‘Total Recall’ and the Adaptations of Philip K. Dick

“Total Recall” hits theaters on Friday, August 3, a remake of the classic sci-fi action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. While the movie shares many similarities with the original, there are also many differences. The new “Total Recall” does not take place on Mars, and in the new movie there is an elevator that goes straight through the center of the Earth and the Earth’s core.

It is still up in the air whether or not Colin Farrell’s remake can match up to Schwarzenegger’s. The new movie remains dumb fun, a non-stop breakneck action movie with little time for the story. However, the old adage is that the best movies to remake are the ones that were not good to begin with, and even though some fondly remember the original, that case holds true here.

One thing that hurts both movies is that neither one was entirely faithful to the original Philip K. Dick short story, “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale.” That is something Dick fans can appreciate as movies have rarely transferred his work faithfully to the big screen.

“Blade Runner” – The most beloved movie based on a Dick story is Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner.” The original story was “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and Scott took the time to talk to Dick about the themes of the movie and original story. As a result, it remains one of the few adaptations that remain loved by Dick’s fans and movie fans alike.

“Total Recall” – The original “Total Recall” keeps a lot of the book’s themes but changes some things that happen. For example, in the book Doug remains on Earth but what happened in his past was on Mars. In the movie, he goes back to Mars. In the movie, Doug kills a lot of people, but in the movie he is much less violent. However, the movie remains more faithful than the 2012 “Total Recall” remake.

“Minority Report” – Steven Spielberg adapted the Dick story “Minority Report” in 2002. This was the first Dick adaptation that Colin Farrell starred in, although here he was a villain. Spielberg himself admitted that most of his movie was not in the Dick story, which only included the setup with little in the way of resolution. “Most of the movie is not in the Philip K. Dick story — to the chagrin of the Philip K. Dick fans, I’m sure,” Spielberg said.

“Paycheck” – “Paycheck” is possibly the least liked Philip K. Dick adaptation, directed by John Woo and starring Ben Affleck. The movie keeps the same plot device as a man sees into the future and leaves himself trinkets to help him survive upcoming dangers. However, the movie totally changes the plot after that including the resolution of the story.

“A Scanner Darkly” – In 2006, Richard Linklater directed a strange Dick adaptation, a partially animated movie using rotoscoping of real actors, turning the live-action movie into one that looks animated. “A Scanner Darkly” is a terrific adaptation of the original story, arguably the closest anyone has come to bringing Dick to the big screen.

“Next” – Based on “The Golden Man,” Nic Cage stars in “Next,” a movie where he can see two minutes into the future. The movie is a confusing mess, but the worst part is that it thoroughly veers from Dick’s themes. In the movie, the lead character helps the police fight terrorists, completely against the themes that Dick’s stories honor.

“The Adjustment Bureau” – “The Adjustment Bureau” was a surprisingly fun 2011 movie starring Matt Damon as someone who chooses to go against the life fate has planned for him. The idea of a secret society and fighting the order of establishment makes this a true Dick tale, and extremely faithful.