As I wrote earlier, a Total Recall remake could be a good project. It wouldn't take much to improve on the recent remake. But, it may be a tough job to make something better than the original. My idea is to make the remake as a rough equivalent of the original film, but with major differences.
If you are familiar with the original movie, the action starts on Earth, then proceeds to Mars.
This could be the same as in the movie. The difference is that an inventor couldn't get his invention accepted on Earth and decides that his invention has a better chance on Mars. There's a small colony on Mars. He figures the leaders there would be not as unfriendly to his new device and there wouldn't be the kind of vested interests that proved to be so imposing an obstacle on Earth. Mars society was a lot smaller and hopefully a more friendly and nicer place.
Another similarity is that the setting is in the future and the action begins on Earth. Also, his wife doesn't want to go to Mars, but he wants to go very badly. As in the film, he wants to "be somebody", and is dissatisfied with his lowly status on Earth. There wouldn't be any nightmare though. That could come later on Mars. He does have a dream about a brunette on Mars and his wife is jealous of the dream. She hears him talking in his sleep and it isn't about her. She can tell that he has sexual feelings toward his "dream girl", but he has to try very hard to convince her that he doesn't. His wife is adamant about Mars and her suspicions about infidelity are too much, so they separate and Quaid decides to move to Mars.
Another similarity is that there is indeed a brunette on Mars. He meets her when he gets there. Before he gets there, though, and on the way to Mars, news arrives that indicates that there has been a major disaster on Earth. It is not clear what the nature of the disaster was, as communication is lost. There is talk about explosions and being struck by something when the radio went dead. People on the spacecraft with new settlers for Mars opine that it is an asteroid strike. Others say it was a nuclear war.
As the settlers arrive on Mars, they find out nothing new about Earth. The colony is as much in the dark as they are. The colony itself is self-supporting, but the loss of Earth as a supply source for advanced goods and new settlers has everybody worried about the future. Meanwhile, Quaid is feeling good about his new invention, which should improve the lot of the Martian settlers immensely. His dream about "being somebody" is taking shape.
However, the leader of the colony, Cohagen, is a power mad dictator. He uses a mind-control device that affects the memories of people he wants to control. He becomes interested in Quaid, but Quaid is wary. All Quaid wants to do is to market his new device on the colony, but he needs to get established first. He meets the brunette, Melina, and quickly falls in love with her. This is a problem because Richter also is in love with her. Richter now wants to kill Quaid out of jealousy.
But Richter is restrained by Cohagen. Cohagen wants to use Quaid, not kill him. Being on the inside, Melina knows what Cohagen is like, and she knows Richter too. She starts to feel something for Quaid and decides to help him. This enrages Richter all the more. The colonists are not too happy either, and Melina has close contacts with many in the resistance to Cohagen's tyranny. Many of them are having nightmares, as Cohagen had tricked them into thinking that his memory device was a form of entertainment. The entertainment was a form of mind-control instead.
Richter and Cohagen decide to kidnap Quaid and steal his secret. But Melina helps Quaid defeat their plans. Not before there is a mass revolt and Richter is killed. Cohagen has to give in and let Quaid go. Quaid decides to leave and take Melina with him back to Earth, where they face an uncertain future.
The Mars colonists elect a new leader. Quaid shows them how to use the new device and it works. They begin to prosper, but Quaid is still unsatisfied. Mars is so small, and there are so few people.
He takes a few Mars colonists and Melina with him back to Earth.
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