Lisa Joy’s new film had everything to become an outstanding movie – a great cast, an interesting concept, a love for classic cinema, and a gorgeous soundtrack. Yet calling “Reminiscence” an outstanding film is difficult. Why is that?
Brief Synopsis
Nick (Hugh Jackman) has an extremely interesting job – as the operator of a device for replaying memories, he helps clients relive pleasant moments from their own past or recall things they have forgotten (finding lost items, for example).
His entire life is turned upside down the morning the enchanting Mae (the ethereal Rebecca Ferguson) crosses his threshold, instantly sweeping Nick off his feet. One fine day, she disappears, and now Nick must figure out who his beloved really was.
“Reminiscence” Full of Homages
If you look at the very foundation of the film, it becomes clear that it is a tribute to Hollywood of yesteryear. Its setup is pure noir: the action takes place at night, a stunning beauty turns the life of a rugged man upside down, only to soon vanish without a trace, leaving him to investigate her disappearance. What is this if not a crime drama from the forties?
And at the same time, Lisa Joy’s love for nineties science fiction is undeniable. “Reminiscence,” whether by accident or on purpose, very accurately quotes Kathryn Bigelow’s film “Strange Days.” We have an operator of a machine that affects human brain activity, his dark-skinned combat assistant (Thandiwe Newton), an elusive beloved whose memories torment the protagonist over and over…
Many cult directors have projects that did not receive enough audience love and attention. We recall such films from the 80s and 90s.
Open materialAnd if you try to count everyone involved in “Westworld” (from actors to Ramin Djawadi’s soundtrack), you won’t have enough fingers.
At the same time, Lisa Joy’s directorial debut does not feel like plagiarism, but rather a declaration of love and a desire to also touch a great and interesting genre, which is immensely commendable and makes us look forward to Joy’s future work. She will undoubtedly make her mark.
The World of the Future
Now let’s go over what prevents us from fully enjoying what is happening on screen. The first thing you notice is the interesting concept of a post-apocalyptic future, which… almost has no impact on anything.
You have sunken cities and huge dams holding back bodies of water, but the film does not allow itself any direct play with this idea. You have mentions of a brutal and large-scale war, which only affects the incredible combat abilities of the unkillable heroes. Remove any of these elements (or even both at once) – and nothing in the film would really change.
Much more attention here is paid to the mechanics of replaying and reliving memories, which, if you think about it, also raises many questions. For example, from time to time, the characters “remember” in considerable detail things they could not have seen. Or they “remember” themselves from the outside, with every fold in their clothing. However, this convention can be forgiven and even enjoyed.
Direction and Screenplay
First, a few minor nitpicks. The film has enough action scenes to keep the viewer from getting bored, but their staging sometimes makes you scratch your head. For instance, we happily welcome long and beautiful shootout scenes, only for an incorrect cut to momentarily confuse us about the characters’ spatial positioning.
The main problem with the film is its oversaturation with pomposity. Sometimes the characters speak in ways that people simply do not speak in real life. Sometimes they act completely illogically and out of character. And for what? To get one amusing and incredibly pretentious scene.
Behind this contrived pomposity, the core grain of the story is lost – at some point, we stop caring whether Nick will find the thread leading to Mae or not. Moreover, the mystery of her disappearance itself is so secondary and uninteresting that solving it brings no satisfaction, as it should. When your film feels more like a collection of scenes than a cohesive narrative, it is even surprising that it has not forgotten its own plotline.
Conclusion
All of this is very sad, because the story could have been slightly refined to become a truly outstanding film. If the creators had lowered the level of pomposity, slightly reduced the naivety and predictability of the plot twists, and fully utilized the surrounding world, the film could have rivaled Nolan’s “Inception.”
But we have what we have. And what we have is a cute, toothless sci-fi with elements of noir that will not surprise anyone or make them fall in love with the genre. However, watching “Reminiscence” is still a pleasant way to pass the time, so it is recommended for viewing.
Science fiction is one of the most diverse film genres, and observing its long-term evolution can reveal some extremely interesting trends.
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