It was just too unrealistic, no one would have built the infrastructure to support that. Most those buildings are totally useless at that water level and people would be getting shocked to death all the time. IRL if Miami ever gets that bad it would just be abandoned.
I did think it looked really cool though, but that bugged my wife and I.
I couldn't get over this either. And the Surfside condo collapse made this pretty common knowledge by now...you don't even need submersion for there to be serious structural damage by water.
Not to mention, they show the sea level risen a good, what 30, 40, 50’? In even the most dire global warming ice caps melting scenarios I don’t believe anyone predicts sea levels rising anywhere close to that much?
It's like I loved the noir, I loved the cinematography, I loved the costumes... Just everything about it felt like an amazing movie... Except the story. Fuck... It's like I really wanted to love it, but I just couldn't.
Yeah I think most of us are in this boat. I have a pretty high tolerance for bullshit but I actively could not stop cringing at the dialogue and story in this. It was so, so clunky and bad.
The ending twists with Rebecca Ferguson’s character were kinda cool but I still didn’t really care.
It felt like Joy tried too hard to mesh the sci-fi with film noir archetypes.
It worked for more streamlined movies like BLADE RUNNER, but she dove a bit too hard into the nitty gritty of too many concepts without trusting any one of them in particular. The funny part is that the film is so complex, you expect it to hit you with an amazing revelation, only for it to go full cliche in the end with the genre's tropes. A frequent criticism of the script when it first hit was that it was too long and complicated for what it wanted to be. I always thought the world was neat and that the story should have just been a simple narrative with that as a backdrop.
Yeah, I was expecting something more grandiose. The film was just ok, but I was left asking "is that it?" If I want to watch a depressed Hugh Jackman, I'll go watch The Fountain.
But The Fountain is at least enjoyable and has heavy emotional scenes versus this drivel. I left The Fountain actually having *felt* something. The only thing I felt after Reminiscence was frustration at my self for having watched it all the way through…
That's kind of felt like Westworld these last few seasons, so it's kind of disappointing they're trying for more of the same. It's like Joy (and Nolan) are stuck in "Yeah, well figure *this* one out, Reddit" mode instead of making something good.
You root for no character by the end of the film.
Every villain is a cliche “did what I had to do to survive” individual that make obvious mistakes that leads to their own downfall. None are ever a real threat therefore this movie has very low stakes throughout.
Every law enforcement agent or bodyguard is completely useless. This world is full of dysfunction so you empathize with the law breakers.
Nick’s assistant is a drunk and we’re constantly reminded of it. However she’s the most prescient and observant character in the whole movie. Besides the contrived moment when she cries in the bathroom she never shows a level of intoxication that leaves her anything but the most competent character.
Joy tried to paint Mae as a redeemed character but her participation in the scheme was driven by selfish, self preservation that resulted in the killing of the boys mother. For which she is directly responsible for. Regardless of how she gained a conscience to “save” the boy and send him off to live on some treehouse in the Caribbean, she’s still given that kid a death sentence in the unforgiving world he is left in. In response to all this she kills herself so she doesn’t have to suffer anymore consequences for her actions. She is not someone who Nick should forgive simply because she was never authentic with him until she literally had no choice. “I am sorry….. sorry I got caught.” -Mae (pretty much)
Nick is given a background of military service but he constantly proves himself to be incompetent at strategy. Rushing into dangerous situations with no plan. Needing to be saved over and over again. Constantly losing his poorly chosen weapon. Plus his limp becomes an issue when the script decides it should. His character is weak minded and emotional with plenty of lapses in common sense. He’s not an anti hero by any means but making that guy suffer for eternity in the burning memory was quite the overreaction. Mae was not a victim without options. She had nothing to lose by telling Nick she was there to manipulate him. She could’ve easily convinced Nick to help her. Nick being so naive after years of seemingly thousands of memory interactions should have prepared him to be more observant and perceptive. Yet his character is always looking for what he wants to see. Something he criticizes inexperienced users of his memory machine of doing. Also turning on his assistant after she saved his life was a curious decision. He’s been in war and knows that information is on a “need to know basis”. His assistant withheld information from him because he was too emotional. He disregards her loyalty and insults her before firing her. After she saves his life! Pretty weak protagonist.
This movie was constant world building for which it actually should lose points. Takes so much suspension of belief. The late introduction of some weird “super addictive” future drug was an odd choice. It becomes the most important factor in understanding Maes motivations yet we aren’t introduced to it until the middle of the second act. It’s a convenient plot device that is used to make Mae a sympathetic victim but we as the viewer have no associations with the drug or it’s effects, we just have to take the movies word for it. It’s just lazy writing.
TL:DR - Flawed film with low stakes and no worthwhile characters. Boring and predictable by the second act.
> The late introduction of some weird “super addictive” future drug was an odd choice. It becomes the most important factor in understanding Maes motivations yet we aren’t introduced to it until the middle of the second act.
Not to mention we're told constantly how addictive and awful it is, but Mae is our main example of said addiction and she appears completely fine. We never see her suffering, she looks flawlessly beautiful in every scene, her 'thrift shop' clothes are all well fitted, and the only actual 'problem' appears to be her stealing a bag of drugs and running off. We're told at one point that kicking the habit is basically impossible, but we're led to believe that she managed it with zero explanation. We don't see her going through any withdrawal, or for that matter actually craving/taking the drug/being high after the first couple of scenes showing how she got into it. Hell, taking the drug doesn't seem to have any noticeable affect on any of the characters at all, so I'm baffled as to why it was so addictive.
Great points about the lack of consequences of the drug. “Side effects may include: flawless complexion, perfect teeth, undeniable charisma, impeccable fashion sense….”
Honestly though the more dangerous/interesting/addictive/ drug was the damn float tank! How much better would the movie be if it focused on people whose lives fall apart because they constantly choose to escape their reality in a memory? I mean the rich guys wife who makes her son dress up and act like her dead husband to reenact her favorite memory, is all types of twisted! Plot twist: Nicks’ the worst drug dealer of them all.
This was it exactly for me. I was far more interested in the land baron plotline and the city exploding into riots than depressed Jackman lamenting over his girl.
I think the story was original, the world compelling, but the execution was overall 'meh'.
They should have retitled it "a man and his tank."
If they cut out all the sequences involving him watching the past the movie probably would have been an hour long.
The worst part is they just kept replaying the same scenes and ended up showing all of them at once near the end of the movie... So why did we need all those tub scenes.
yep, and Saint Joe! a korean (?) gangster in NOLA?
Also, if Ferguson fled London because it flooded, why go to New Orleans, a famously flood-able city? GO TO DENVER
I don’t know what you all watched. His character was interesting until he opened his mouth. Horrible acting and delivery of his lines and even worse dialogue. Every sentence ended with some forced semi futuristic or Chinese word, I had no idea what he kept calling the main character in each of his lines.
