Reminiscence

Reminiscence is a film from which we probably expected something diametrically different, and that's probably the source of the audience's disappointment, but I can't say that I didn't enjoy it in the end - on the contrary. Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson are a great duo, the ocean-flooded world where night is day and day is night is interesting in its own right, and the central plot and the reminiscence motif itself are great. The sci-fi element is cleverly incorporated into the story, as is the occasional action, suspense and romance, which surprisingly doesn't feel distracting and fits in nicely. The first half of the film is an interesting introduction to the world, the second half then segues into a detective storyline with a satisfying, surprising and interesting denouement that paces as it should and makes for a fine final picture. My only complaint is with the literal commenting on all the characters' thoughts and feelings, something that could be clearly portrayed without exposition, but somehow here they're all talking out loud, which doesn't work that well, but that's probably just me. Despite feeling that more could have been extracted from the world and this could have been been into a full blown action sci-fi flick (as I originally thought), I'm actually satisfied and I liked the unraveling of the story along with everything else the film had to offer. A cautious "family friendly" four stars that is well worth watching. (09/22/2021)

Noir is a genre that has that magical quality where if such a film fails in style, it becomes terribly funny. And with Reminiscence, I was chuckling like a madman at times. By which the film proves once again, among other things, how that famous "best unrealized screenplays" label doesn't guarantee anything, because it's just a crappy rip-off of Strange Days (despite there being no comparison). With more capable direction and especially set design, this could have withstood a lot, because the subject matter isn't entirely bad; but just the way it all feels artificial and cheaply staged makes it stand out for how stupidly written, acted, and produced it is. Still, I'm glad someone took on this retrofuturistic neo-noir without trying to "instructively" look down on it, which is rare these days. (11/19/2021)

This film had so much potential but failed to deliver. A sci-fi romance with a strong cast, yet a disappointingly weak script. Most of the time, nothing much happens. The stunning visuals make the lack of substance even more frustrating. The ending is the only interesting part, but in the context of the entire film, it feels almost sad. (06/20/2022)

Not my cup of coffee, but more digestible than I'd expected, though I would have preferred Logan 2. It has a pretty interesting story about unlocking lost memories and it’s a shame that it had to go down the romantic-crime line. I would have been more interested in the memories of assassins and hitmen, but it's directed by a woman, so there’s. Hugh Jackman is solid and Rebecca Ferguson is irresistibly seductive, though I found her character quite underused. It's got quite nice and intimate visuals, surprisingly there are two action scenes (one shootout and one fight), but the finale didn't grab me, it lacks a distinct style. Reminiscence doesn't really stand out, it's about half throttle, but the ladies might be satisfied, the emotions work really well here and the dialogue had something going for it at times, too. Story 3/5, Action 2/5, Humour 0/5, Violence 0/5, Fun 3/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 2/5, Emotions 3/5. 6/10. (08/23/2021)

A clever noir crime movie about memories embedded in a (future) sunken Miami, suffers from being too fragmented. Lisa Joy knows what she wants to say, but lacks the ability to tell a story that her husband and brother-in-law have. She’s a bit more of a copy-cat than them. The story would benefit from dark, dirty visuals. The polished post-apocalyptic Miami is too pretty to make Jackman depressed. More blood would help, R-rating is a must with any good noir movie, this is too clean. But despite all that, I give it a thumbs up and I’m sorry that it bombed in the movie theaters. Lisa definitely deserves another chance. P.S.: Rebecca Ferguson was simply born to play divine femmes fatales. (08/26/2021)