Student: Margot Mel Teacher: Dana Palmer School: MBMS

Reality or Not? Some science fiction movies made around the 1980s are relatively scientifically realistic, including the movie Total Recall starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Doing research on this topic I learned more about how realistic the ideas and scenes really are. It all starts when Schwarzeneggers character Douglas Quaid contemplates whether or not to have memories implanted to simulate a trip to Mars. When Douglas Quaid realizes that his memory has been erased and he is actually a secret agent. He has to fight to protect the inhabitants of Mars. By todays standards, Total Recall has some realistic and some unrealistic ideas. The Idea of having a healthy and successful colony on Mars is not very realistic. The surface of mars is -81 degrees Fahrenheit, not to mention the lack of an atmosphere. The planet is also bombarded with ultraviolet radiation. To solve these problems in the movie the government makes an atmosphere by melting the glacial core of the planet to release oxygen. While it is true that oxygen is released when ice is melted, and could potentially create an atmosphere, it is not true that the core of Mars is a glacier; in fact, it is made up of mostly iron and silicon. The movie also has a large dome, which could reasonably protect the people from the cold, but depending on the type of glass, ultra violet radiation could most likely go through it. The leader of the Mars colony is cheap and evil. He is the type of man who would provide inadequate

accommodations for the people of his colony, yet another reason to believe that the glass dome would not protect the citizens from ultra violet radiation. Tampering with peoples minds is also somewhat far fetched. After doing some research it appears that safe memory erasing either does not exist or is not available to the public. In the movie, there is also a plan to bring Quaids memory back again. The brain is a complicated and fragile organ that can only take so much before something goes wrong. Too much tampering will lead to brain disorders and malfunctions sending the whole body into a state of disarray. Speaking with an expert, I learned that while it may be possible to erase certain memories, bringing them back in perfect condition is most likely impossible, at least by todays standards. By contrast, the everyday lifestyle of the people in the movie is relatively realistic. While Total Recall takes place in 2084, 72 years in the future, it is not that far off from how we live today. Douglas Quaid is a regular man with an average job. At the train station he, along with everyone else, walks through an X-ray machine so the guards can see if he is hiding anything dangerous. This is much like at the airport when you put your belongings through a scanner, and often times you yourself have to go through a full body X-ray scan. Both only omit a small dose of radiation, not enough to do harm to anyone. In the movie, Douglass wife uses a holographic tennis teacher to work out. According to a news report I watched, you could set up many cameras at different angles and use them to project a full body hologram somewhere else. This means that using a holographic teacher is possible. The teacher could be demonstrating elsewhere

and be surrounded by cameras to create a full body hologram in a completely different place. In conclusion, Total Recall with Arnold Schwarzenegger has some realistic ideas, and some ideas that still are not realistic by todays standards. Im sure that at the rate that technology has been improving, by 2084 most if not all of the ideas in the movie will be possible. Maybe we will be able to take virtual trips to Mars, or even, real trips to Mars. One thing is for sure, as long as we have imagination, technology will never stop improving.