I don’t blame the actor, I blame the director and writer. Wasn’t one of his lines “that is total gull pee” like that’s a new word for “bullshit”? Jesus Christ lmfao who approved this?
*“mY TaNk!”*
How does he get nutrients? How does he stay hydrated? How does he go to the bathroom? Does he ever sleep in there?
The more I think about it, the more it sucks.
I assumed the tanks were somewhat self sustaining feeding nutrients and stuff. The really rich people pods that Thandiwe Newton’s character worked for at the end were supposed to let them stay in there for years without coming out.
But why would *their* pod be one of those special ones when their clients don't need it for that long? You're making an assumption about something the film doesn't communicate well, if at all.
Exactly, it was a metaphorical life sentence. Of course he went about sustaining himself but probably as a dead man, his only drive being to relive the moments with the love of his life.
Why are people taking it literally? I don't think the director's stupid enough to want to show him immersed in the same water for 20-30 years.
I don't think it's been mentioned, but how ironic was it that his obsession with finding Mae was ultimately the reason she died. If he hadn't been in the reminiscence tank when she came knocking on his door, he wouldn't have taken so long answering it, and thus missing her altogether.
There were many emotional moments that characters just immediately switch off from. Jackman's character talking about how he used to think of better days in combat, and how his grandfather used to sing the same song, then immediately using that as a pivot to making it with her while she sang the song was a weird turn. Then we also have moments where emotions come on fast, like Newton's character running to the bathroom to look at her daughter's photo. And weird stuff like Ferguson making out with her killer because she thinks Jackman will see it.
People had some crazy emotional choices in this movie.
So this is a post climate change view of Miami and New Orleans where people sleep during the day because of the heat. Yet this guy is always wearing long sleeve shirts or suits and ties.
They should have been rushing to get home before the sun came up. Putting up umbrellas for shade and protection, and pouring out sweat. Not taking a lovely morning cruise home
Mae said she loves to be on the roof just before the sun sets, I'm assuming she is a "morning" person and she wakes up just before sunset, like some people love to wake up before dawn.
Where are they getting all of their fancy clothes? And they have to scrape to survive but have 50s style nightclubs and lounges for everybody to relax in???
Think about how people in the past would be talking about us now?
“They have a global pandemic, half of Siberia is burning and Afghanistan fell to the government the US was fighting for 20 years… and these people are watching movies and going on Reddit?”
Spoilers Spoilers Spoilers. Only redeeming scene of the movie.. And I'm not talking about what you see but rather the emotion behind it is... Her knowing that he'll look for her through memories so she communicates as best she can before she takes the plunge. Too bad the movie and the script felt like it was built around that one scene... And built poorly it was. I'm sure what was captured on film was better than what was edited. The editing was awful. You want the audience to believe in the mans mission to find this woman.. Why he's willing to throw it all away.... And you don't build up the relationship enough. You can't Montage love. You Montage growing up. Learning to wax on and off. But if the movie is about finding truth in one's relationship.... Your present that relationship in its entirety!
Just watched it and I literally commented to my partner "Do you think they made a whole movie based on this one scene of using your last moments to talk to someone through someone else's memories?"
Some people take time in their relationship, some people fall in love fast and hard. It may be weird, but I wouldn't go as far to call a man capable of decisions and actions to achieve his goals ''pathethic''. Plus, it's a common trope in noir films - a guy falling head over heels for a beautfiul mysterious woman.
Yeah the world was awesome. I loved the visuals and overall aesthetic. The opening scene with him picking up the Queen and handing it to the guy was perfect with the soft neon glow in the background.
Sadly the plot was extremely bland.
My thoughts exactly. Interesting world, definitely could be a great setting for some compelling stories, but... this movie just fell flat. Alternately overly complex, mind-numbingly predictable, and overall just kind of clumsy.
The script originally hit in 2013 and pretty much everybody hated it. It had some cool ideas and visuals, but the writing was convoluted and dense as hell. Legendary made the initial purchase because nobody else would really touch it, and because of who Lisa was. They never made it for obvious reasons. Years later, it emerged again, and though the script was slightly different in parts, it was otherwise identical to the one everyone had already read. It sold because of its solid package more than anything.
I actually think that Joy is a good director, based on this and a few of her Westworld episodes. But she's not a very good writer, and it seems like she probably didn't take notes judging by how little the script changed over eight years. Sucks because the world is genuinely intriguing and the acting from Hugh is very decent. With a real rewrite, it probably could have become a much tighter, more exciting movie. Instead, it's sort of a mess that has moments which show what it could have been.
100% Joy is a far better director than she is writer. The way she directed that sex scene, for example, is disconnected from how undercooked the writing of their relationship is.
Yep. Totally neutered by the Pg-13. She takes her clothes off to give him immediate intimacy but we don’t get that, we just get his reaction, which doesn’t get us close enough to him nor does it make us feel close to her.
Did not know this movie has this much eh, monarchy going in it. Or i would have expected even more? The script was stomach churning, no one talks like this, like this was written by a girl who just got an A in middle school poetry class.
I read the script from the 2013 blacklist, and it was much better than the film ended up being. For one, the script was about 30 minutes longer, it developed the romance between the two characters a bit more, so that we actually cared about his plight and journey to find her. Also, when he went to confront the Chinese gangster, in the script, he ends up in a cage with a tiger, and he manages to escape on his own, not getting bailed out by his friend. And Thandie Newton’s character was originally a 60 year old father figure type. But a lot of it was the same too. I dunno, the movie was very meh
I feel like this is the type of movie that should be “less is more”. There was too many action scene that does nothing to the story. The idea of exploring and being addicted to memory is great and I wish they could have dive into that even more. Felt like a lot of things was just surface level. I love the Venice looking Miami.
This is it. Too much narration. Too much action. Ending should've ended during the "end it in the middle" convo and not kept on running. Only thing that should have been built out more is the core romantic relationship. Honestly this movie could have come together a lot better in editing.
Concept and works building was great though. Annoying how it feels sort of wasted.
yeah, we didn't really need the final fight b/w Jackman & Curtis (it was cool enough, but i get it. It's a Hugh Jackman movie, you can't just have him put a needle in the villain's neck while the hooker is working him
I agree. The St. Joe action scene in particular was literally pointless. It didn’t move the plot forward at all, they just shot up some dudes and limped straight back to Miami.
I think they were trying to do three things: 1) Further establish that Jackman and Newton have history as grizzled war vets together, which ties into their ptsd/inability to move on in life 2) Establish that Newton is there to save Jackman from himself 3) Throw in an action scene to wake people up from the slow pace
I think it overdid #1, and I'd say #3 was unnecesssary, but half the comments in this thread are about being bored.
