"Remember Everything": the original and the remake - what's what?

The film "Total Recall" ("Recall Everything") is one of those movies that left a significant mark in world cinema.

The story begins with Philip K. Dick's novella "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" (in Ukrainian, for some reason simply "Memories in Bulk"), written in 1966. He is the author of the idea that later inspired Hollywood for several adaptations.

I decided to watch the 90s film after I wrote this post https://tseivo.com/b/lil-frames/t/Lnxm150oMG/speculative-identities-resurs-de-vyvchaiut-aidentyku-zi-svitu-sci-fi

Director Paul Verhoeven made the film with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead role. The film combined brutal action, a cyberpunk atmosphere, and a deep philosophy about identity and memory. This film became cult, and many consider it a true classic of the 90s.

Personally, I saw this film on TV in the 2000s, and I vividly remember the scenes where Schwarzenegger's eyes bulge out. And the woman with three breasts.

This is how they censored it (zoom / cropping):

But for some reason, I felt that this shot was not cropped on TV. Maybe my brain just imagined it, who knows. But in my opinion, it would have been better to censor this:

Two decades later, a new version of "Recall Everything" was released with Colin Farrell in the lead role.

The film received modern special effects, a different visual style, and somewhat different interpretations of the original story. However, for many fans, it turned out to be colder, less "soulful." That is why many viewers (like me 😉) prefer the first film with its charisma and unique spirit of the 90s.

The 2012 film has too many special effects and too little, as they say now - "vibe." The 90s film has a cool color palette that compensates for Schwarzenegger's somewhat cringy acting.

In conclusion, "Recall Everything" is not just a sci-fi film with fights and special effects, but a story about the search for oneself, which has itself become part of our collective memory. The 1990 version preserved the charisma and spirit of its time, while the 2012 remake remained rather a technical variation without that emotional depth. And here arises the paradox: a film about illusions and true memories has itself turned into a memory that we choose to keep - even if it is a bit naive and "cringy." I watched both films on Kyivstar TV.