Predictable Nolan-Esque Jackman Thriller

Day and date releases have been affecting box office earnings lately, but it has provided options for audiences to watch movies they're excited for in the comfort of their homes (A luxury or curse we, Malaysians don't have since we lack the Premier Access feature on Disney Plus Hotstar and the wonders of HBO Max). With the exception of HBO Max's day and date releases, audiences get a chance to catch Hugh Jackman's latest thriller, Reminiscence. 

With a directorial debut by Lisa Joy, one of the executive producers of Westworld, the film channels the likes of Inception and Westworld, to make an original yet familiar neo-like storyline that tackles the many possibilities of how memories can be used as tools or can be exploited. The film tells us the story of Nick who runs a business with his friend, Watts to allow people to relive memories, whether it's to find lost things or remember lost ones. This method is also used to uncover crime scenes and Nick is forced into an investigation that involves his ex-girlfriend who disappeared which gives him his first lead to be able to look for her. 

Although compelling and a fun watch, Reminiscence was predictable and had too many similarities with Inception let alone Westworld. Hugh Jackman was spectacular alongside Rebecca Ferguson. In an alternate universe, Jenny Lind would be happy she got a chance to be with P.T Barnum... if you guys know what I'm referencing here. I was really hoping the women -- including Thandie Newton -- would get a lot more action side by side with Hugh Jackman but... nobody wanted to steal his thunder, I guess.

The film is considered to be a action thriller but there was barely any action featured. The slow-mo action sequences were hardcore but didn't quite hit hard enough to consider any of them memorable or fun. The main focus of this film is obviously the love story that landed a harder punch than the fight scenes ever did. There's nothing much to say except that the film was fun to watch and that Rebecca Ferguson, as usual, looked like a goddess. However, is it worth the watch? Definitely is when you're into storylines that involve you paying attention for at least than 2 hours. If not, give this one a pass and do yourself a favor from wasting your time and hating on a movie instead of being thankful that we are getting any movie releases at all.