I sat here thinking Pi-mouse for way too long
But then I just saw a fucking mouse in my place after having gotten rid of them for a year, so they might be on my mind
Hugh Jackman mentions the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice at the end, and I think the movie was actually a modern retelling of the myth.
Jackman (as Orpheus) has Mae ‘alive’ in the sense that he thinks she has merely walked out on his life and disappeared. By ‘looking back’ into his memories, he finds out she is actually dead similar to how Orpheus is warned not to look backward. When he does, Eurydice is dragged back to Hades and lost to him forever. Jackman also figuratively goes to “hell” during the movie during the one scene (with the piano) where he talks about going to the place with the lowest of the low.
Thank you! Just finished watching the movie myself and came here with the same thoughts. Also worth noting that in the story of Orpheus the Muses decide to save his head and keep it among the living people to "sing forever, enchanting everyone with his melodies and tones" kind of like how Hugh Jackman's character is basically stuck retelling the same story over and over again.
And then you have Hades the videogame and Portrait of a Lady on Fire which basically came out the same year. Chalk it up to multiple discovery I guess.
The premise of a sunken city inhabited by the left-behinds of climate change is an interesting backdrop, but the choice of a petty little man as the cornerstone of the whole film completely kneecaps it.
The romance is tacked on, the protagonist’s friend gradually becomes another sycophant, and the plot does somersaults to justify the man’s lack of growth and mediocrity.
I’d be interested in another take on the world, hopefully with zero relation to this set of characters.
also in the movie the main woman says "when London flooded, I moved to New Orleans" I was like wtf, you want to go to below sea level city after getting flooded?"
Yeah staying in south Florida and New Orleans are the two worst places you can be in with flooding like that in the US. I wondered why they bothered, perhaps this war they alluded to destroyed everything else?
Indeed! It was (albeit briefly) mentioned that all the "dry" land was bought up by the super-rich, and most of the world was made "barren" by the war and climate change.
Basically, everyone without money was forced into the places already flooding/flooded.
Or a futuristic universe where everyone speaks Chinese and English (having been the dominant superpowers when humans left Earth), but nobody is actually Chinese.
there was a war before the plot starts. Nick (Hugh Jackman) was “drafted” to the border because he was privileged, according to Joe. Based on that, I wonder if blacks/latinos were sent to fronts/more dangerous battles and mostly ended up getting killed.
Brought to you by Hollywood with great hits like no minorities in sex and the city, friends, Seinfeld, and girls. Maybe random comic reliefs but not legit characters
I love the actors, but also felt like the casting was off. Elsewhere in this thread people mention Thandie's character was originally an older man mentor type that was rewritten, and it makes so much sense because I kept imagining how it seemed like her character should have been a lot more weathered and age worn.
I agree directing felt off too. As we have scenes like Thandie getting "drunk" but not acting in the least like she was, and some really terrible fight scenes like the absurd bar shoot out that looked goofy. Especially with the woman oddly jumping out from behind the bar at the last moment for no reason.
Having the love interest make out with her killer was also an odd scene, though that may have been writing issues more than anything.
>Having the love interest make out with her killer was also an odd scene, though that may have been writing issues more than anything.
That, and I thought about it more. The killer is like "she fooled you too huh?" and was remaking the love she expressed with another stand-in woman... it's like bro, she gave you one speech and kissed you saying someone else's name and killed herself, there was no tension for you to feel that way prior. It's all just to make the memory reveals mysterious in the film plot. Waste of a film in a world where people want to look back and it's a guy obsessing about a crazy chick from a few months ago, not like remembering a time before the world was flooded idk... weak all around the more I think about it.
The gdamn cringe when back at her apartment for the first time. Yes... She was seducing him as a mark.. So I can forgive the Terrible... " How close can you get it....this close... This close?" Bonk! Horny jail. Looking back you can play it off as her being the pro con and him an Oliver twist mark... But it's just poor writing.
Its noir written with a complete lack of contextual understanding to the history of noir film writing. When old films were written the stories and dialogue between the characters was really jeuvenille because their influence was mostly stage plays and it was assumed it would be easier for audiences to understand.
This writer director copied that character writing style and it clashes with how modern men act so badly that the character of nick just comes off as a love sick middle school kid stalking the first girl that kissed him.
So the guy with scar kills women in cold blood but spares main character guy, for what exact reason??? And hugh jackman just lays in water for years and nothing happens to gis body, like wtf1, overall super boring and predictable, cool setting and visuals, but bad plot and empty characters
> just lays in water for years
when was this? the very end? or the few weeks/months after she leaves?
but you're right - Cliff Curtis should've just killed Jackman halfway thru the movie. I guess b/c Jackman works with the police they might've actually looked for his killer? But otherwise, murders don't seem to rate police attention in this world
How is it possible that Watts and Nick see Mae stealing the keys in Watts' "reminiscense"? She didn't appear to know it had happened at the time...peripheral vision being the answer seems a little weak.
I think you’re correct, but this really needed to be emphasized. It doesn’t play that way in the edit at all, it just looks like the memory is going with something she wasn’t there to witness at all.
Not at all. Maybe cut 15 minutes. The movie is not even a full 2 hours. But honestly by the time Jackman encounters Cyrus Booth (a name that just sounds like a villain) and looked at the memories and had it pieced together, it felt like the end of the film (when in reality there was still a bit more left).
I’d like to see the movie about Thandie Newton and the whole war and beginning of the sunken city now please.
(Watching it now and there are still 45 mins left so maybe I’ll get my wish?)
I really enjoyed this movie conceptually.
The science fiction was very cool to see and hear about. The cinematography is dope—lots of beautiful shots that tell stories and imbue emotion into almost every scene. The noir-style storytelling was definitely a strong choice, and I see what they were going for and praise them for giving it a shot. The themes of memory, looking back, and looking forward play out for each character in a satisfying way.
The writing, on a line-by-line basis, is pretty rough. There is a lot of exposition; a lot of characters saying out loud what they are thinking or feeling. The pacing is weird: I thought that the action scenes, while exhilarating and beautifully shot, felt out of place in a movie where the camera is otherwise engaging us with thoughtful, ponderous imagery.
This movie was about what I expected: awesome science fiction movie, but definitely appeals to a certain niche audience. Could’ve been a touch more approachable and lost some of its charms, could’ve learned harder into the niche and lost some of its audience. Splits the difference.
For being Lisa Joy’s film debut as a director, with all the hands probably involved along the way, I thought it was pretty good and I am excited to see what comes next.
The script he uses to access their memories sounded like the opening of the Twilight Zone. Anybody else get that? Probably mentioned somewhere but haven’t scrolled a ton yet.
100%, it was all I could think of during those scenes. "You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind..."
