Final Recall (2017) (film review)
It might be called ‘Final Recall’ but don’t assume it has anything to do with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1990 movie ‘Total Recall’ or even the 2012 remake. That would be a mistake as it is a completely different story. It might be why the film is also known as ‘The Recall’ to avoid any confusion with Arnie’s film. Actually, The Recall would be a better title to match the story but more of that later.
This film is directed by Mauro Borrelli who also wrote the original story. Wesley Snipes is listed as one of the two producers of the film so perhaps he’s put his own money into the project. It would be an interesting investment to make.
While the film opens with a very short sequence set in near earth orbit. Two astronauts are having a moment but we don’t see the cause of this before the action switches to the real stars of the movie. These are Five young Americans’ (two girls and three boys) who are setting off for a vacation in an isolated cabin in the woods.
What could possibly go wrong? Well, we are given a taste of what could go wrong when they stop off at a petrol station to refuel and run into the local loony who’s referred to as ‘the Hunter’ (Wesley Snipes). He’s not at all welcoming. They manage to flee with just a wounded pride to nurse.
After arriving at their luxurious but isolated cabin in the woods, they do the preliminary settling in stuff. For Brendan who’s the groups wildlife photographer, this involves setting up some remote motion capture cameras. He’s accompanied by two of the group as they explore the woods looking for good places to mount camera’s. That’s when they find the Hunters rather run-down shack. While your yelling at the screen for them to leave they of course decide to go and investigate. What could possibly go wrong? Well funny you should ask that as the Hunter returns and there’s only one door into the shack.
The trio do manage to make it back to the relative safety of the cabin before a mysterious storm hits the region. Now up to this point the film has all the hallmarks of a rather good horror story. The tension builds between the group and the Hunter at certain points and I even I was getting nervous. Wesley Snipes just dominates the screen when he’s on, although his character does seem a bit odd.
The mysterious electrical storm heralds the arrival of the aliens who have some unfinished work with humanity. It’s something the Hunter has been expecting and he’s not going to go quietly. From the arrival of the aliens the story takes a left turn with the group now looking to the Hunter for aid while the aliens start to abduct them one by one. They are of course being abducted onto the alien’s space ship for a little tweaking. This becomes evident when one of the group escapes his cell and starts to have a look around.
The basic ideas behind the story are interesting but there’s a couple of things that let the whole thing down. Firstly, on the aliens ship the aliens seem to be modelled on Frankenstein’s monster in terms of their agility and manoeuvrability. Secondly their equipment for tweaking humans also seems to have come from Dr Frankenstein’s laboratory. Not what you would expect from a highly technical race who can build spaceships. It would appear that the aliens have been visiting on and off for a very long time. The current visit looks to be just ro
It might be called ‘Final Recall’ but don’t assume it has anything to do with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1990 movie ‘Total Recall’ or even the 2012 remake. That would be a mistake as it is a completely different story. It might be why the film is also known as ‘The Recall’ to avoid any confusion with Arnie’s film. Actually, ‘The Recall’ would be a better title to match the story but more of that later.
This film is directed by Mauro Borrelli, who also wrote the original story. Wesley Snipes is listed as one of the two producers of the film so perhaps he’s put his own money into the project. It would be an interesting investment to make.
While the film opens with a very short sequence set in near-Earth orbit. Two astronauts are having a moment but we don’t see the cause of this before the action switches to the real stars of the movie. These are five young Americans’, two girls and three boys, who are setting off for a vacation in an isolated cabin in the woods.
What could possibly go wrong? Well, we are given a taste of what could go wrong when they stop off at a petrol station to refuel and run into the local loony who’s referred to as ‘the Hunter’ (Wesley Snipes). He’s not at all welcoming. They manage to flee with just a wounded pride to nurse.
After arriving at their luxurious but isolated cabin in the woods, they do the preliminary settling in stuff. For Brendan, who’s the group,s wildlife photographer, this involves setting up some remote motion capture cameras. He’s accompanied by two of the group as they explore the woods looking for good places to mount cameras. That’s when they find the Hunters rather run-down shack. While you’re yelling at the screen for them to leave they, of course, decide to go and investigate. What could possibly go wrong? Well, funny you should ask that as the Hunter returns and there’s only one door into the shack.
The trio do manage to make it back to the relative safety of the cabin before a mysterious storm hits the region. Now, up to this point, the film has all the hallmarks of a rather good horror story. The tension builds between the group and the Hunter at certain points and even I was getting nervous. Wesley Snipes just dominates the screen when he’s on, although his character does seem a bit odd.
The mysterious electrical storm heralds the arrival of the aliens who have some unfinished work with humanity. It’s something the Hunter has been expecting and he’s not going to go quietly. From the arrival of the aliens, the story takes a left turn with the group now looking to the Hunter for aid while the aliens start to abduct them one by one. They are, of course, being abducted onto the alien’s spaceship for a little tweaking. This becomes evident when one of the group escapes his cell and starts to have a look around.
The basic ideas behind the story are interesting but there’s a couple of things that let the whole thing down. Firstly, on the aliens’ spaceship, the aliens seem to be modelled on Frankenstein’s monster, in terms of their agility and manoeuvrability. Secondly, their equipment for tweaking humans also seems to have come from Dr Frankenstein’s laboratory. Not what you would expect from a highly technical race who can build spaceships. It would appear that the aliens have been visiting on and off for a very long time. The current visit looks to be just routine to advance the selected humans a little bit further. If my reasoning is correct, then there would be future ‘Recalls’, so titling this film ‘Final Recall’ might not be a bit presumptuous.
Once the aliens arrive, then Wesley Snipes takes a supporting role which is a bit of a disappointment. This is being sold as a Wesley Snipes film and the first half looked very promising but he’s noticeable by his absence from most of the scenes in the second half. That’s no to say this is a bad film, it just feels a bit disjointed with two different halves. It also feels like the introduction into a franchise with perhaps another couple of ‘Recall’ films to follow.
It’s worth watching but I don’t think it will be regarded as this year’s blockbuster film release. There are too many unanswered questions which may remain unanswered if they don’t make another film.
Andy Whitaker
September 2017
(pub: Signature Entertainment. 1 DVD 90 minute film with extras. Price: £ 5.00 (UK). ASIN: B071J34733)
cast: Wesley Snipes, RJ Mitte and Jedidiah Goodacre
check out website: www.signature-entertainment.co.uk
utine to advance the selected humans a little bit further. If my reasoning is correct, then there would be future Recalls so titling this film Final Recall might not be a bit presumptuous.
Once the aliens arrive then Wesley Snipes takes a supporting role which is a bit of a disappointment. This is being sold as a Wesley Snipes film and the first half looked very promising but he’s noticeable by his absence from most of the scenes in the second half. That’s no to say this is a bad film, it just feels a bit disjointed with two different halfs. It also feels like the introduction into a franchise with perhaps another couple of Recall films to follow.
It’s worth watching but I don’t think it will be regarded as this year’s block buster film release. There are too many unanswered questions which may remain unanswered if they don’t make another film.
Andy Whitaker
