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Back in 2012, Hollywood decided we needed a "Total Recall" remake, and dutifully set about resurrecting the beloved 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger classic for what was an entirely forgettable sci-fi actioner. Arnie's original, directed by the great Paul Verhoeven, was an adaptation of Philip K. Dick's 1966 short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale," and remains one of the best sci-fi movies of the 90s (and one of the best mind-bending movies ever made). The Colin Farrell-led remake, however, didn't make much of an impact. Still, it seems Prime Video subscribers are willing to give the movie another chance, as Farrell's long-forgotten film is now making its way up the streamer's most-watched movie charts.
"Total Recall" (2012) is directed by Len Wiseman, who most recently oversaw the 2025 "John Wick" offshoot "Ballerina" and previously helmed the "Underworld" films between 2003 and 2016. He is, unfortunately, also responsible for 2007's "Live Free or Die Hard," which, despite making the third spot on /Film's "Die Hard" movie ranking, we simply could have done without.
Evidently, the critics felt the same about Wiseman's "Total Recall" remake, with Justin Chang of Variety calling it a "near-total redundancy." Otherwise, the movie performed well enough at the box office, making $211.8 million worldwide on a $125 million budget. But like "Live Free or Die Hard," "Total Recall" just sort of came and went before being forgotten almost entirely. That is, until Prime Video subscribers unearthed the film and sent it into the streamer's charts.
Prime Video subscribers are reliving the buried memories of the Total Recall remake
Sony Pictures Releasing
Unlike the 1990 original, "Total Recall" is set entirely on an Earth ravaged by chemical war, leaving only the United Federation of Britain (UFB) and the Colony (Australia) habitable. Whereas Arnold Schwarzenegger's Douglas Quaid had dreams of Mars, which turn out to be long-buried memories, Colin Farrell's counterpart finds himself experiencing nocturnal visions of being a secret agent. Bored of his factory job on The Colony, he enlists the company Rekall to implant artificial memories to match his dreams, which he soon learns are, in fact, memories of having worked as a UFB agent. Hunted by his former employers, he teams up with Jessica Biel's Melina, a member of a rebel group known as The Resistance. But as the pair try to outrun the UFB and their Chancellor Vilos Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the line between fantasy and reality becomes increasingly blurred.
Ahead of the film's debut, /Film asked: "Is 'Total Recall' the least essential film of the summer?" The answer, according to most critics, was yes. But it seems the Prime Video crowds are willing to give it another shot. Per streaming viewership tracker FlixPatrol, "Total Recall" is the No. 3 most-watched movie on Prime Video in the United States as of November 9, 2026. What's more, based on the film's trajectory thus far, it could be set for a chart-topping run. "Total Recall" debuted on the charts at No. 9 on November 7, 2026, before jumping to fourth the following day and hitting No. 3 the day after. By the end of the week, Farrell's forgotten remake might just hit No. 1 — not bad for a film with a 30% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Critics were not eager to remember Total Recall
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Both Philip K. Dick's story and the 1990 "Total Recall" film feature Mars. But the 2012 remake actually has more in common with Paul Verhoeven's rendition than the novel, using characters that only appear in the movie and adhering more closely to the big-screen storyline. That might have seemed like a reasonable approach, given how the first film was so successful. Unfortunately, Len Wiseman's effort didn't emulate the offbeat comedy of the original, which was so sharply rendered by Arnold Schwarzenegger and gave the film such a unique tone. Despite featuring some impressive action scenes, Wiseman's version also managed to feel like a generic sci-fi actioner, all of which combined to yield a less-than-impressive critical response.
That said, Roger Ebert was impressed enough to bestow three stars on the film — just half a star less than the 1990 version — and called it a "well-crafted, high-energy sci-fi." Still, even he had to admit that the film was one of several sci-fi movie remakes that should have never happened, ending his review by writing, "It never touched me emotionally, though, the way the 1990 film did, and strictly speaking, isn't necessary." Others were much more condemnatory, with David Sexton of the London Evening Standard giving the film one star and writing, "We used to do the future so much better. Let's not forget that. Let's forget this instead."
Normally, that should deter you from joining the "Total Recall" renaissance on Prime Video. But considering that, since the movie's debut, we've been subjected to an onslaught of streaming movie shabbiness, it might be worth a go to see if the remake really is bad or whether that's merely a memory implanted by the critics.
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