This is one of many classic Dolby stereo films from 1990, with an inspired story by Philip K Dick, "We Can Remember it For You Wholesale", Total Recall directed by Paul Verhoeven bring this science fiction adventure to the screen in the most diverse and violent way. Douglas Quiad played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is hard working husband who has constant nightmares about Mars. After deciding he wants to take a trip to Mars via a memory implant at laboratory facility called "Recall" and before the implant can take place Douglas remembers who he is and fearing for his life panics. After he has been tranquilized and dumped in a taxi Doug makes his way home after running into his work partner who tries to kill him. Quiad manages to make it home safety.
When entering his home and turning off all the lights, his wife played by Sharon Stone is not all she seems to be, she's also playing for the opposite side. The plot now thickens who is Quiad really? And why is everybody so desperately trying to kill him?
Image: The image quality of this first edition region 2 betters over the PAL laserdisc that I once owned, the bright Martian redness was blurred with noise, with this DVD it's perfect but it could be better with the special edition you never know.
Sound: The Dolby stereo mix is the highlight on this, with discrete sound placement over the three-screen is mostly low end heavy, with frequent LFE.1 extending parts of the scenes, body punches are very abrupt that hit you in the chest! Jerry Goldsmith's scores low end is slightly distant, leaving room for some very wild and exaggerated sound effects to play the film out effortlessly. Directional sounds like doors opening and closing over the three-screen works very well, as does the crowd scenes in the subway station, the ambient details in the mix sounded like I was there.
The monaural-surrounds: sound very odd has if they have been passed though an active frequency network divider, and had all there high stripped from 500Hz up to 20Khz, totally cut! It's mostly low end that has slight distortion in certain parts. Now I have been thinking could this be a fault in the DVD authoring? And if it is maybe the special edition will be more exact sounding, with the surrounds, but I doubt it very much the film wasn't produced with split-surrounds otherwise I would still hear it in this version.
Sub bass extension and LFE.1: The final showdown on the lift with Quiad and Rector slugging it out at 110dbc is frighteningly realistic; with a whole range of exchanged body blows to the face stomach and few crunching ones as well the frequency response varies from 20Hz to 80Hz with this scene and makes it a good sequence. "See you at the party Rector!"
Sweaty palms!! As the machine starts up all hell is unleashed in a seismic event that slowly peaked up to 120dbc, with each abrupt burst of pressure building up beneath the planets surface hitting rapidly in the chest and rumbling the whole room to pieces it not just great demonstration sequence it was good contender for the Oscar best sound!!
"I can't believe it it's like a dream?"
"What's wrong?"
"I just had a terrible thought: What if, this is a dream?"
"Well kiss me quickly before you wake up."
The closing credits sequence with Jerry's score sounded very cool and was a very fitting conclusion to this grand science fiction classic from the early 1990's!
DVD sound realise: Dolby 5.1 with (monaural-surrounds)
Year of realise: 1990
DVD year of realise: 2001
Oscars: Best visual effects 1990
Ratings
Picture 8/10
Sound 9/10
Overall rating 10/10
I've decided to add new addition here on the playback statues of the film calling it Presentational playback.
Presentational playback
Fader: 0db THX reference level
Sound system: JBL
Sound indicator: Dolby 5.1
Maximum loudness: 120dbc!
Caution
One final word of warning if, anyone owns the region 2 version don't be too hasty to raise the level on the surrounds, chapter 10 will damage your surrounds, just set the levels to be at reasonable level and enjoy the film!
Why thank you very much indeed there, I've got a few new ones coming soon, that is new titles, won't be till October, I've heard the soundtrack to the film and I was the loudest ensemble of dynamic range committed to film score that I have heard in many years. See if you can guess which film, coming soon to region 2 DVD.
