The etymology of the title of the reviewed film comes from the Latin “to recall”. Unfortunately, the Reminiscence will not remain in my memory, although the potential is large, and the edition is interesting.
Massiveness and populism are the definition
Reminiscencjadirected by Lisa Joy is a film infected with a certain disease. This disease is called populism. The budget of about $ 60 million allowed to tell a clichéd story painfully. Well, the main character, played by the famous Hugh Jackmann, gets tangled up in a typical love story with Rebecca Ferguson, who plays the character of Mae. Honestly, if it weren’t for my research for review, I wouldn’t remember the main character’s name! Unfortunately, the story is so complicated that I completely didn’t care about his fate. Mea still does, because the protagonist shouts this name several times during the film. Interestingly, the films have already proved that love can be told in an interesting way. This is not one of those productions. Here, the viewer is pelted with popular clues! A detective in love, a secret love, a corrupt policeman, a drug search in the city.
Mysterious world presented
It would be a lie to say that the world in this film is a supporting character. However, a lie is needed to save the production. Lisa Joy had a really interesting plan. Unfortunately, it only touched the surface of the potential. War has come to the world. Who and with whom? We do not know. Most of the world is flooded with water, so it may have been related to global warming. Boat trips between streets confirm changes in the infrastructure of cities. The buildings are made up of high blocks, and the wealthy are distinguished by their majestic islands. While watching Reminiscencescyberpunk elements can also be noticed. Apart from the large number of neon lights, in the background you can see the class division into poor, bourgeois and rich people. Interestingly, the plot does not lack a highly pejorative character in relation to the lowest class, but also the high class. Unfortunately, there are definitely not enough elements of this type. And a small amount of technology does not save.
Source: nypost.com
Not enough science fiction
The main tool for developing the plot is the title reminiscence. It is a machine that allows you to experience your memories empirically. It was previously used during the war for interrogation. Interesting idea, because people can really get addicted to nostalgia, which the film even informs about. Unfortunately, apart from a few such devices, there is definitely not enough technology in the world presented with other sci-fi technology. I missed something more in this sensational film. New kinds of telephones or better ways to travel with the upper class would be a better solution than showing expensive, survivable cars on the wet streets of Miami. The armament is also the same as in our reality.
Source: denofgeek.com
Acting, music, film
Apart from the simple plot, the film also does not defend itself musically and cinematically. The potential was there, because the director of Westworld showed us more than once that she can. Unfortunately, the camera movement was simply blockbuster. No bold shots and no experiments whatsoever. It all boils down to another action movie, although that was not how it was promoted.
Musically, it’s also not good. A couple of songs that tell us what to think, that’s about it. Ramin Jawadi known from Game of Thrones did not show his wings. The music is toned down and painfully simple. I missed Hans Zimmer for the journey between the great buildings.
The color scheme also terrified me. She is ordinary. As if in the editing room people were afraid to do better. Of course, I don’t have a TV of the highest possible class, but at times when Dune could shine, here I got crap like everything.
The worst, however, were the fight scenes. After so many movies where you can feel the blows of the characters, where the blood pours from the nose, and each strike has noticeable consequences in the actors’ next steps, in Reminiscence we get binary blows. Either the strike is important to the plot and the character will not be able to stand up, or the attack deals no apparent damage to the opponent. All this is enriched, as I mentioned earlier, with typical music from action scenes. This leads to one kind of thought. Better to reach for the phone and not watch further.
I think half of the budget could go to actors. As the acting itself is just decent, the names may interest many recipients. In addition to the aforementioned Hugh Jackman, who played his role as in a normal action movie, we have characters fromWestworld ! Thandiwe Newton and Angela Sarafyan. It was very nice to see these two actresses in a big movie, although unfortunately there were far too few of them.
Light at the end of the tunnel, time to release
However, I was surprised when the Galapagos edition turned out to be interesting. The packaging itself is typical, but the contents – not counting the film – can surprise you. There are some interesting comments from Hugh Jackman, Thandiwe Newton and other actors about the production. Of course, the director also gets her five minutes and tells about the process of making the film. From her perspective, the plan was perfect. This is also how it manifested itself during production. From my perspective, however, it was average. If anyone likes the soundtrack, the Blu-ray version includes a music video for one of the songs. The name is Save My Love and it was created for the film.