Blu-ray Review: Reminiscence

Blu-ray Reviews, News, Reviews, Top Story

The year is 2050 and climate change has caused the seas to rise and the days to become so hot that the majority of people sleep during the day and live their lives at night. The inequality between the wealthy and poor has only gotten worse, with the rich buying up all the remaining dry land, which is protected by dams, leaving the rest of society to try and survive in “the sunken coast,” the remnants of the cities that are right on the brink of being swallowed up by the ocean as the water levels continue to rise in the years ahead. With the world in such upheaval, and the future so bleak, nostalgia has become the drug of choice for many who choose to live in the past – quite literally – thanks to technology that allows it.

This is the dystopian future we’re invited to join when watching Lisa Joy’s directorial debut, Reminiscence, and while it’s a dark and haunting thought that this is what could become of the earth, from a visual perspective Joy has created a beautiful, often majestic take on film noir that is always welcome on the silver screen – even if it doesn’t deliver a tale as unique as the setup has you hoping it will.

The story follows Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman,) as he tries to search for answers as to why the woman he loved, Mae (Rebecca Ferguson,) vanished without even a goodbye. You see, Nick runs a business with his old military buddy, Watts (Thandiwe Newton,) where they can transport customers back to certain memories in their lives that they can relive momentarily before having to come back to the current world as we know it. These memories can be anything from spending time with a loved one to simply spending some time on dry land back before the floods. They can also be used for much simpler things, such as finding misplaced items, such as a set of keys. It’s that last thing that brought Mae in to Nick’s business, and the two hit it off from there, but after Mae disappears, Nick makes it his mission to figure out what could have happened to her by visiting moments in their past for clues.

It’s a really fun idea, but it does lack something that would cause it to be a “can’t miss” film. It’s almost as though Joy sets such a fantastic stage with her story and its potential early on, causing expectations to become so high for complete originality throughout that as revelations begin to unfold and we, the audience, begin to realize that it’s not something entirely fresh it’s almost a disappointment – which isn’t entirely fair. While it’s easy to see the films that inspired Joy during the creation process and the story may not be as unique as it sets out to be, it’s still an intriguing tale that’s told in spellbinding fashion.

One of the key ingredients to a film noir centered around a private eye is to have an actor in the role that can all but carry the film, and Jackman nails it here. He’s got the perfect voice for voice overs, wonderful acting range that deliver exactly what the scene asks for without missing a beat, and while he’s looked like an absolutely perfect physical specimen in his past role of Wolverine, he also just naturally looks like a normal guy who could find himself in this situation. A normal guy with the suave looks of Hugh Jackman, of course.

Reminiscence also adds more layers to the femme fatale role, which here is taken on with ease by Ferguson. She has strong chemistry with Jackman, yet she holds her own with great strength and confidence, never coming off like a woman in need of rescuing even though the plot focuses on Nick searching for Mae and answers as to what happened to her.

Before turning to Joy, I do want to quickly touch on a few of members of the filmmaking team who help make this film as visually stunning as it is. First up is cinematographer Paul Cameron who gives the film the gorgeous neo-noir look that it’s after, which is quite literally brought to life by production designer Howard Cummings. It’s always great to see actors interacting with the sets as much as they can, and Cummings brings this flooded world to life quite well. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the film’s exceptional score by Ramin Djawadi, which helps transport the viewer into the film, right alongside Nick on his journey for answers.

Behind the camera, Joy comes off Westworld here as not only the writer of the film, but as mentioned earlier Reminiscence is her directorial debut — and it’s an promising one at that. While the film may not deliver on all fronts it truly showcases how bright Joy’s future is in the film industry and I cannot wait to see what her and her crew bring to the big screen next. She’s a natural visionary, and though the film promises more originality than it provides, it’s clear that Joy thinks outside the box when it comes to storytelling, and that’s something that’s incredibly welcome when it comes to movie-making.

Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:

The film looks fantastic on Blu-ray, and I can only imagine how beautiful it must come off in its 4K rendition if it’s this strong here. This is a movie that takes place in a lot of darker places, with some truly great use of light where applicable, and it’s showcased wonderfully here. The visuals are one of the film’s stronger selling points, and the Blu-ray transfers delivers better than expected results, which should please viewers who haven’t yet jumped to 4K purchases yet.

On the audio front things sound amazing as well, with a Dolby Atmos track that showcases the film’s score, sound effects and dialogue perfectly. There’s a lot at play here, and whether you use a sound bar or surround sound system you’ll get a lot out of this mix. It’s not overwhelming, but it captures the film’s mood in all the right ways, never distracting the viewer or pulling them out of the experience.

Special Features:

You’re Going on a Journey – This featurette is just over 4-minutes in length and comes off almost as a promotional extra for the film, which is redundant since those watching already have it. It’s mainly the cast and crew talking about the film on a surface level stance only.

The Sunken Coast – This featurette is 7-minutes in length and focuses more on the production design of the film, how they made Miami seem flooded, and various other tricks used. This is brief, but interesting viewing for those who want to learn more about how things were done.

Crafting a Memory – This is the film’s longest featurette at just under 8-and-a-half minutes. This one talks about the memory machine that Nick’s company uses throughout the film, and how these memories were brought to life both in the film and on set to allow for a more realistic experience for the actors and viewers.

Reminiscence: A Family Reunion – This featurette comes in at just over 8-minutes in length and sees the cast and crew talking about how much they love and trust Joy and her vision for the film. It also talks about how the crew she brings with her from Westworld are like a family, and how they all work together harmoniously on set and make it a welcome place to be for all involved.

“Save My Love” Music Video – For those interested there’s a music video by Lonr and Amber Mark.

Disclaimer: A review copy of this Blu-ray was sent to me to cover in honest and truthful fashion.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents Reminiscence. Written & Directed by: Lisa Joy. Starring: Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandiwe Newton, Cliff Curtis. Running time: 116 Minutes. Rating: PG. Released on Blu-ray: Nov. 9, 2021.

Brendan Campbell was here when Inside Pulse Movies began, and he’ll be here when it finishes - in 2012, when a cataclysmic event wipes out the servers, as well as everyone else on the planet other than John Cusack and those close to him. Brendan’s the #1 supporter of Keanu Reeves, a huge fan of popcorn flicks and a firm believer that sheer entertainment can take a film a long way. He currently resides in Canada, where, for reasons stated above, he’s attempting to get closer to John Cusack.