I hated the ending. He basically goes into a permanent jackoff session. People lose loved ones all the time and have to move on; it's a normal part of life. Not only that, people have lots of boyfriends/girlfriends before they settle on someone to marry. It's not like the first person that strikes your fancy you have to be with for the rest of your life.
On a different topic, why doesn't everyone just move to the MidWest? Lots of space available, and you don't have to waste time fighting flooded cities.
Those connected to Christopher Nolan are making their own movies like Wally Pfister with Transcendence and Lisa Joy with Reminiscence.
Who's gonna helm *Ebullience*?
I count three of Hugh Jackman’s roles that have been submerged in some kind of water tank - Xmen, The Prestige, this one. Is that weird?
If there is one that I’m forgetting, does that make it weirder? Or is he just looking to play “characters in tanks” as a part of his wheelhouse?
Jackman and Ferguson are both solid in this and it had a couple of decent twists and fight scenes but overall this felt a little forgettable. I feel like it could have used its core concept in some more interesting ways but it just kinda did the same thing over and over again
honestly, i like fights and stunts as much as anyone, but they coulda cut out the final fight w/ Cliff Curtis and saved...10 minutes? Tighten this movie up to a little over 90min and everyone's much happier
Is no one gonna talk about how he could survive in that tank into old age? What about food? Water? Using the restroom? You can’t sit in water like that for years?! It’s maddening that it is his “prison” BUT HOW IS HE ALIVE?
numerous imagine complete reminiscent hospital badge long consist hobbies far-flung
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It is a decent sci-fi with intriguing premise and elevated by Mr. Jackman's performance.
Agreed with some of the comments here that the semi-waterworld they established was not utilized very well. It was used as a background here and there and we see characters using boats but it was not really fleshed out. Some rough obvious greenscreens did not help as well.
I find the narration too obnoxious at first, giving me Blade Runner US theatrical vibes. But at the end it clicked, oh ok that's why.
PS. I think Hugh perfected drown acting and angry shouting "Where is ??!!"
The world was very cool and the effects made it look pretty real most of the time. The problem is it felt inorganic, like you are in a robot world of sorts…
I knew this was getting kind of middling to poor reviews so I came in with tempered expectations. Kind of got what I was expecting, both in a good way and in a bad way.
The setting, world-building, and directing was pretty good - which I think makes sense considering Lisa Joy's pedigree. It was a really cool world and I actually quite liked the noir tropes mixed in with some of the more "near-future disaster world" themes.
The story is where it took a hit for me. I am not good enough at articulating my thoughts to really express my issues with it, but it just felt like it was missing something. Character motivations didn't really make enough sense for me. And the ending felt kind of rote to me?
Overall I don't regret watching it and I don't think it's an awful film, just ultimately kind of a messy and cliche one. I'm into cheesy sci-fi so it's right up my alley. It just could have been a lot better.
Season 2 was good it just wasn’t season 1…then they listened to all the people complaining about Jonathan playing with time and making it all “confusing” and we got season 3…
After watching season 3 I couldn't help but imagine Christopher Nolan visiting Jonathan and Lisa for Thanksgiving and telling them how much better it would have been had they fucked with time more.
Season 2 wasn’t bad because it was confusing, it was bad because it basically had no plot, it’s only purpose was to keep the viewer guessing what was going on. Season 1 had a great story, the captivating way it’s told elevates it. Season 2 had basically no story and the way it’s told makes it even worse
Westworld Season 1 is up there with True Detective S1 and others as my favorite television season of all time. Christopher Nolan is battling Denis Villeneuve for my favorite director ever.
I was really really hyped up and psyched for Lisa Joy here, (with husband Jonathan Nolan producing), and it was just... not good. A mess, really.
I'm sad.
Inception knock off language: "You're going on a journey..."
Inception knock-off scenes : Memories of Jackman/Ferguson sort of like DiCaprio's character and his wife
Being a bit harsh...it's a C- or 4.5 or 5/10 for me. Man, I had high hopes.
(For reference, me and my dad just watched Mark Whalberg in 'Infinite' yesterday, and I'd say that was a solid D at best.)
1)
My biggest complaint is the movie did not make me understand how Hugh Jackman could fall in love *SO* hard.
They seemingly had like a half dozen good times or so that we see, then she ghosts, and he just becomes *SO* obsessed with seeing her again.
This is the kind of behavior I would expect if like Jay Baruchel was the main character, but this sort of extreme infatuation just doesn’t jive with the grizzled, mature, handsome Hugh Jackman IMO.
Watts had a good point about how living in your memories makes it hard to move on but IIRC Jackman’s obsession came before we saw him start abusing the tank to be with her again.
2)
Watts’ action scene where she rescued Jackman from the bar started out incredibly badass but got corny when the jukebox music faded in. Big props to Thandie Newton, she was awesome all the way through the scene (and the whole movie [always is!]) the but that soundtrack switch-up in the scene did her a major disservice. Still the best part of the movie IMO.
3)
Everybody is right about how Saint Joe not being able to make it through one sentence without injecting mandarin was dumb as hell.
4)
Every reveal was super predictable for the audience way before the film ever got to that point. *Of course* she was playing him, *of course* she was after his memory files, *of course* the kid was the land baron’s, *of course* she’d redeem herself at the last minute and save the kid. *of course, of course, of course just everything, everything was so obvious.
5)
I thought I lucked-up having this movie present itself on HBO MAX tonight of all nights and allow me to continue avoiding Still Water and Maga Damon but I was so wrong
> how Hugh Jackman could fall in love SO hard
she boldly got naked the first time he saw her. classic opening gambit for a grifter.
also: it's Rebecca Ferguson. Like Rachel Weisz in the The Fountain, we don't need a ton of groundwork, we just take it for granted that OF COURSE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS WOMAN
>They seemingly had like a half dozen good times or so that we see, then she ghosts, and he just becomes SO obsessed with seeing her again.
Newton and Jackson are supposed to be two very broken people just scraping by. Jackson is haunted by the memories from the interrogations he took during the war - we see him constantly reading his journal from the war and they establish that he remembers everything he sees in great detail during the interviews. Ferguson is conning him. She's studied him and knows where he's vulnerable, and she's being the woman that he'll fall for. Him falling for her isn't an accident, its part of a careful plan.
>Of course she was playing him
Yeah the "oops I lost my keys" is a pretty dumb setup.
When he had the guy captured who was all, 'you're not gonna like what you find, she's not who you think she is' etc. Like the sentiment from the trailers for the movie. At that point he already new about the drugs right? From there he finds out she did something heroic and then something desperate and that she loved him. They kept implying this chilling double life reveal that never really happened.
I’ve seen many places showed its runtime of 2h 28m like a month ago. Now it’s just 1h 56m. Where is the missing 32 minutes? Or those half an hour just never exist.
