‘Total Recall' at 35: What One of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Best Movies Says About Its Star

‘Total Recall’ at 35: What One of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Best Movies Says About Its Star (and Colonizing Mars) | Decider

Cohagen, give them the air!

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Total Recall might’ve hit theaters 35 years ago, but it’s still Arnold Schwarzenegger at his wildest: a beefed-up everyman whose memory’s been hijacked by a Mars-colonization thriller. Before this sci-fi bombshell, Arnie’s biggest box-office flex was the goofy buddy comedy Twins, but director Paul Verhoeven tapped into a stranger, tougher side of the Austrian hulk—one that questions, “Am I really me, or just some secret agent fantasy?” That eerie blend of noir-tinged twists, cartoonish violence, and that classic “Is this real life or Rekall?” ambiguity made Total Recall a defining Schwarzenegger vehicle.

Beyond the muscles and mutants, Verhoeven’s vision of a grimy, half-colonized Mars still beats any billionaire’s utopian daydreams. It’s brutal, satirical, and full of grotesque gadgetry (think nose-stretching tracking devices), yet somehow smarter about action-hero ethics than most flicks. In short, Total Recall isn’t just Arnie kicking butt—it’s a cheeky, self-aware sci-fi ride that asks whether identity comes from your memories…or your moves.