Reminiscence misses.

Reminiscence was the latest day and date release that didn't even make a Dent at the domestic box office. It doesn't have high critical scores and has basically no word of mouth among casual audience. The silent killers in today's Cinematic landscape. Was it that bad of a movie?

The simple answer seems to point me in every direction that ends with yes. The more complicated answer is it has potential and just squandered it on the most basic of plot lines with zero payoff. It's meant to be a convoluted story where the con artist falls for the victim in the long run because he's a genuine person. It makes no sense really. It just has to give him some redemption but having this mystery woman fall for him or he would be considered an absolute chump for not realizing he was being conned. Movies like this tend to forget that it doesn't make the actual con better and doesn't present the con artist as flawed. It makes the writing seem desperate to try and give it something audiences can relate to. Essentially oh look she's just a flawed human who did a series of horrible things but that's okay right because she fell in love with him while ruining his life.

It irks me to no end when films have to try and redeem flawed individuals. Can a character just not be bad anymore? Can a protagonist just not have a lapse in judgment and have fallen for a bad person. People get conned. People get screwed over. All these Hollywood movies try and romanticize it with a big chase to find the mystery woman. Oh look see she did one good thing. That makes up for all the bad and now we can live happily ever after in this weird fantasy world I created as a virtual escape.

When you look at the concept of people chasing Nostalgia that's very interesting. When that idea is condensed into a noir mystery thriller with basic consequences I have an issue. Of course the mystery woman had a shady past. Of course the protagonist would ignore all warning signs that something is too good to be true. Of course he continues down a dark path when he should just leave it be. It's all cliché and if you want to have a high concept you can't negate it by doing the very basics that every story does. Bad people being redeemed no longer sells. Head over heels man in love with woman he knows absolutely nothing about doesn't catch the attention of audiences anymore. Not when you can just hit back on your remote and be into the next movie within seconds.

It's sorta like an attempt at Waterworld meeting Inception meeting every crime drama ever made. Hugh Jackman plays the lead and even he is forgettable. It's not a stand out performance on his resume and with a detailed one like his that's a shame given the high value concept of this film. Rebecca Ferguson as May the mystery woman is the best part especially when she mesmerizes in the moments where she sings on stage. That's really where the fun stops and you begin rolling your eyes as the film dives intos thinly sliced meat and rotting potatoes.

You can't just make a cool idea and say hey look at this bleak near future landscape I made that really isn't relevant to the plot and we won't dive too deep into that aspect. We won't leave any real room to expand upon the world in a sequel but I hope you liked this really thin representation of said world we put forth for you.

Studios can't expect that because they fork over a modest budget and a big star that we are just going to eat up the films and praise them. There is so much ready content that in order to make an impression it has to be dramatic, bold, in your face and something that makes you want to immediately go and discuss it with all your friends. It's easy to see why audiences didn't take to this film. It's dark and dreary, boring and lacking in the way of interesting character dynamics. Pass on this one.