8. Casting
When a remake of Verhoeven's sci-fi classic was announced, the Internet was astir with rumours of not only who would be cast in Arnold's iconic spot, but also who would play both the antagonists and the femme fatale characters. While the likes of Bryan Cranston, Colin Farrell and Kate Beckinsale are cast well enough in underwritten roles that absolutely don't measure up to their talents, it is the casting of Jessica Biel that is perhaps most distracting, playing Melina, a resistance fighter who was played by Rachel Ticotin in the original film. They may as well have renamed Biel's character for all the resemblance that she bears to Ticotin's version; initially a gutsy prostitute who in fact turns out to be a gung-ho resistance fighter, here the more salacious elements of her character have been toned down - we don't meet her as a hooker - and she is merely a bland, uninspired quasi-love interest for Quaid, developed with no effort whatsoever. What's most problematic about Biel's casting, though, is that she's too young and fresh-faced for the part; watching her running and gunning is embarrassing, unconvincing and laughable. We need a member of the resistance who looks a little older, and a little more weathered - but still sexually appealing and interesting to watch - like Ticotin's Melina in the original.