Critics Scoreboard
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Average Critic Score:
57
(17 sources)
57
(17 sources)
-
88
Chicago Sun-Times
One of the most complex and visually interesting science fiction movies in a long time. Read Full Review » -
83
Entertainment Weekly
Starts out as mind-bending futuristic satire and then turns relentless -- it becomes a violent, postpunk version of an Indiana Jones cliff-hanger. Read Full Review » -
80
Chicago Reader
A worthy entry in the dystopian cycle of SF movies launched by "Blade Runner" (including "The Terminator" and "Robocop"), this seems less derivative than most of its predecessors yet equally accomplished in its straight-ahead storytelling, with plenty of provocative satiric undertones and scenic details. Read Full Review » -
80
Time
Fast, witty, glamorous, with thrill piling on giggle atop gasp. [11 June 1990, p.85] Read Full Review » -
80
Los Angeles Times
If the movie sometimes seems overwhelmed by its budget and its legendary third-act problems, it's still entertainingly raw and brutal, full of whiplash pace and juicy exaggeration. [1 June 1990, Calendar, p.F-1] Read Full Review » -
80
Variety
The fierce and unrelenting pace, accompanied by a tongue-in-cheek strain of humor in the roughhouse screenplay, keeps the film moving like a juggernaut. Read Full Review » -
80
Empire
Top-flight muscleman entertainment that is not afraid to have a brain or two in its head. Read Full Review » -
75
San Francisco Chronicle
A first-rate action movie, slickly done and with so many imaginative bonuses that, for a time, it feels like a classic in the making. It's not, but it's still solid and entertaining [1 June 1990] Read Full Review » -
75
USA Today
Both female roles are unexpectedly meaty, so much so that the film loses something once the far more lively Stone is dispatched. Hour one (more satirical) is better all around, though the falloff isn't fatal. [1 June 1990, Life, p.2D] Read Full Review » -
63
Chicago Tribune
From first to last frame, Total Recall is in your face. Its rather elegant little science-fiction story is as suffocated as the Martians are. The director has violated his own movie, going so far over the top he's still out there-weightless. [1 June 1990, Friday, p.C] Read Full Review » -
63
ReelViews
An "intelligent" action film, because it presents the viewer with an opportunity to puzzle things out rather than sit mindlessly and watch people get blown to pieces. Read Full Review » -
50
The New York Times
Mr. Verhoeven is much better at drumming up this sort of artificial excitement than he is at knowing when to stop. Read Full Review » -
50
Christian Science Monitor
The plot, based on a Phillip K. Dick story, is ingenious; and Arnold Schwarzenegger brings an effective blend of machismo and innocence to his role. Too bad director Paul Verhoeven lets brainless violence and tricky special effects swamp the cleverness of the tale itself. [22 June 1990, Arts, p.10] Read Full Review » -
40
TV Guide
Ugly, stupid, loud, offensive, and pointlessly violent--let's not mince words--this film should be called "Total Reject." Read Full Review » -
40
Washington Post
Actually, any fun you might encounter in Recall can be traced, most often, to director Verhoeven, who injects some of his "Robocop" camp into this mega-dumb project. Read Full Review » -
12
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Guilty of gross mellerdrammer & innocent of sophistication... Guilty of being dumber than WWF wrestling & innocent of hypocrisy about its cartoon violence. Read Full Review » -
0
Washington Post
The overall effect is like wading through hospital waste. Verhoeven, who also directed the maliciously stylistic "Robocop," disappoints with this appalling onslaught of blood and boredom. Read Full Review »
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