In the modern age of movie marketing, we usually get bombarded with trailers and previews up the wazoo to the point that months and months before a film’s release, we all already know next to everything about it. That is definitely not happening with Reminiscence. Up until last night, pretty much the only thing we knew about the upcoming Warner Bros. sci-fi film was that it starred Hugh Jackman and was written/directed by Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy making her feature film debut. But now, just over two months before the film’s release, we finally have the first trailer.
As we learn from the blurb that accompanies the trailer, Reminiscence sees Jackman starring as “Nick Bannister, a private investigator of the mind” in a near-future setting where rising water levels have left the world a ruin. As Jackman narrates, “There wasn’t a lot to look forward to, so people began looking back. Nothing is more addictive than the past” and thus people like Bannister began to use tech to allow clients to access to long-lost memories. As the blurb explains further, while “living on the fringes of the sunken Miami coast, [Bannister’s] life is forever changed when he takes on a new client, Mae. 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?”
What does all of that mean? I’ll be damned if I know. But it certainly makes for an incredibly intriguing trailer! Check it out below!
I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen Jackman really get emotionally unhinged in a role, so I’m getting a lot of Prisoners vibes from his performance here and that is most definitely a good thing. He’s supported by Thandie Newton and Rebecca Ferguson, two actresses who can definitely match up to Jackman’s thespian intensity.
As for Joy’s work behind the camera here, it’s looking trippy and introspectively cerebral but also going for big blockbuster worldbuilding. As a result, there are undoubtedly going to be comparisons to Christopher Nolan’s Inception, especially since Joy’s husband and co-creator on HBO’s Westworld is none other than Jonathan Nolan, the brother and frequent collaborator of the previously mentioned filmmaker. But Joy is doing her own original thing here and being a huge fan of what she did on Westworld (and Burn Notice before that), I’m rather excited to find just what thing is.
Reminiscence also stars Cliff Curtis, Marina de Tavira, Daniel Wu, Mojean Aria, Brett Cullen, Natalie Martinez, and Angela Sarafyan. It is scheduled for simultaneous release both on HBO Max and in cinemas on 20 August 2021.
Last Updated: June 4, 2021
