It’s seems that the consensus among critics is that Total Recall is totally redundant and it has three breasts too indeed.
Tampa Bay Times Steve Persall
Farrell’s diction is a noticeable upgrade from Schwarzenegger’s but there’s also his superior portrayal of sweaty apprehension and killer instinct.
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Total Recall is well-crafted, high energy sci-fi. Like all stories inspired by Philip K. Dick, it deals with intriguing ideas. It never touched me emotionally, though, the way the 1990 film did, and strictly speaking, isn’t necessary.
Movieline Allison Willmore
The two films have the same underlying bone structure, sure, but this new Total Recall is made of more serious, more humorless stuff. It looks simultaneously lavish and interchangeable in its explosions and shoot-em-ups with a dozen other recent action movies, and in its sci-fi stylings with a dozen others in the genre.
Variety Justin Chang
Crazy new gadgets, vigorous action sequences and a thorough production-design makeover aren’t enough to keep Total Recall from feeling like a near-total redundancy.
Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
This Total Recall is fast, furious, and frequently confusing fun, but to be completely honest, it lacks the snappy, weirdo vibe of its predecessor.
ReelViews James Berardinelli
The biggest flaw of the 1990 Total Recall was how disappointingly banal the endgame was. Wiseman adds some special effects and Michael Bay-style pyrotechnics, but the result is similar. It’s doubly deflating because one of the great advantages of remaking a movie is being given the opportunity to correct problems – something not attempted here.
The A.V. Club Scott Tobias
Wiseman’s Total Recall isn’t intellectualized like “Blade Runner,” or even that much more sophisticated than his “Underworld” movies.
Arizona Republic Bill Goodykoontz
It’s big and it’s loud, but ultimately not much more than that.
Slant Magazine John Semley
Len Wiseman’s Total Recall’s a trifling mess, as superfluous as a third breast.
