Reminiscence

Reminiscence 
Starring Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandiwe Newton, Cliff Curtis
Directed by Lisa Joy

"Reminiscence" can be summed up with one famous saying: "don't keep living in the past." That's what this movie does, in its overall theme, appearance, and neo-noir style, while also appealing to the future in its "Westword"-style setting - it relies on past films to draw in the viewer to a feeling of nostalgia and comfort while offering little to nothing of original substance, but yet it's still an adequate time-waster due to the visual style and mystery.

In a future Miami, the city has been devastated by global warming, sending most of the city underwater while making it too hot to do anything during the day, so the town comes alive at night. It's here where Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) and his partner Emily "Watts" Sanders (Thandiwe Newton) operate a business where customers come to relieve their past by going into a sensory deprivation tank and having their memories played a 3D hologram and kept on discs. One day they're visited by the mysterious Mae (Rebecca Ferguson), and Nick is immediately smitten. After helping her remember where she left her keys, the two begin a whirlwind romance until she mysteriously disappears. He becomes obsessed with finding her, and continually goes into the tank to find clues to their past, but as he continues to delve deeper into her history, he learns that she wasn't the woman he thought she was, and her disappearance could spell danger for him if he continues pursuing the rabbit hole.

"Truth is, nothing is more addictive than the past. Who wouldn't want to be reunited with a loved one? Or relive the most meaningful moments of their life? But memories, even good ones, have a voracious appetite. If you're not careful, they consume you." This is a line uttered by Nick in one of his many voice-overs as he explains to the audience what is happening during the several scene changes, and it's an extremely thought-provoking idea that doesn't get mentioned a lot, and one that would've made this film much more interesting. The desire to live in the past, to see that lost loved one again, to relieve your greatest accomplishments, is the ultimate drug. You can't get enough, and if you keep pursuing the past, you'll miss out on your future, and not even reliving it will give you that complete feeling you once had - it's just a saccharine feeling. While it seemed that the film would delve deeper into this aspect, it merely serves as an easy way to connect the dots and lazily lead to a conclusion that would've been more difficult to reach without it.

"Reminiscence" was written and directed by Lisa Joy, who's the wife of Jonathan Nolan, who's the brother of Christopher Nolan. To think that you know someone who's come up with some of the most mind-bending films in recent memory ("Memento," "Interstellar," "Inception," "Tenet"), you could've been able to come up with something equally cerebral or mind-bending, but instead she dives into the well of other neo-noir thrillers like "Chinatown," "Blade Runner," and "Minority Report" to pull your story together. This isn't necessarily bad, but it draws unwanted comparisons to much better films, and it doesn't end up being your own creation, but rather a Frankenstein-infused concoction.

Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson have undeniable on-screen chemistry, having worked closely together in 2017's "The Greatest Showman," and here you can tell the two real-life friends really dive into their respective roles. Jackman's Nick is dead set on finding Mae no matter what it costs him - or those around him. He obsesses over what happened and this obsession threatens to destroy what little he has left, but he keeps pushing forward because he feels what he had with Mae was real, and that she wouldn't just disappear for no reason. His discoveries lead him to a seedy underworld of crooked cops, ruthless drug kingpins, and unsavory politicians - everything you'd expect from a neo-noir thriller. Likewise, Ferguson perfectly encapsulates the neo-noir mold of the damsel not-so-in-distress. She dons skin-tight dresses and sings with a sultry breeze that will entrap any man she wants, and of course there's more to her than just a gorgeous exterior.

The film showcases a future dystopian Miami that's reminiscent of Joy's other creation, "Westworld." This is another highlight of the film, seeing this post-apocalyptic city and all its uncouth nature that lies underneath. It does serve as the perfect backdrop for this neo-noir sci-fi thriller, and allows the viewer to become fully immersed in the story - even if it's one we've heard and seen before.

Led by a strong cast and beautiful scenery and CGI, "Reminiscence" doesn't really add anything new to the neo-noir genre, but allows the viewer to reminiscence about other films of the style and appreciate their unique addition to the film industry.

The Score: B