the original. Most of the films Len Wiseman has made has been part of the 'Underworld' series so I have not seen many of them. I did however enjoy the work he did on 'Live Free Or Die Hard'. That cannot be said of this film. I found this remake of 'Total Recall' to be incredibly boring and uninteresting. It is mostly a man being chased through a futuristic city but Len has not managed to film it in any dynamic way. I admit that the films production design is the best thing about it. The city looks quite spectacular and I thought the way it was designed was very impressive. But a great background does not help what is happening in the foreground.
Despite being in a very bland film I did quite like Colin Farrell's performance. He manages to convey an everyman quality which is what the role needs. Even though he is doing extraordinary stunts he still feels like an average guy. Len's wife Kate Beckinsale is very bitchy in her role as the villain's hench-person. The same cannot be said of Colin's sidekick Jessica Biel. She does not have much to do except tag a long with Colin. Bryan Cranston is not given a character that suits his talents. He gives a nice amount of menace but not in a very effective way that makes you fear him.
Another reason why remakes should not be done. Just another generic action film that does not try to be different. But it does look pretty.
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