Science fiction fans can look forward to a summer loaded with substantial film offerings, including Prometheus, the prequel to Ridley Scott’s Alien film, and Total Recall. Total Recall is an upcoming American science-fiction action film remake of the 1990 film of the same name, which is based on the 1966 short story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick. Unlike the original 1990 film, the plot of this new version lacks a trip to Mars and contains strong politicalovertones. In addition, the film also blends Western and Eastern influences together, due to the facts that the two nation states, New Shanghai and Euroamerica are battling for political power.
It is directed by Len Wiseman and written by Mark Bomback, James Vanderbilt and Kurt Wimmer. It was first announced in 2009. It is scheduled to be released in the United States and Canada on August 3, 2012. Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel star.
Premise:
Euroamerica (formerly North America and the European Union) and New Shanghai (formerly China and South East Asia) fight for political power in the far dystopian future in the year 2084. A simple factory worker suffering from violent nightmares (Colin Farrell) begins to suspect that he’s a spy whose memory and personality were erased and replaced – though he is unaware which side of the fight he’s on and how important his lost memories will be in its outcome.
What matters to him the most is that he must team up with a young female freedom fighter (Jessica Biel) in order for both of them to change the political system in their own country, Euroamerica, which is currently controlled by the ruthless Euroamerican President Vilos Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston) and his government.
Dick has supplied Hollywood with some of the most engaging science fiction stories to date. His themes explored sociological, political and metaphysical issues in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered states. In his later works Dick’s thematic focus strongly reflected his personal interest in metaphysics and theology. He often drew upon his own life experiences in addressing the nature of drug abuse, paranoia and schizophrenia, and transcendental experiences in novels such as A Scanner Darkly and VALIS. Some films based on Dick’s works include Blade Runner, Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly, Minority Report, Paycheck, Next, Screamers, and The Adjustment Bureau.