Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Reminiscence 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Hell and high water.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 9, 2021

Lisa Joy's Reminiscence is a glacially-paced modern film noir seasoned with equal parts dystopian science fiction and aching, melancholic romance. It borrows liberally from at least a half-dozen films and TV shows including The Maltese Falcon, Blade Runner, Minority Report, and the director's own Westworld (which she co-created with one of the film's producers and her real-life husband, Jonathan Nolan) but, despite its capable, ahem, "source material" and an A-list cast that includes Hugh Jackman, Thandiwe Newton, Rebecca Ferguson, and Cliff Curtis, Reminiscence is a damn hard film to get excited about. Bogged down with numbing narration that fails to clarify its confusing story, what could have been a layered, hypnotic, and memorable production just feels like last weekend's reheated leftovers.

Our story follows scientist Nick Bannister (Jackman) and his friend Watts (Newton), co-workers in near-future Miami where climate change has led to rising sea levels and a mostly nocturnal lifestyle. Their two-person operation allows paying customers to relive memories; Watts does most of the behind-the-scenes stuff while Nick plays host and often guides them through their own minds, which often serves as emotional therapy providing the customer doesn't become addicted to their nostalgia. Walk-in client Mae (Ferguson) immediately attracts Nick's attention, but she's not here for therapy or pleasure... she just forgot where she put her keys. The two form an instant connection and Nick soon visits Mae at a nightclub, where she works as a singer and performs one of his favorite songs, Rodgers and Hart's "Where or When". They're two insanely attractive people, so you can imagine where things go from there.

In true film noir fashion, Mae later disappears and this leads Nick down a torturous path of dead-ends, near-misses, and other detours that provide more questions than they do answers, many of them stemming from an addictive drug known as "Baca" and those who peddle it, including crime boss Saint Joe (Daniel Wu) and Cyrus Boothe (Curtis), Joe's former henchman. But rest assured that this path -- and most of what leads up to it, for that matter -- isn't especially interesting or well-handled, with way too much voice-over narration enlisted to add context and clarity to a story that's both dull and confusing. There are a few bright spots, of course: the film's ambitious sci-fi scope and production design lead to plenty of memorable visuals, and almost every member of the cast wrings what they can from their material. But the heart of this story just isn't there: it's one we've heard before and told much more compellingly, which leaves precious little room for enjoyment and, of course, rewatchability. Case in point: Reminiscence was sluggish enough that I broke it into two separate viewing sessions, and I wasn't eager to pick it back up for the second half.

That's a bad sign for pretty much any film whose backbone is mystery, so it's no surprise that this decently-budgeted project only earned roughly a quarter of its production costs. Our own Brian Orndorf didn't think much of it either, so I wouldn't even say it's a clear case of "your mileage may vary". This is just a tough film to genuinely enjoy on any level aside for its visuals and roster of wasted talent, so I'm even more baffled as to why Warner Bros. gave this flop the 4K treatment when a few more deserving films didn't make the cut earlier this year, such as Guy Ritchie's Wrath of Man (which turned a tidy profit) and Shaka King's Judas and the Black Messiah (which also tanked, but proportionately got more of its low budget back). Nonetheless, WB offers Reminiscence in two flavors: this 4K combo pack and a stand-alone Blu-ray, with both versions serving up fundamentally strong A/V specs and a few lightweight extras.

Reminiscence 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Reminiscence's native 4K source material translates to an unsurprisingly great 2160p transfer that's full of highlights. While I'm obviously not a fan of the the film it certainly looks very good, with nicely shot and composed scenes that showcase a strong color palette, striking image detail, and a relatively seamless integration of live-action and visual effects (one daring jump by Jackman's character being the exception). Neon-tinted city sequences offer the most immediately impressive fusions of color, contrast, and fine detail, with interior shots in the film's more vivid locales coming in a close second. The presence of many complimentary color schemes plays nicely with this disc's HDR10 enhancement, ensuring that heavily-saturated and muted colors alike stand out strongly against darker backgrounds. Due to the film's mostly nocturnal story, daytime scenes are limited but those obviously look great too, especially the island-like rooftop patio that Nick and Mae share after their first intimate encounter. Given the 2.39:1 aspect ratio and relegation of its limited bonus features to the included Blu-ray, this dual-layered (66GB) disc has more than enough real estate to prevent any egregious signs of banding, compression artifacts, and other issues... but considering the strength of the Blu-ray's own 1080p transfer, this isn't exactly surprising. Even so, in direct comparison the 4K disc still easily comes out ahead, especially in the areas of color depth, fine detail, and overall density.

For my thoughts on that included Blu-ray's surprisingly good 1080p transfer (which is what these screenshots are sourced from), please take a few minutes to read my separate review of that title.

Reminiscence 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Both this 4K disc and the included Blu-ray offer an identical Dolby Atmos track that capably support Reminiscence's admittedly solid sound design. Dialogue remains clear and well-balanced, with voice-over narration (unfortunately) dominating this production but nonetheless coming through the center channel cleanly. Surround are used generously, from the wide-open expanse of "the sunken coast" to cavernous interiors and crowded conversations, not to mention the memory sequences that take sonic liberties to create a more dream-like atmosphere while occasionally making good use of height channels. Action sequences, rare as they are, also serve up plenty of discrete activity and hefty bass response, while the hit-or-miss original soundtrack by composer Ramin Djawadi splits the difference between subtle background ambience and propulsive, center stage priority. Overall, it's clean and well-balanced; not necessarily mixed for home theaters, but hardly a mix that requires constant volume adjustment to enjoy in a smaller venue.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are offered during the main feature and all extras.

Reminiscence 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in a dual-hubbed keepcase with attractive cover art, a Digital Copy redemption slip, and even a letter from writer/director Lisa Joy... but no slipcover. (Doesn't the studio realize that most customers anal enough to care about a slipcover will probably pick this 4K over the Blu-ray?) The extras listed below, which can all be found on the included Blu-ray, are limited in scope but at least provide a cursory overview of the production.

• Behind the Scenes Featurettes - This series of four short promotional pieces includes a basic story/character overview, notes about the production design, location shooting, the future tech, working with old friends, and other topics. Several key cast and crew members are interviewed including Hugh Jackman, Thandiwe Newton, Daniel Wu, actor Maina De Tavira ("Tamara"), writer/director Lisa Joy, producer Jonathan Nolan, production designer Howard Cummings, producer Aaron Ryder, composer Ramin Djawadi, and a few others.

• You're Going on a Journey (4:07)
• The Sunken Coast (7:05)
• Crafting a Memory (8:24)
• Reminiscence: A Family Reunion (8:14)

• "Save My Love" Music Video (4:41) - Performed by Lonr and Amber Mark and also available here.

Reminiscence 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Writer/director Lisa Joy's Reminiscence is an ambitious but deeply flawed debut in a way that usually applies to the passion project of an young up-and-comer who's already scored box-office gold. Despite its great visuals and relatively deep cast, there's just not a lot to like here -- it's tough enough to get through once, which doesn't bode well for repeat viewings. Nonetheless, Warner Bros.' 4K combo pack (also available as a stand-alone Blu-ray) offers stunning visuals and a solid Dolby Atmos mix, which at least supports the film's technical strengths. It's still not recommended blind buy material, but die-hard fans of the cast and crew may want to give it a spin out of sheer curiosity.