By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.
By creating an account, you agree to the
Privacy Policy
and the
Terms and Policies,
and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the
Fandango Media Brands.
By creating an account, you agree to the
Privacy Policy
and the
Terms and Policies
, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.
>
By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies. Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.
>
OK, got it!
More
Certified fresh picks
New TV Tonight
Most Popular TV on RT
More
Certified fresh pick
Columns
Guides
All Hayao Miyazaki Movies, Ranked By Tomatometer
Link to All Hayao Miyazaki Movies, Ranked By Tomatometer100 Best Anime Movies of All Time
Link to 100 Best Anime Movies of All TimeHubs
Awards Tour
Link to Awards TourWhat to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming
Link to What to Watch: In Theaters and On StreamingRT News
Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong
Link to Rotten Tomatoes Is WrongThe Most Anticipated Movies of 2024
Link to The Most Anticipated Movies of 2024
Although Reminiscence isn't lacking narrative ambition, its uncertain blend of sci-fi action and noir thriller mostly provokes memories of better films. Read critic reviews
Reminiscence has some great ideas, but clunky dialogue and flat characters keep this sci-fi noir from ever really coming to life. Read audience reviews
Watch Reminiscence with a subscription on Max, rent on Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV.
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
Fandango
AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew
Cinemark Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
Regal Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
Theater box office or somewhere else
Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman), a private investigator of the mind, navigates the darkly alluring world of the past by helping his clients access lost memories. Living on the fringes of the sunken Miami coast, his life is forever changed when he takes on a new client, Mae (Rebecca Ferguson). A simple matter of lost and found becomes a dangerous obsession. As Bannister fights to find the truth about Mae's disappearance, he uncovers a violent conspiracy, and must ultimately answer the question: how far would you go to hold on to the ones you love?
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual Content|Drug Material Throughout|Some Strong Language|Strong Violence)
Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery & thriller
Original Language: English
Director: Lisa Joy
Producer: Michael De Luca, Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan, Aaron Ryder
Writer: Lisa Joy
Release Date (Theaters): wide
Release Date (Streaming):
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.9M
Runtime:
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: FilmNation Entertainment, Michael De Luca Productions, Kilter Films
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)
Where to begin? There's the waste of this cast on such a terrible screenplay, the poorly directed action scenes, the voice-over narration as lazy world building and the design elements that lack any imagination. I'd say it was laughably bad but that would imply that there was fun to be had in viewing this interminable bore.
Reminiscent of other moody sci-fi/noir mashups like Dark City and The Thirteenth Floor (oh the 1990s), I mostly wish that Reminiscence had been less devoted to film noir trappings and explored more of its intriguing sci-fi setting and implications. Set in a future where seas have covered much of Miami, Hugh Jackman plays a memory specialist who helps clients/nostalgia addicts find peace by reliving their past experiences through tech tanks. It's an interesting start and of course, as per noir rules, he'll stumble across a mysterious woman (Rebecca Ferguson) with a troubled past that he can't help but fall in love with even as it becomes clear she had ulterior motives for meeting our hero. There's an obvious and potent commentary at play about worshiping the past at the expense of the future and the consequences of our actions, played on a personal level and a larger ecological warning. The problem is that it takes far too long for me to care about the movie. As expected, the mysterious woman vanishes, and Jackman is determined to find her, but I didn't care about their relationship nor find this woman charming or anything other than a plot catalyst. We needed a more urgent sense of stakes to increase audience engagement. It wasn't like she framed Jackman who then had a certain amount of time to clear his name with bad people or the police. There's no real reason to root for Jackman to find this missing woman besides that he's sad. The Chinatown-meets-The Cell movie is written and directed by Lisa Joy (co-creator of HBO's Westworld), and there are interesting ideas to go along with its near-future world, and yet it all feels like a few drafts away from honing its real potential. I feel that the noir trappings strangle the storyline as far as what its ultimate imagination can be as it tries to fit into a familiar formula. Jumping into people's memories as an investigation seems far more exciting than pounding the flooded pavement for answers. Reminiscence is a bit more conceptional than what it can deliver. It's not terrible but it's not terribly interesting either. Why isn't there more with the police utilizing this technology to solve crimes or invade people's privacy? That seems like a better starting point for conflict than "mysterious woman comes into shop." There are some stunning visuals and points of excitement, like a fistfight that tumbles into a sunken concert hall. The ending is fitting and slightly poetic though heavily predictable given the preoccupation with repeating select conversations about the tragic nature of love stories. The problem with Reminiscence is it's too reminiscent of too many other genre influences without providing enough of a story or characters or mystery or world to stand apart. If you're a fan of Dark City, you might want to check out another stylish sci-fi/noir mashup, or you could just re-watch Dark City. Nate's Grade: C+
Verified