Editing Total Recall (1990 film) (section)

===Analysis===
According to Vest and English professor Frank Grady, most political assessments of the film considered it [[left-wing]] for its anti-corporation and revolutionary message but Vest perceived a more [[Conservatism|conservative]] subtext in which the "white protagonist saves a society of the less well-off who cannot save themselves".{{sfn|Vest|2009|pp=39,41}}{{sfn|Grady|2003|p=44}} They identified ''Total Recall'' as one of many films produced throughout the 1980s—such as ''[[Rambo: First Blood Part II]]'' (1985) and ''Predator''—that were "fronted by white male characters who employ violence to preserve American righteousness, liberty, autonomy, and reinforce an idealistic American image of combating unnecessary bureaucracy, fascists, communists, and foreign and domestic threats". Schwarzenegger identified himself as a conservative and supporter of [[President of the United States|U.S. president]] [[Ronald Reagan]], which Vest opined made him "an unusual choice to portray the protagonist who liberates Mars from Cohaagen's dictatorship".{{sfn|Vest|2009|p=39}}{{sfn|Grady|2003|p=42}} Quaid's rejection of the Hauser persona can be seen as an example of self-determination and American exceptionalism, but in doing so he also avoids responsibility or punishment for Hauser's acts, which Grady considered an act of [[Cynicism (contemporary)|moral cynicism]]. Historian [[Stephen Prince]] described Quaid's choice not as the loss of self, but conscious rejection of it.{{sfn|Vest|2009|p=39}}{{sfn|Grady|2003|pp=44–45}} Remarking on the similarities between ''Total Recall'' and the science fiction film ''[[The Matrix]]'' (1999), educator [[Neal King]] found that both protagonists begin as discontented workers who learn their life is a fabrication, become instrumental to those rebelling against overwhelming authority, and eventually learn they were deliberately created to quash the rebellion. Any good deeds they perform are a result of who they were programmed to be, meaning their free will is an illusion.{{sfn|King|2008|pp=4–5}}

Grady and ''SyFy'' writer Stephanie Williams described the [[privatization]] of air in ''Total Recall'' as the extreme of unchecked corporate power, comparing it to the real world privatization of water sources by companies whose core incentive is to increase profits, such as in the [[Flint water crisis]]. The mutants on Mars are the result of early colonists exposed to a toxic atmosphere because of cheap domes, and their offspring still serve Cohaagen, meaning the authorities have escaped any responsibility for their involvement. In the end, Cohaagen suffocates in a toxic atmosphere that he could have changed at any time.{{sfn|Grady|2003|p=44}}<ref name="SyFyPrivatization"/> The film also contains a number of product placements for brands such as [[Pepsi]], [[Coca-Cola]], and [[Jack in the Box]], promoting corporate interests while portraying an anti-corporate stance.{{sfn|Grady|2003|p=44}}

Linda Mizejewski, a professor of women's studies at the [[Ohio State University]], suggests that the name "Cohaagen" is supposed to sound [[Afrikaans]] and this, along with the character's links to the mining industry, is part of an analogy between [[Apartheid|Apartheid-era South Africa]], in which there was a highly prosperous [[Mining industry of South Africa|mining industry]], and sharply defined class divisions, akin to those in the film between the mining executives and the ordinary, oppressed Martians.{{sfn|Vest|2009|p=40}} Likewise, Aliev considered the relationship between the lower classes on Mars and the government to be analogous to real-world colonial and post-colonial social structures, such as Apartheid. The technology that undermines the existing power structure is a metaphor for decolonization and championing the voices of the oppressed.<ref name="CBRTotal"/> Vest believed ''Total Recall'' did not offer a positive representation of minorities, as Benny, the only important African American character, collaborates with Cohaagen and helps assassinate the Martian freedom fighter Kuato. Vest believed that his repeated references to having multiple children "reinforced stereotypes of African American men as irresponsible and promiscuous", and that "his alliance with Cohaagen presents the character as untrustworthy, selfish, and corrupt".{{sfn|Vest|2009|p=46}}

Vest identified certain elements in the film as sexist and misogynistic. Many female characters are presented as prostitutes or mutants, which he believed suggested that "femininity is a source of moral or physical deformity". Many female characters are violently killed throughout, such as Lori, who is dispatched while Schwarzenegger quips that she should "consider that a divorce". However, while Melina is sometimes reliant on Quaid to save her, both she and Lori are portrayed as effective fighters and Melina is essential to saving Quaid's life at the end.{{sfn|Grady|2003|pp=44–45}}{{sfn|Vest|2009|pp=42–43}} [[Union College]] film studies co-director Michelle Chilcoat wrote that ''Total Recall'' began a decade of [[cyberpunk]] films that focused on a separation and transformation of the mind away from a traditional human body, such as ''[[The Lawnmower Man (film)|The Lawnmower Man]]'' (1992), ''[[Strange Days (film)|Strange Days]]'' (1995), and ''The Matrix''. Even so, Chilcoat argues that given the option to become anything via Rekall, ''Total Recall'' repeatedly asserts Quaid's heterosexuality.{{sfn|Chilcoat|2004|pp=156,162}}