Overwhelming special effects to be rewatched in 4K digital remaster of “Total Recall”

The sophistication of the sculpture makes you realize once again

In addition, make-up effects designer Rob Bottin played a central role in the visual effects for Total Recall, creating a number of wonderful sculptures.

Bottin's accomplishments in the special makeup category are detailed in this article that touches on ``Object from Planet X'' (1982) , so I hope you'll read it again. He is said to have participated in " Total Recall " because director Verhoeven bought him for his work on " RoboCop ," but Dino De Laurentiis, who previously owned the movie rights, also told him that he would be involved in the film. I had been asked to participate. After reading the script, Bottin expressed interest, saying, ``It was a completely imaginative and mysterious script,'' but the project often hit a snag, and he prioritized his involvement in ``Object X.''

In this work, Bottin and his staff created characters with extensive mechanical gimmicks, such as Johnny Cab, a robot driver, and Kwato (a mutant living in a human body), the leader of the resistance, as well as characters living in colonies. They mass-produce characters such as mutants that make full use of special makeup.

“Total Recall 4K Digital Remaster” (c) STUDIOCANAL

In addition to mutants, puppet heads were also created for actual actors according to the shots. In particular, Schwarzenegger's elaborate puppet head was created for the scene in which Quaid pulls the detector out of his nostril, and in which he is revealed disguised as a large woman to pass through customs. He captures unique shots.

There is an episode that shows how realistically the puppet head was reproduced. Two teenagers sneaked onto the filming stage and watched Bottin operate the puppets, and when told to leave by the production manager, they begged him to "let me stay so they could see Arnold there." So they thought it was the real Schwarzenegger all along.

Even in such an intense scene, the 4K restoration reveals even the texture of the sculptures, so you won't be able to mistake them for the real thing like the surprised teenagers at the filming location. Above all, some may say it's ``disappointing'' that the mechanism of special effects is visualized at the material level.

However, these ingenuity of our predecessors have now been replaced by CGI, and although the level of perfection is high, it is difficult to see the traces of the creator. However, this time's higher image quality will make you realize the high level of analog special effects, and everyone will be able to appreciate once again the high quality of the sculpture and the power of the practical effects.

Total Recall won the Academy Award for Special Achievement at the 63rd Academy Awards in 1990. This year, instead of competing for the traditional "Visual Effects Award" with multiple nominated works, the 53rd " Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back " (1980) and the 56th It was the second most successful movie after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983). That's why the special effects in this film were so impressive.

References/materials

■fxguide.com“Recalling Total Recall”

https://www.fxguide.com/fxfeatured/recalling-total-recall/

■Paul Roberts “EGO TRIP” Total Recall

Cinefex No.43(August, 1990)

■ Total Recall Official Edition (Published by BANDAI)

■Ron Magid “Many Hands Make Martian Memories in Total Recall”

American Cinematographer (July 1990)

Text: Kazuo Ozaki

Film critic and writer. His main writing sites include print media such as ``Figure King'', ``Champion RED'', ``Eiga Hiho'', and ``Hokkaido'', and web media such as ``Eiga.com'' and ``The Cinema''. In addition, he has contributed many explanations and essays to theater pamphlets, movie mook books, and DVD & Blu-ray software booklets. She also formed a cinema comedian unit [Movie Gachinko Brothers] under the name "Dolly Ozaki" and appears on TV and at talk events. Twitter: @dolly_ozaki

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"Total Recall 4K Digital Remaster"

(c) STUDIO CANAL

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