Movie Review: Reminiscence

Reminiscence is a very Blade Runner-like noire mystery thriller. From the people who made one of my favorite shows Westworld, comes a very good mystery filled with twists and turns with a tragic romance at the center of it all. The premise itself is very interesting with a new technology that lets people relive their memories at the crux of it all. Ramin Djawadi composed another excellent score that was very elegant and reminiscent of his Westworld score though it might not be as memorable in the long run nor his score from Game of Thrones. For the first feature film directed by Lisa Joy, I thought she did a stellar design putting it all together from the acting, the set design, visuals, all show she and the whole crew are beyond skilled at their jobs. I was particularly impressed by Hugh Jackman as this hard-boiled detective-type and thought he made for a compelling protagonist.

Overall the writing of the story was very good as it kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. The pacing was methodical but engaging enough to keep the mind from wandering anywhere but the film at hand. I did find some of the world-building dialogue to need some work as there was a lot of repetitive dialogue that was just a variation on “back in the war…” or “before the waves…” which I found quite noticeable even after the halfway point of the film. I didn’t mind Jackman’s narration throughout the movie as it fit the noir aesthetic but it reminded me of Harrison Ford’s phoned-in narration from the original cut of Blade Runner (though Jackman put in noticeably more effort). His narration did play a part in the film itself with his character being the one to guide others through their memories in a way that a narrator often would.

The tone was very consistent throughout and that tone is serious so, while it has enough action to be an action movie, don’t expect Marvel-esque humor this is not that at all. If possible, I’d recommend seeing this in a theatre as the visuals are gorgeous and there’ll be less distractions from the movie’s immersion than watching it on HBO Max. Distractions are likely a factor in the reactions from others saying they were confused on whether the protagonist was in the present or memory at any given time. Similar to season 2 of Westworld which received similar complaints, time is used as a narrative device in this film though used much more simply here often as a scene transition or as a way for the protagonist to find information that he could not have otherwise found. While this isn’t my favorite thriller, Reminiscence is a very well-crafted film that didn’t disappoint me and I’d very much recommend it to any fan of noir films, Blade Runner, or Westworld.

Rating: 8.5/10