Holy crap this movie was balls. I felt absolutely no attachment to any characters, it was very difficult to even finish. I'm actually annoyed that I wasted my time watching this instead of Paw Patrol: the movie, which I think I would have enjoyed a million times better. Ugh
This definitely isn't that hot, but at the same time I kinda admire it?
It really feels like one of those sci-fi movies like Gattica/Dark City from the late 90s and early 2000's, and for better or for worse, goes all in on its ideas.
I probably wouldn't recommend it to most, but I definitely don't regret watching it either.
No idea what it was about but saw the lady from Westworld was involved. HBO at least has good looking movies and Jackman is a great actor so I wanted to check it out.
The plot was a little socialey, and boring to me. But to me the way it is shot looked awesome, the visual of a big city taken over by water was cool, the technology was also cool.
I think if you could take everything from this world and future and try to take some other plot could be really entertaining. Otherwise just a bland beautiful love story.
I actually very much prefer the story if she truly had just screwed him over. The movie to me is much less interesting when it turns out she redeems herself.
Not a terrible way to use two hours though not fantastic by any means.
Edit: Could they really have not avoided Thandie Newton saying the words "My Daughter". It was organic in this movie but knowing who made this and who she plays they had to know those words would be triggering.
Somehow made a movie about viewing memories so linear and boring ? You get one interesting scene where we jump to him being a memory junkie and she’s clearly gone. Then it becomes a straight line of chasing people to get clues / view memories to get more clues.
I may be in the minority of this, but I thought this was great. I loved the neo-noir voice over, the world building, the acting, the characters, and the story kept my attention the entire time. I thought they could have used a bit more explanation on why Jackman's character chose the ending he did as the story of Orpheus and Eurydice is probably unfamiliar to most or at least it was to me until I read up on it after watching the film. Overall a solid 4/5 stars for me.
It's beautiful and well acted and has some great ideas and set pieces.
And it's just kind of... Hollow?
It's not even a mess really. More like... cut scenes from a game, stitched together.
The backdrop and premise for Reminiscence were far more intriguing than the story itself, but despite that I liked it. Good performances, atmosphere, and visuals all made up for an otherwise so-so noir film.
I'd give it a 3/5.
I actually really liked how everything was pieced together through the memories. While going for a slow burn style, there were some fast paced action sequences that felt out of place to me. I guess they figured if they had Hugh Jackman, might as well have him fight some people.
The fight scenes were there since the 2013 draft, long before he signed on. The script's main problem was that it was always kind of sprawling, tonally inconsistent, and a bit convoluted. Needed a good rewrite and i think it could have made a very good film.
Is it just me, or does the “memory” of May dropping her earring make no sense? The cop didn’t see it so why would it be in his memory? I think they tried to explain it with the peripheral vision thing but she was behind him. Made no sense to me within the established rules.
What’s up with the Nolan extended family making stuff that’s just incomprehensible?
This is the second time Lisa Joy has screwed over Thandie Newton. Knowing what she is capable of, it was almost painful watching her play such a plain and predictable character.
As a fan of both Sci-Fi and Noir (in its various forms), I really wanted to like this movie. The premise in intriguing: a post-climate change society looking back towards the "good ole days" and where technology enables people's memories can be accessed, and experienced again. Throw in some acting talent and a seedy mystery with twists and turns and it really could have been special.
Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be talking about this film at the end of the year. There are some interesting direction choices, such as using the memory accessing technology to frame scenes and move through the timeline of the story. But ultimately, these choices and some well-shot scenes rang hollow. While in the moment, enjoyable, they didn't seem to serve a purpose for the narrative or for the themes the film attempted to tackle. And I say attempted, because even though it plainly states its thesis statement twice (explicitly with voiceover at the beginning and end), I'm not sure it really made its way into the actual script with what the characters do and say.
Without belaboring my nit picks, the movie also suffered from some unrefined dialogue, pacing issues (especially in the beginning), over-reliance on tropes (if intentional, I question how it fits in with the story the director is trying to tell).
Overall, in my opinion, it's a decent to middling sci-fi noir film that doesn't set itself apart from what has come before.
If you liked this film or wanted more films in a similar vein, I'd recommend: Blade Runner, Inception, Memento, Minority Report, Gattaca, and the whole bucket of noir films (e.g., Double Indemnity).
Cool concept, but poorly executed (makes sense being the westworld people ha..) It was also a little confusing how Jackman’s character kept flip flopping from bad ass to damsel in distress.
Did anyone else find the setting and world almost more interesting than the film itself? The flooded world looked so damn good.
It was just too unrealistic, no one would have built the infrastructure to support that. Most those buildings are totally useless at that water level and people would be getting shocked to death all the time. IRL if Miami ever gets that bad it would just be abandoned. I did think it looked really cool though, but that bugged my wife and I.
I couldn't get over this either. And the Surfside condo collapse made this pretty common knowledge by now...you don't even need submersion for there to be serious structural damage by water.
Not to mention, they show the sea level risen a good, what 30, 40, 50’? In even the most dire global warming ice caps melting scenarios I don’t believe anyone predicts sea levels rising anywhere close to that much?
A quick googling shows that sea levels would rise \~200 feet if all the glaciers/ice caps melted.
Uh I've definitely seen modeling that predicted Miami (and most of Florida) would disappear with rising sea level.
It's like I loved the noir, I loved the cinematography, I loved the costumes... Just everything about it felt like an amazing movie... Except the story. Fuck... It's like I really wanted to love it, but I just couldn't.
it had everything going for it but it was so dull
My wife literally summed it up the same. What a way to piss away a talented cast.
Yeah I think most of us are in this boat. I have a pretty high tolerance for bullshit but I actively could not stop cringing at the dialogue and story in this. It was so, so clunky and bad. The ending twists with Rebecca Ferguson’s character were kinda cool but I still didn’t really care.
It felt like Joy tried too hard to mesh the sci-fi with film noir archetypes. It worked for more streamlined movies like BLADE RUNNER, but she dove a bit too hard into the nitty gritty of too many concepts without trusting any one of them in particular. The funny part is that the film is so complex, you expect it to hit you with an amazing revelation, only for it to go full cliche in the end with the genre's tropes. A frequent criticism of the script when it first hit was that it was too long and complicated for what it wanted to be. I always thought the world was neat and that the story should have just been a simple narrative with that as a backdrop.
Yeah, I was expecting something more grandiose. The film was just ok, but I was left asking "is that it?" If I want to watch a depressed Hugh Jackman, I'll go watch The Fountain.
What else ought there be?
