A dream or real?

[Hamse]

u never get to know if the movie is happening in real or in a dream for him?
is it a dream or is it real life?

[Sexy Yautja]

I think it wasn't a dream that he was having. Because when Quade goes to that dream place and the people there put him into the machine, he starts to remember his past life that he had forgot about.

[WhereAmI]

That could be part of the dream though. The ambiguity of this film is wonderful.

[Phlub]

Well I hate to ruin it for those who don't have the special edition DVD, but in the Director/Star commentary Verohoven and Arnold both confirm it was a dream.

But again this is the type of movie where you really make up your own mind.

[Drone]

Exactly, if it wasn't a dream in the movie why did they say it was in the DVD?

[Jove]

I always wondered whether it was a dream or not.
I reckoned it was and have had many discussions (that bordered on the use of Nuclear warfare) about it with friends who claim it obviously isn't.
When I first saw it, and saw the ending that faded to white I immediately assumed that it was a dream and that this was him waking up/dream ending.
But noone listened.
Noone.
Nobody at all.

But it's quite disappointing to have it confirmed one way or the other - I prefer the ambiguity of it left as that - ambiguous. Now there is no ambiguity. None. None at all. It's all gone...

I'm just glad Spielberg didn't direct it or he would have had an additional scene at the end with Arnie waking up and going to his now-pregnant wife

[Coronis]

Originally posted by Oogaphlub
Well I hate to ruin it for those who don't have the special edition DVD, but in the Director/Star commentary Verohoven and Arnold both confirm it was a dream.

But again this is the type of movie where you really make up your own mind.

Well even though we know the answer now... I think it's meant for you to be confused as to whether it's a dream or not...

[HighWiredSith]

I think we are pretty much led to believe that he is in a coma, dreaming the entire thing. When he goes to Recall, he picks not just an athletic, trampy, brunette, but the woman he meets in Mars exactly. They even mention "Blue sky on Mars." He's in the dream, he knows it, or at least suspects it, and doesn't care, kind of like Cypher in The Matrix.

[The one......]

whoaaaa there folks, a dream?

This notion never crossed my mind, when did he start dreaming? and when did it finish?

I'm gonna have to watch this again now....(but not yet, so tell me)

Are we talking of going to the Recall place? uhuh it's coming back to me now..... he goes to recall to get a holiday in Mars right?

But then it all goes tits up, I think I originally thought that this was a dream from when he came out of Recall, but then tought again when the film carried on regardless....

[Jove]

He goes to Recall. Up to that point it is "reality".
As soon as he falls asleep for the memory implant it becomes "unreality" - i.e. we watch his implanted dream.
Makes sense?

[The one......]

What? the whole thing from recall 'holiday to mars' mem inplant until the end is all a dream?

Wow. That never crossed me mind.

So that's why he could breath at the end then. oh I'm beggining to see now where a possible sequal that someone mentioned could happen......

(This is the reason I love this site,(and you folks) all the intelligent thinking behind what you're seeing type thing. Tis cool.)

I don't care what they say it wasnt a dream. Why would he wake up thinking he was someone else? Hell why did he even want to go to Mars in the first place? It's a DUMP!

The reason he wanted to go back to mars, and wanted the sleezy brunette was because he wanted his old life back, at least subconsiously.

[Jove]

All views welcome, but let's review the facts from the film...

Arnie wants to go to Mars - he's never been.
He can't afford it/his wife won't let him so he goes to TR for a memory implant.
Now the implant can't overwrite existing memory as it would create inconsistencies that the brain may not be able to handle so where better to start the implant than from the moment it is implanted.
The implant then creates everything from when he is put under to after the end of the film.

And he didn't "wake up thinking he was someone else" - he woke up thinking he was the same person but with people after him. He only realises he is someone else (in the dream) when he is told - by his former persona.

Indications are that it is a dream, including how the "sleazy brunette" just happens to be identical to the one he chose before being put under.


On the other hand you could interpret the film as you so eloquently did, Mr. Unregistered:
He wanted to go to Mars 'cos of a subconcious desire.
He really is the super-wonderful double-crossing agent who had his memory changed.
There really were aliens on Mars.
Mars really did gain a breathable atmosphere in around 10 minutes.

The simplest explanation is that it is a dream.

Furthermore (although I am trusting other's info) - Verhoeven AND Arnie both confirm that it was a dream.

I tend, therefore, to believe it is a dream.

But it is the ambiguity in the film that makes it so good.
The fact that people can ignore the Director's and Star's admission that it is one thing and say the complete opposite is proof of this.

[Phlub]

Again I agree with Jove (what are the odds!)

As I have said 1000 times before. In the SE DVD commentary with Verohoven and Arnold, they both confirmed it was a dream.

Therefore case closed.

[Jove]

Originally posted by Oogaphlub
Again I agree with Jove (what are the odds!)

"Sir, the possibility of successfully agreeing with one of Jove's posts is approximately 3,720 to 1."
"Never tell me the odds!"


Has anyone seen a website that "officially" confirms the dream/reality question?