Reminiscence (2021)

[Eric Prime]

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[FilmFincher]

I'll preface this by saying I love Westworld, it's one of my favourite TV shows. Lisa Joy is an absolute delight and incredibly smart/talented. 

 

Reminiscence was a real slog to sit through. Just narratively stagnant and emotionally removed. 

 

The positives are the visuals; the film looks incredible, genuinely cinematic and beautifully lit, one of the best of the year so far. Ramin Djwaldi's score is pretty decent, very atmospheric. All the actors are good in the film and there's one well choreographed fight scene. The world is also really cool, the concept is fantastic.

 

The film absolutely does not trust the audience, it is so overwritten and relies on the script for any heavy lifting. This turns all the actors into exposition machines (ironically the machines in Westworld are more human), constant explaining of backstories, relationships and how the world works. Rather than the VO being a cute noir throwback I was reminded of Blade Runner's original cut. 

 

The central mystery isn't compelling enough to invest any interest into what's happening. It's pretty basic, noir stuff all things considered. You never really care about what's happening in the first place and it's made worse when it wants to be emotionally resonant at the very end. A real deflated balloon of a narrative.

 

There's a few moments where Reminiscence is clicking and genuinely smart, the memory device machine provides a couple of fun narrative jumps and a moment towards the end worked quite well for me.

 

But the rest of the time the film is trying so hard to be clever in how the narrative links together, and while it does all add up, none of it lands. It's all impact-less and really makes you really appreciate when those things work in a Nolan film or in Westworld. Instead of feeling effortless Reminiscence just feels tired and wrought and you'll probably forget it even existed.

 

4/10

Edited August 22, 2021 by FilmFincher