Big ideas, scrambled execution in ‘Reminiscence’

The science-fiction thriller “Reminiscence” labors to hold its noir atmosphere as it unspools new story twists and thematic ideas. It’s an ambitious project from “Westworld” showrunner Lisa Joy that crumbles under its own mechanizations.

The protagonist of “Reminiscence,” Nick, played by Hugh Jackman, ponders about the film’s central mystery in constant voiceover, evoking a 30s-era private detective while serving as a crutch to the movie’s undercooked plot complications.

Much of the film’s setup occurs in Nick’s narration — the world has been ravaged by wars and climate change, with the city of Miami partially engulfed in seawater where Nick operates a memory-invoking business in which clients lie in a water tank and essentially “relive” cherished memories. Nick and his business partner (“Westworld’s” Thandiwe Newton) also occasionally contract with local police to extract incriminating memories from various crooks.

Enter Rebecca Ferguson as Mae, your quintessential femme fetale. The seductive lounge singer employs Nick’s memory service to find her keys (really), and before long they’ve engaged in a passionate affair. Then Mae goes missing, and Nick scours his own memories to discover any clues to her disappearance.

The spark between Jackman and Ferguson anchors much of the first half of “Reminiscence,” even as attentive viewers won’t be nearly as clueless as Nick regarding Mae’s complete story. The film’s vibrant production design pops too, mixing moody sets and locations with minimalist CGI effects to shape the partially sunken cityscape and culture, and at times the visuals conjure positive comparisons to things like “Inception” and the “Blade Runner” films.

Unfortunately, the mystery of Mae’s disappearance frays in too many different directions, and Joy’s script introduces too many new characters who behave more as eccentric distractions rather than believable people. The movie even inserts a couple of clunky action sequences which don’t blend well with the overall mood of the piece.

Even without Nick’s overbearing narration, the characters tend to summarize their story arcs through dialogue rather than engaging in the actual conflict. Newton’s character especially feels like an exposition machine at times, sapping her natural charisma out of the performance.

Joy is a talented filmmaker, as evidenced by individual elements of “Reminiscence” as well as the narrative highs of “Westworld.” Like that HBO series, however, the ideas don’t always click together in compelling fashion, and the “kitchen sink” approach hinders the good stuff from making a more impactful emotional impression.

“Reminiscence” is now playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.

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Tyler Wilson has been writing about movies for Inland Northwest publications since 2000, including a regular film column in the Coeur d’Alene Press since 2006. He can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.