The main question alone reminds me of this show I’m overly
obsessed with, Once Upon A Time.
Only instead of using technology to change all the fairy
tale character’s memories, she uses magic.
Besides that, the short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” by Phillip K. Dick portrays
a character who is seemingly normal at first, aside from the futuristic world he
lives in, with hovercars and buttons on stovetops that can make coffee for you.
Everything seems mundane until the main character Douglas Quail visits someone
who can infuse a memory sequence of him going to Mars in his brain. When the
sequence doesn’t take due to the fact that he had already been to Mars on a
secret mission for the government things spiral out of control. The idea of
memory implantation and creation seems a little too far out, but then again,
I’m sure fifty years ago the idea that a woman could get fake breasts, or
face-lifts, seemed far out as well. So it’s hard to tell which direction
science will veer towards. I do not think that it will be a positive impact,
though. Memories make us human. The things we’ve experienced and learned in
life create who we are, which clearly the main character has shown us. One
minute he was a desk-jockey who knew little to nothing about action and
adventure, or how to handle assailants with weapons. Once his memory returned
to him he became one dangerous SOB, capable of taking down the most dangerous
of opponents.
Did I think Arnold Schwarzenegger was a good fit for the role
of Doug Quail? Well, not really. I’ve never been one of his biggest fans, I
think his accent is a little annoying and his acting is B-rated, in my opinion.
Douglas Quail is supposedly a regular looking man, Arnold is anything but
ordinary. His broad shoulders and tall frame make him intimidating and make
you, as a viewer, question how someone so jacked could live a mundane life. I
think Bruce Willis would’ve been a better fit for that role, much like his role
in The Fifth Element.
The adaptation from short story to a film impacted the story
in a lot of different ways. For example, in the short story there was a lot
less violence than depicted in the movie. Also, the movie went into a lot of
detail about Douglas’ mission on Mars. The writers and directors had
opportunities to expand the storyline and turn it into another different story
entirely. It seems as though the director’s did everything they could to turn
it into a “feature film”, something to grasp the audience and attract viewers.
Anything for the ratings, it seemed.
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