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Total Recall (2012)


Commentaries on this disc:

Commentary 1: Director Len Wiseman Rating: no votes yetLogin to vote or review
Reviewed by iwantmytvm on August 6th, 2020:Find all reviews by iwantmytvm
Wiseman starts off by stating that he has listened to many commentaries, and plans to avoid straight plot narration, but he does describe much of what is happening in certain scenes, and he does commit gaps in the commentary, but they lessen as the film progresses. He points out the additions to the extended cut, noting what had been cut for pacing of the film or just to simplify the complexity of the plot for the theatrical audience. The entire performance of Ethan Hawke was lifted from the theatrical cut. What attracted Wiseman to directing this film was the narrative treading on dual plotlines, dream vs. reality. He wanted to craft a film so that both narratives would hold up. He definitely believes one vs another but will not reveal his view but remains hopeful he provided enough of a slant in the details within the film to make it apparent on which side he falls. Wiseman observes the injected homages to the 1990 film. He provides his thoughts on film budgets, and the high cost of production for films like this. He strives not to be wasteful, aiming to employ an economy of sets, redressing and reusing them when possible to maximize the expense to create them. They could also be enhanced with CGI. He champions practical effects over CGI. When using visual effects, he believes there should be a practical base to each element, with CGI applied an extension. He even admits to "wetting down" the CGI streets to give them more detail. He sought to incorporate some of the technical ideas and concepts that existed in the Philip K. Dick story. There was a staggering amount of ADR that was recorded on iPhones.

This commentary made me appreciate the effort and care that Wiseman put into a remake of 1990 film that I still prefer. This track convinced me a bit more that this 2012 version also has merit.