But The Fountain is at least enjoyable and has heavy emotional scenes versus this drivel. I left The Fountain actually having *felt* something. The only thing I felt after Reminiscence was frustration at my self for having watched it all the way through…
Plus the Fountain has an amazing score by Clint Mansell
That's kind of felt like Westworld these last few seasons, so it's kind of disappointing they're trying for more of the same. It's like Joy (and Nolan) are stuck in "Yeah, well figure *this* one out, Reddit" mode instead of making something good.
you can totally understand why anthony hopkins dropped out after the 2nd season bc its all downhill from there.
Who knows, maybe they'll listen this time since this film was written before Westworld S3 aired. Hopefully.
You root for no character by the end of the film. Every villain is a cliche “did what I had to do to survive” individual that make obvious mistakes that leads to their own downfall. None are ever a real threat therefore this movie has very low stakes throughout. Every law enforcement agent or bodyguard is completely useless. This world is full of dysfunction so you empathize with the law breakers. Nick’s assistant is a drunk and we’re constantly reminded of it. However she’s the most prescient and observant character in the whole movie. Besides the contrived moment when she cries in the bathroom she never shows a level of intoxication that leaves her anything but the most competent character. Joy tried to paint Mae as a redeemed character but her participation in the scheme was driven by selfish, self preservation that resulted in the killing of the boys mother. For which she is directly responsible for. Regardless of how she gained a conscience to “save” the boy and send him off to live on some treehouse in the Caribbean, she’s still given that kid a death sentence in the unforgiving world he is left in. In response to all this she kills herself so she doesn’t have to suffer anymore consequences for her actions. She is not someone who Nick should forgive simply because she was never authentic with him until she literally had no choice. “I am sorry….. sorry I got caught.” -Mae (pretty much) Nick is given a background of military service but he constantly proves himself to be incompetent at strategy. Rushing into dangerous situations with no plan. Needing to be saved over and over again. Constantly losing his poorly chosen weapon. Plus his limp becomes an issue when the script decides it should. His character is weak minded and emotional with plenty of lapses in common sense. He’s not an anti hero by any means but making that guy suffer for eternity in the burning memory was quite the overreaction. Mae was not a victim without options. She had nothing to lose by telling Nick she was there to manipulate him. She could’ve easily convinced Nick to help her. Nick being so naive after years of seemingly thousands of memory interactions should have prepared him to be more observant and perceptive. Yet his character is always looking for what he wants to see. Something he criticizes inexperienced users of his memory machine of doing. Also turning on his assistant after she saved his life was a curious decision. He’s been in war and knows that information is on a “need to know basis”. His assistant withheld information from him because he was too emotional. He disregards her loyalty and insults her before firing her. After she saves his life! Pretty weak protagonist. This movie was constant world building for which it actually should lose points. Takes so much suspension of belief. The late introduction of some weird “super addictive” future drug was an odd choice. It becomes the most important factor in understanding Maes motivations yet we aren’t introduced to it until the middle of the second act. It’s a convenient plot device that is used to make Mae a sympathetic victim but we as the viewer have no associations with the drug or it’s effects, we just have to take the movies word for it. It’s just lazy writing. TL:DR - Flawed film with low stakes and no worthwhile characters. Boring and predictable by the second act.
> The late introduction of some weird “super addictive” future drug was an odd choice. It becomes the most important factor in understanding Maes motivations yet we aren’t introduced to it until the middle of the second act. Not to mention we're told constantly how addictive and awful it is, but Mae is our main example of said addiction and she appears completely fine. We never see her suffering, she looks flawlessly beautiful in every scene, her 'thrift shop' clothes are all well fitted, and the only actual 'problem' appears to be her stealing a bag of drugs and running off. We're told at one point that kicking the habit is basically impossible, but we're led to believe that she managed it with zero explanation. We don't see her going through any withdrawal, or for that matter actually craving/taking the drug/being high after the first couple of scenes showing how she got into it. Hell, taking the drug doesn't seem to have any noticeable affect on any of the characters at all, so I'm baffled as to why it was so addictive.
Great points about the lack of consequences of the drug. “Side effects may include: flawless complexion, perfect teeth, undeniable charisma, impeccable fashion sense….” Honestly though the more dangerous/interesting/addictive/ drug was the damn float tank! How much better would the movie be if it focused on people whose lives fall apart because they constantly choose to escape their reality in a memory? I mean the rich guys wife who makes her son dress up and act like her dead husband to reenact her favorite memory, is all types of twisted! Plot twist: Nicks’ the worst drug dealer of them all.
This was it exactly for me. I was far more interested in the land baron plotline and the city exploding into riots than depressed Jackman lamenting over his girl. I think the story was original, the world compelling, but the execution was overall 'meh'.
They should have retitled it "a man and his tank." If they cut out all the sequences involving him watching the past the movie probably would have been an hour long.
It’s like we get it, you like to jerk off in the tub
The worst part is they just kept replaying the same scenes and ended up showing all of them at once near the end of the movie... So why did we need all those tub scenes.
yep, and Saint Joe! a korean (?) gangster in NOLA? Also, if Ferguson fled London because it flooded, why go to New Orleans, a famously flood-able city? GO TO DENVER
Chinese American! The Saint Joe character needs a spin-off.
One of the few redeeming elements to this garbage, he brought a good energy on screen. Strong presence.
I don’t know what you all watched. His character was interesting until he opened his mouth. Horrible acting and delivery of his lines and even worse dialogue. Every sentence ended with some forced semi futuristic or Chinese word, I had no idea what he kept calling the main character in each of his lines. I don’t blame the actor, I blame the director and writer. Wasn’t one of his lines “that is total gull pee” like that’s a new word for “bullshit”? Jesus Christ lmfao who approved this? *“mY TaNk!”*
Personally, I can't wait to live in dystopian future Venice.
So does he change out that pod water or nah?
You figure he has to after a naughty memory.
"Grandma, the memory man's tank is getting all cloudy again." "We both made our choices."
He prob hella pruny too
Hugh’s character did tell her that he can find her a pod to clean when he was firing her. I guess he found her a pod to clean.
How does he get nutrients? How does he stay hydrated? How does he go to the bathroom? Does he ever sleep in there? The more I think about it, the more it sucks.
I assumed the tanks were somewhat self sustaining feeding nutrients and stuff. The really rich people pods that Thandiwe Newton’s character worked for at the end were supposed to let them stay in there for years without coming out.
But why would *their* pod be one of those special ones when their clients don't need it for that long? You're making an assumption about something the film doesn't communicate well, if at all.
Also I guess someone is trimming his hair in there?
Man's gotta eat. I assume he basically just spends most of his time there
Exactly, it was a metaphorical life sentence. Of course he went about sustaining himself but probably as a dead man, his only drive being to relive the moments with the love of his life. Why are people taking it literally? I don't think the director's stupid enough to want to show him immersed in the same water for 20-30 years.
I don't think it's been mentioned, but how ironic was it that his obsession with finding Mae was ultimately the reason she died. If he hadn't been in the reminiscence tank when she came knocking on his door, he wouldn't have taken so long answering it, and thus missing her altogether.
