--- title: "Total Recall: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/total-recall/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/total-recall" critics_score: 79 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Total Recall (1990): what the critics said Critics' score 79 from 13 reviews: 12 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics find Total Recall a smart, forceful science-fiction action film, with praise clustering around Paul Verhoeven’s pace, black humour and willingness to keep its questions about identity unresolved. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s performance is another point of agreement: the reviews find commanding presence, comic absurdity and enough vulnerability to give the violence a sympathetic centre. The effects and inventive set pieces earn broad approval, while the implanted-memory premise gives critics more to enjoy than the action alone. Reservations concern how well the spectacle serves that premise. Some critics find the dated effects charming; others see ageing sets and excess gore. Empire finds less satirical bite than in Verhoeven’s other work. The spread is wide despite twelve positive reviews: the lone negative response, from The New Yorker, finds the film joyless and oppressive, arguing that its violence and crude style squander the clever story. ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★★. 20 November 2020. The restored 1990 classic is hailed as a weighty sci-fi hit whose identity riddle and quotable lead performance still captivate. The critic dismisses the later remake and praises the original's enduring mystery and restoration. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/total-recall-1990-review-30-years-later-still-not-sure-whats-going-on-lbwvzxvsw) ## Radio Times — John Ferguson Rating 4 out of 5. The review highlights the smart script and Verhoeven's over-the-top mix of black humour, ultra-violence, and spectacular effects. It singles out Sharon Stone's performance as the duplicitous spouse for praise. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-vh94qp/total-recall/) ## The AV Club — Tom Breihan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 December 2016. The critic calls Total Recall one of the best straight-up ’80s action movies and a hall-of-fame cinematic headfuck that blends gleefully nasty mainstream entertainment with Philip K. Dick ambiguities and reality-questioning twists. Verhoeven’s pacing, practical effects, and willingness to leave big questions unanswered make it a forward-thinking sci-fi freakout and late monument to excessive action style. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/with-total-recall-schwarzenegger-got-to-blow-things-up-1798254972) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 4 out of 5 stars. 6 August 2012. The critic praises the perfect team-up of Schwarzenegger, Verhoeven, and Philip K. Dick, calling the film slick, sly, and subversive, with the theme of identity loss intact despite deviations from the source. They single out the charm added by aged special effects. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/total-recall-1) ## Empire — Simon Braund Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Total Recall exemplifies Verhoeven’s approach of cranking up the volume, violence and surrealism in dystopian sci-fi, even if it lacks the satirical edge of some of his other work. Adapted from Philip K. Dick, it delivers a clever premise with brutal action, memorable set pieces and strong Arnie performance. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-essay-total-recall-review/) ## Slant Magazine — John Semley Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 5 August 2012. The critic finds Total Recall a thoroughly Verhoevenian work that succeeds precisely because of its blockbuster scale and star vehicle status, embedding irony and cheekiness deep into its DNA. Verhoeven renders Schwarzenegger hilarious and ludicrous within the sci-fi actioner through deformations and degradations while delivering a burlesque of popcorn cinema itself. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/total-recall-1990/) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 July 2012. Reissued ahead of the 2012 remake, Paul Verhoeven’s 1990 sci-fi proved once and for all that Robocop was no fluke. It features Arnold Schwarzenegger as an ordinary Joe with an implanted memory pursuing a dictator on Mars. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/total-recall-review-7918335.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 June 1990. The critic praises the film's complex visuals, special effects, and intriguing Philip K. Dick-inspired premise about implanted memories, while noting Schwarzenegger's vulnerable performance provides a sympathetic center amid the action and hardware. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/total-recall-1990) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 5 July 2012. The critic calls the 1990 film a guilty pleasure whose core appeal still holds thanks to Schwarzenegger's commanding presence. Time has dated the pre-CGI sets but the film remains entertaining and influential. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/jul/05/total-recall-review) ## The New Yorker — Terrence Rafferty Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 11 June 1990. The critic finds the film relentlessly action-packed and visually striking but joyless and oppressive, criticizing its crude comic-book style, excessive violence, and failure to make effective use of its clever plot premise. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1990/06/18/terminated) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 8 August 2010. The critic praises Total Recall as a kinetic, brash rollercoaster ride and a bloody popcorn classic, highlighting its extraordinary pace, over-the-top violent set pieces, and the tense sequence questioning reality. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/total-recall-20-years-on/) ## Collider — Gil Kellerman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 24 August 2012. The critic calls the film one of the great sci-fi action pictures, praising its satirical edge, visual effects, and blurring of reality and fantasy while noting some dated elements and over-the-top gore in the third act. [Read the review](https://collider.com/total-recall-blu-ray-review/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 5 July 2012. The critic finds Total Recall a slick, confident sci-fi action film that combines Philip K. Dick's paranoid twists with Verhoeven's stylish direction, delivering ambiguities and red herrings beneath its rollercoaster surface. Schwarzenegger's performance, inventive stunts, visual effects, and energetic thrills are singled out for praise, with the film's cheese adding to its appeal. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/total-recall-1990-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/total-recall.md