Which movie version of 'Total Recall' was the best - 2012 or 1990?

I recently watched the most recent adaptation of “Total Recall,” which was released in theatres in August 2012. I enjoyed this slick, new version of the movie, but I couldn’t help but compare it to the original movie version, which came out in 1990. Many of you have probably seen both movies, so today I pose the question: Which version of “Total Recall” was the best?

The 2012 version was directed by Len Wiseman and starred Colin Farrell in the lead role of Douglas Quaid, a factory worker who is actually a secret agent who has had his memories replaced. This movie is set entirely on Earth, which has been ravaged by chemical warfare. Quaid and his factory worker buddies all travel from the United Federation of Britain and the Colony of Australia via a huge elevator called “The Fall,” which travels back and forth through the Earth. Other cast members include Kate Beckinsale (Wiseman's wife), Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston and Ethan Hawke.

The 1990 version of "Total Recall" was directed by Paul Verhoeven and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as Quaid. In this movie, Quaid is a construction worker, and a good portion of this movie is set on the planet Mars. It turns out that Quaid used to work for the governor of Mars, who is searching for a Martian artifact that will produce breathable air on the Red Planet. This movie’s cast also included Sharon Stone and Michael Ironside.

Both movies involve an entertainment company called “Rekall,” an outfit that specializes in implanting false memories. Ever wanted to be an action hero or famous athlete? Well, for a price “Rekall” will implant those memories inside your head to let you know what that would be like to experience those types of things. However, in both “Total Recall” movies, Quaid has already had his memories tampered with before visiting “Rekall” and this has disastrous results.

In the 2012 version, factory worker Quaid wants to know what it’s like to be a secret agent. Since he’d already been a secret agent and had those real memories suppressed, his trip to Rekall sets off a chain of events that kick off when a SWAT team kicks down the company’s front door and starts blasting everybody. In the 1990 version, construction worker Quaid wants the memories of having taken a dream vacation to Mars with a dose of spygames included. He has a violent reaction to the memory implantation procedure, which sets the rest of the movie in motion.

Both “Total Recall” movies are based on a short story by famous science fiction writer Philip K. Dick called “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale.” It was first published in the April 1966 issue of “The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.” It has since been republished in numerous collections of Dick’s works.

In the end, which did you like better, the 2012 version of “Total Recall” or the 1990 version? Why? How many of you have read Dick’s short story version? What did you think of it? Let us know in the comments section below.