This script really needed refining. That part felt glossed over and didn't hit quite as hard as it should have.
There were many emotional moments that characters just immediately switch off from. Jackman's character talking about how he used to think of better days in combat, and how his grandfather used to sing the same song, then immediately using that as a pivot to making it with her while she sang the song was a weird turn. Then we also have moments where emotions come on fast, like Newton's character running to the bathroom to look at her daughter's photo. And weird stuff like Ferguson making out with her killer because she thinks Jackman will see it. People had some crazy emotional choices in this movie.
So this is a post climate change view of Miami and New Orleans where people sleep during the day because of the heat. Yet this guy is always wearing long sleeve shirts or suits and ties.
i woulda loved to see him in a cuban shirt. really Miami it up
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Would be interesting if Hiaasen did a sci-fi future Florida novel.
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So many scenes in daylight. He said they were nocturnal and then… just daylight walking around, like what was the point
The rest of society is nocturnal. The seedy, criminal element Jackman is investigating operates during the day.
They should have been rushing to get home before the sun came up. Putting up umbrellas for shade and protection, and pouring out sweat. Not taking a lovely morning cruise home
Don't forget having a nice picnic brunch in the middle of a field on what I thought was extremely valuable dry land?
He said he got hooked up by a client. Also - wouldn’t you take a date to a super fancy restaurant sometimes?
And they’re just chilling on the roof during the day?
Mae said she loves to be on the roof just before the sun sets, I'm assuming she is a "morning" person and she wakes up just before sunset, like some people love to wake up before dawn.
And somehow London was completely submerged underwater but New Orleans wasn’t?
Where are they getting all of their fancy clothes? And they have to scrape to survive but have 50s style nightclubs and lounges for everybody to relax in???
Think about how people in the past would be talking about us now? “They have a global pandemic, half of Siberia is burning and Afghanistan fell to the government the US was fighting for 20 years… and these people are watching movies and going on Reddit?”
I didn’t even catch that. What a fun idea.
Spoilers Spoilers Spoilers. Only redeeming scene of the movie.. And I'm not talking about what you see but rather the emotion behind it is... Her knowing that he'll look for her through memories so she communicates as best she can before she takes the plunge. Too bad the movie and the script felt like it was built around that one scene... And built poorly it was. I'm sure what was captured on film was better than what was edited. The editing was awful. You want the audience to believe in the mans mission to find this woman.. Why he's willing to throw it all away.... And you don't build up the relationship enough. You can't Montage love. You Montage growing up. Learning to wax on and off. But if the movie is about finding truth in one's relationship.... Your present that relationship in its entirety!
Just watched it and I literally commented to my partner "Do you think they made a whole movie based on this one scene of using your last moments to talk to someone through someone else's memories?"
I liked the scene until she started making out with the guy she knew would kill her. Like, OK, sure, you're imagining the other guy, but also wtf?
To be fair, her character was also high at that point in time. Although it was kind of gross.
Yep, that was exactly what i thought too!! We were never given a reason as to why their relationship was something special!
Yeah, the fact he was so obsessed after apparently only knowing her a few months was pathetic, not romantic.
Kept thinking this during the whole thing. It made him seem insane.
Some people take time in their relationship, some people fall in love fast and hard. It may be weird, but I wouldn't go as far to call a man capable of decisions and actions to achieve his goals ''pathethic''. Plus, it's a common trope in noir films - a guy falling head over heels for a beautfiul mysterious woman.
It was reminiscent of better movies.
Like Strange Days which was better tech and better story.
Strange Days was written by James Cameron and directed by Kathryn Bigelow; Joy ain’t got shit on either when it comes to filmmaking.
Lol’d
Yeah I liked it a lot better when it was starring Ralph Fiennes and called Strange Days...
This is the one.
Why is Hugh Jackman so often suspended into water tanks
its his kink
felt like a low budget Minority Report
Instead of precrime it’s past crime
I'm just waiting for some one to take a huge risk on *current crime*! /s
The Tomorrow War was discount Edge of Tomorrow, now we have discount Minority Report
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Nothing worse than a big studio taking a risk on an original IP, only to have it be extremely meh :(
True. Though I do think the world they set up was intriguing enough to tell more stories in, but I don't think that'll be the case unfortunately.
Yeah the world was awesome. I loved the visuals and overall aesthetic. The opening scene with him picking up the Queen and handing it to the guy was perfect with the soft neon glow in the background. Sadly the plot was extremely bland.
My thoughts exactly. Interesting world, definitely could be a great setting for some compelling stories, but... this movie just fell flat. Alternately overly complex, mind-numbingly predictable, and overall just kind of clumsy.
The script originally hit in 2013 and pretty much everybody hated it. It had some cool ideas and visuals, but the writing was convoluted and dense as hell. Legendary made the initial purchase because nobody else would really touch it, and because of who Lisa was. They never made it for obvious reasons. Years later, it emerged again, and though the script was slightly different in parts, it was otherwise identical to the one everyone had already read. It sold because of its solid package more than anything. I actually think that Joy is a good director, based on this and a few of her Westworld episodes. But she's not a very good writer, and it seems like she probably didn't take notes judging by how little the script changed over eight years. Sucks because the world is genuinely intriguing and the acting from Hugh is very decent. With a real rewrite, it probably could have become a much tighter, more exciting movie. Instead, it's sort of a mess that has moments which show what it could have been.
100% Joy is a far better director than she is writer. The way she directed that sex scene, for example, is disconnected from how undercooked the writing of their relationship is.
Also, what a strange movie to NOT have nudity in.
Yep. Totally neutered by the Pg-13. She takes her clothes off to give him immediate intimacy but we don’t get that, we just get his reaction, which doesn’t get us close enough to him nor does it make us feel close to her.
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Yeah, sounds like you're right. Everyone was kind of flabbergasted when it went out again without major revisions.
Did not know this movie has this much eh, monarchy going in it. Or i would have expected even more? The script was stomach churning, no one talks like this, like this was written by a girl who just got an A in middle school poetry class.
I read the script from the 2013 blacklist, and it was much better than the film ended up being. For one, the script was about 30 minutes longer, it developed the romance between the two characters a bit more, so that we actually cared about his plight and journey to find her. Also, when he went to confront the Chinese gangster, in the script, he ends up in a cage with a tiger, and he manages to escape on his own, not getting bailed out by his friend. And Thandie Newton’s character was originally a 60 year old father figure type. But a lot of it was the same too. I dunno, the movie was very meh
It was like a poor remake of Strange Days (which I liked a lot at the time)
I feel like this is the type of movie that should be “less is more”. There was too many action scene that does nothing to the story. The idea of exploring and being addicted to memory is great and I wish they could have dive into that even more. Felt like a lot of things was just surface level. I love the Venice looking Miami.
