Reminiscence is Unfortunately Forgettable

Ever since I watched this movie I’ve had a hard time remembering it’s name. Which probably says a lot about the film right there. I actually think the biggest problem with the movie is that it has the wrong lead.

No offense to Hugh Jackman and company they were fine.

Jackman plays Nick a war vet who is able to lead people back through their memories and curtesy of a rig and a bunch of sci-fi stuff can see them as well.

All of that can be explained by the fact it was written and directed by Lisa Joy co-creator and writer of Westworld a show that (in my opinion) after the first season lived for basically over complicating things and adding things for the simple fact that it may play cool.

Like the fact that Nick and company live in a world where cities are mostly or completely underwater.

It’s not really necessary and adds only some cool scenery (and probably increases the budget a lot) but hey it looks neat.

Anyway Nick meets Mae (Rebecca Ferguson) and he pretty much falls in lust with her immediately and I mean sure, understandable especially in the outfits they have her wearing…

You would think in a water-logged world cold would be more of a thing?

Anyway Mae disappears and Nick becomes obsessed with finding her and… that’s it. I mean there’s a mystery but as a character Nick is just in love and then obsessed and they don’t really sell the first thing enough to make me give a damn about the obsession that drives him.

Oh Thandiwe Newton is in this to and fairly wasted which is a surprise because if there’s one thing Westworld didn’t do (at least in the beginning when I was still watching) was waste Newton. Plus I disliked her reason for staying with Nick as long as she did.

Anyway the mystery when you get around to it (and it takes a long time for that) isn’t bad but I think the story and the film should be Mae’s and not in the flashback bits of memory that she becomes.

She’s the one with the history. She’s the one faced with the big decisions. She’s the one who changes, etc. And though I’m not entirely sure I liked where that went regardless I think it would have been better served if she was the main character and not Nick.

But Reminiscence is what got and it’s fine but meh and forgettable in the end. Which is probably bad for a movie all about memories.

Recommend: Meh. It’s a perfectly reasonable way to pass two hours but I wouldn’t bother seeing it in the theater.