“Reminiscence” Review
Hugh Jackman stars in “Reminiscence” as Nick Bannister, a psychologically damaged man who becomes involved in a mystery involving reliving memories.
From musical sensation to badass superhero, Hugh Jackman is a major star who has a surprising amount of depth as an actor. While most people remember him as The Wolverine, he has quite the diverse filmography which has recently expanded into noir anti-hero with “Reminiscence,” the latest film to be released in both theaters and HBOMax, which combines science fiction and mystery in an engaging thriller. While the film’s story does become convoluted at times, there’s quite a bit to enjoy in this film, making it a decent film to watch.
Set in the future where climate change has caused the seas to rise and flood several coastal cities, Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) is a war veteran living in a flooded Miami who has a business where people can experience their memories as most people in this world have lost faith in the future so they want to relive their past. When a mysterious woman named Mae (Rebecca Ferguson) enters Nick’s life and then suddenly vanishes, Nick tries to use the memories of both himself and others to track her down, resulting in him discovering a greater conspiracy.
Directed and written by Lisa Joy, one of the co-creators of “Westworld,” this film has a well-established environment that feels incredibly real. With the ever-present threat of climate change threatening to flood our coasts, create catastrophic weather events and destroy our modern society, this world seems incredibly plausible. The machine that Nick uses which can have the subjects relive their memories also seems like a device that could exist in the near future.
Jackman’s performance is well-grounded and he brings his A-game to play this character whose obsession with Mae causes him to do some unethical things including infiltrating crime syndicates and exploring the memories of past clients. The further he becomes invested, the more he descends into potential madness.
Ferguson also provides a compelling femme fatale with the sophistication of one of Hitchcock’s blondes like Kim Novak, Eva Marie Saint and Grace Kelly. From frame one, Ferguson clearly is hiding something and she has an incredible aura of mystery that makes me incredibly excited for her upcoming roles in “Dune” and “Mission Impossible 7.”
While “Reminiscence” has moments of action, which is both visceral and well-shot, the film is more of a detective story with the mystery and the dilemmas of Nick being at the forefront. Just when it seems that the mystery is predictable, the plot moves in a different direction which constantly keeps the audience on their toes. However, the film’s pacing is rushed at times, especially in the last third.
The story of “Reminiscence” definitely feels like a two-and-a-half hour film that has been condensed into a one hour and 56 minute running time which means that parts of the mystery are quickly solved by Nick when, in actuality, they probably would have taken longer to work out. This hurts the main motivation of the mystery because, while the pieces are there to make a really compelling narrative, the lack of a slower pace results in a jumbled conclusion that feels like a well-crafted story that had to be rushed at the end to meet a deadline.
While not a perfect film in the neo-noir genre, “Reminiscence” still has more than enough good in it to make for an interesting trip to the movies. Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson along with the interesting ideas presented in the film make this an above average film that may captivate fans of the mystery genre.
