3. Total Recall (2012)
The ‘90s was a great decade for sci-fi, and one of its most memorable offerings to the genre was Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall. The 1990 film starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as Douglas Quaid, a relatively average man who receives an implanted memory of an incredible adventure on Mars. An adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale”, Total Recall has proved itself a lasting staple of sci-fi cinema.
Though the 1990 film’s practical effects were groundbreaking at the time, it certainly doesn’t seem overly ill-advised to try to update them using modern technology. 2012 saw the release of a Total Recall remake starring Colin Farrell and Kate Beckinsale, promising a sleek new look for the classic story. Predictably (due to its place on this list), it wasn’t good.
The charming practical effects of the original were replaced by a dizzying abundance of CGI. Schwarzenegger’s undeniable charisma was replaced with an uncharacteristically flat performance from Farrell, and poor direction saw the 2012 remake thoroughly waste every ounce of its potential. Though the idea of remaking Total Recall didn’t initially seem a terrible one, the execution was lacking in such a major way that it makes it seem laughable in retrospect.