Reminiscence – An Overambitious Sci-Fi Noir Romance

For the most part, it’s better for films to try to do something different and fail than to coast by merely offering the same. Reminiscence, the latest film from Lisa Joy, one of the minds behind Westworld, has plenty of ambition behind it from its premise and the world that encapsulated it. While it may not all work, this high-concept sci-fi noir boasts an interesting premise that it arguably gets caught up in a little too much, making for a not so well-rounded experience that felt held back. Though the pieces are certainly there. they couldn’t quite fit together in a satisfying enough way. Suffice it to say that this film is going to divide audiences as those who can get it from the beginning are sure to find more enjoyment than those who don’t. Between all the world building and a slightly-convoluted story, character development suffered as a result That being said, in spite of its flaws, it does just enough to get by, primarily thanks to another trademark charismatic lead performance from Hugh Jackman.

Taking place in a near future Miami that now found itself sunken by the rising tides, Reminiscence follows a man named Nick Bannister (Jackman), a different kind of private investigator specializing in matters of the mind, working with his partner Watts (Newton) to help his clients retrieve lost memories if only as an escape from the current troubled times. However, Nick’s life would be turned upside down following the arrival of his latest client, a woman named Mae (Ferguson). What seemed like an insignificant encounter evolved into something a lot more as their relationship sparked a love affair that was cut short after Mae’s sudden disappearance. From there, Nick became obsessed with Mae while finding the truth about her and her past as a means to find the truth behind her disappearance. Little did he know that doing so would uncover a widespread conspiracy involving mass corruption and violence on the part of the rich looking to continue their oppression of the less fortunate.

Not only was said conspiracy perhaps a little too convoluted in nature, the theme of memory and perspective only further complicated things, putting into question whether the events on screen are real or just memories skewed by Nick’s own bias. Basically with the story being told from Nick’s perspective mostly through his memories, most of the other characters and their development took a hit. The biggest of those was of course Mae. As their relationship was the driving force in Nick’s motivations, the lack of development on her part made it difficult to connect with him on a deeper level. Nevertheless, this wasn’t necessarily a deal breaker but thinking of what could have been is a feeling that will surely be hard to shake while watching. Meanwhile, the slow burn mystery wasn’t without its problems as the lack of overall development beyond a surplus of exposition and derivative sci-fi tropes also made it hard to connect with it on a deeper level. This lack of an emotional connected essentially amounted to a whimper of an ending.

In spite of its narrative issues, Reminiscence was still a somewhat compelling watch as Nick was a window into a vast and impressive world that the film kept viewers at arms length from which was a real shame as it was absolutely beautiful though incredibly dark for the most part. Most of that exposition may have came from noir type narration but it undoubtedly was cool. The epic score was fitting for the film world and if anything, lifted up the thin story. The special effects were also impressive, be it the memory sequences (or reminiscence hence the title) or the film world itself. At the end of the day, the best part of the film ultimately was Jackman’s charismatic performance as Nick. Suffice it to say that it does not work without him as he and his screen presence at least kept it somewhat interesting to watch. The film will live or die based on the connection between the audience and Nick. Though Ferguson and Newton as Mae and Watts respectively were underwritten, they did their best with what little they had as the chemistry between the three saved their shortcomings.

In the end, Reminiscence is a solid sci-fi genre piece that won’t add anything to the conversation but it still a decent time to be had.

still courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.