In social media spaces, that’s basically the business model, with millions of people happily sharing every aspect of their lives (hell, memories are just one part of that) and multi-billion dollar corporations doing whatever they like with them. In the world of “Total Recall,” corporations want to own your memories, and they’re relying on people to fork over such precious currency willingly. With memories under their control, anything is possible - including, of course, mostly very bad things. It’s not just that Quaid’s memories are so easily manipulated (that’s creepy enough), it’s that said manipulation comes at the hands of a nefarious corporation intent on pulling the strings on everything from individual people to entire planets. As it turns out, Quaid already had his memories manipulated, and probing deeper into his brain only stirs up those recollections with shocking results. When Quaid opts to get some new memories - something easy enough to accomplish as an after-work errand - that decision sets into motion a complex chain of events. Paul Verhoeven Says New Bond Movies Like 'No Time to Die' Are Sexless: 'There Was Always Sex' in Classic BondĢ022 Emmy Predictions: Who Will Win at the Primetime Emmy Awards?įrom 'Nymphomaniac' to 'Shortbus,' a History of Unsimulated Sex Scenes in 32 Films
New Movies: Release Calendar for April 22, Plus Where to Watch the Latest Films It might seem reductive to say that the literary works of sci-fi master Dick have been predictive of the future (let this very basic Google search lead you down a rabbit hole of discovery), but this particular story’s insights into the possibilities of memory implantation become more chilling each day. It’s so normalized that Quaid’s idea to get some memories of a trip to Mars implanted is partially inspired by the most mundane of advertisements, a quick hit that plays on a subway screen.īut while memory implantation is just one facet of Verhoeven’s film, 30 years since its release, the concept remains the most prescient aspect of the entire film. Dick short story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale,” paying for vivid, fake memories has become a mainstream pastime. With readers turning to their home viewing options more than ever, this daily feature provides one new movie each day worth checking out on a major streaming platform.īored with his humdrum life, seeming everyman Douglas Quaid ( Arnold Schwarzenegger, not exactly the paragon of “everyman,” but hey, that’s Hollywood) conceives of an idea to spice things up: memory implantation! In the world of Paul Verhoeven’s “ Total Recall,” as inspired by the Philip K.