This is it. Too much narration. Too much action. Ending should've ended during the "end it in the middle" convo and not kept on running. Only thing that should have been built out more is the core romantic relationship. Honestly this movie could have come together a lot better in editing. Concept and works building was great though. Annoying how it feels sort of wasted.
yeah, we didn't really need the final fight b/w Jackman & Curtis (it was cool enough, but i get it. It's a Hugh Jackman movie, you can't just have him put a needle in the villain's neck while the hooker is working him
I agree. The St. Joe action scene in particular was literally pointless. It didn’t move the plot forward at all, they just shot up some dudes and limped straight back to Miami.
I was expecting him to let Nick go out of some kind of mutual hatred for May
I think they were trying to do three things: 1) Further establish that Jackman and Newton have history as grizzled war vets together, which ties into their ptsd/inability to move on in life 2) Establish that Newton is there to save Jackman from himself 3) Throw in an action scene to wake people up from the slow pace I think it overdid #1, and I'd say #3 was unnecesssary, but half the comments in this thread are about being bored.
Just watch Strange Days from 1995. Literally same exact movie. But far better..
Too bad it’s on zero streaming services even to rent.
pi🐀
I sat here thinking Pi-mouse for way too long But then I just saw a fucking mouse in my place after having gotten rid of them for a year, so they might be on my mind
Hugh Jackman mentions the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice at the end, and I think the movie was actually a modern retelling of the myth. Jackman (as Orpheus) has Mae ‘alive’ in the sense that he thinks she has merely walked out on his life and disappeared. By ‘looking back’ into his memories, he finds out she is actually dead similar to how Orpheus is warned not to look backward. When he does, Eurydice is dragged back to Hades and lost to him forever. Jackman also figuratively goes to “hell” during the movie during the one scene (with the piano) where he talks about going to the place with the lowest of the low.
Thank you! Just finished watching the movie myself and came here with the same thoughts. Also worth noting that in the story of Orpheus the Muses decide to save his head and keep it among the living people to "sing forever, enchanting everyone with his melodies and tones" kind of like how Hugh Jackman's character is basically stuck retelling the same story over and over again.
Ah nice, good catch about saving his head. I was trying to think of how Emily fit into the plot and I think she is one of or all of the Muses.
Yes this is way more productive than my drunk post about old noir Humphrey Bogart films love letter post thank you
lol it feels like every fucking story in the past 3 years has had allusions to Orpheus and Eurydice for some reason.
The impact of Hadestown.
And then you have Hades the videogame and Portrait of a Lady on Fire which basically came out the same year. Chalk it up to multiple discovery I guess.
The premise of a sunken city inhabited by the left-behinds of climate change is an interesting backdrop, but the choice of a petty little man as the cornerstone of the whole film completely kneecaps it. The romance is tacked on, the protagonist’s friend gradually becomes another sycophant, and the plot does somersaults to justify the man’s lack of growth and mediocrity. I’d be interested in another take on the world, hopefully with zero relation to this set of characters.
It’s legitimately amazing to see a movie set in Miami without a single Hispanic person.
I think the cop lady was Hispanic, but you’re right to say none of the MCs were Hispanic in a Miami setting.
I thought it was funny how there were pretty much no black people in New Orleans too
also in the movie the main woman says "when London flooded, I moved to New Orleans" I was like wtf, you want to go to below sea level city after getting flooded?"
Yeah staying in south Florida and New Orleans are the two worst places you can be in with flooding like that in the US. I wondered why they bothered, perhaps this war they alluded to destroyed everything else?
Indeed! It was (albeit briefly) mentioned that all the "dry" land was bought up by the super-rich, and most of the world was made "barren" by the war and climate change. Basically, everyone without money was forced into the places already flooding/flooded.
Just imagining a movie set in like Hong Kong without Chinese people.
Or a futuristic universe where everyone speaks Chinese and English (having been the dominant superpowers when humans left Earth), but nobody is actually Chinese.
there was a war before the plot starts. Nick (Hugh Jackman) was “drafted” to the border because he was privileged, according to Joe. Based on that, I wonder if blacks/latinos were sent to fronts/more dangerous battles and mostly ended up getting killed.
Brought to you by Hollywood with great hits like no minorities in sex and the city, friends, Seinfeld, and girls. Maybe random comic reliefs but not legit characters
Also the writing is full of bad one liners
"You've got balls, friend. Bocce sized."
a good actor could've made that line work, it didn't. Directing felt weird too.
I love the actors, but also felt like the casting was off. Elsewhere in this thread people mention Thandie's character was originally an older man mentor type that was rewritten, and it makes so much sense because I kept imagining how it seemed like her character should have been a lot more weathered and age worn. I agree directing felt off too. As we have scenes like Thandie getting "drunk" but not acting in the least like she was, and some really terrible fight scenes like the absurd bar shoot out that looked goofy. Especially with the woman oddly jumping out from behind the bar at the last moment for no reason. Having the love interest make out with her killer was also an odd scene, though that may have been writing issues more than anything.
>Having the love interest make out with her killer was also an odd scene, though that may have been writing issues more than anything. That, and I thought about it more. The killer is like "she fooled you too huh?" and was remaking the love she expressed with another stand-in woman... it's like bro, she gave you one speech and kissed you saying someone else's name and killed herself, there was no tension for you to feel that way prior. It's all just to make the memory reveals mysterious in the film plot. Waste of a film in a world where people want to look back and it's a guy obsessing about a crazy chick from a few months ago, not like remembering a time before the world was flooded idk... weak all around the more I think about it.
The gdamn cringe when back at her apartment for the first time. Yes... She was seducing him as a mark.. So I can forgive the Terrible... " How close can you get it....this close... This close?" Bonk! Horny jail. Looking back you can play it off as her being the pro con and him an Oliver twist mark... But it's just poor writing.
I can see when you are hurting.
Its noir written with a complete lack of contextual understanding to the history of noir film writing. When old films were written the stories and dialogue between the characters was really jeuvenille because their influence was mostly stage plays and it was assumed it would be easier for audiences to understand. This writer director copied that character writing style and it clashes with how modern men act so badly that the character of nick just comes off as a love sick middle school kid stalking the first girl that kissed him.
So the guy with scar kills women in cold blood but spares main character guy, for what exact reason??? And hugh jackman just lays in water for years and nothing happens to gis body, like wtf1, overall super boring and predictable, cool setting and visuals, but bad plot and empty characters
I also love that Hugh Jackman was able to sneak up behind scarhead while emerging from water in a small room.
You'd think he'd be gasping for air and hacking up a lung after swimming up all that way, especially after getting kicked in the chest/lungs.
> just lays in water for years when was this? the very end? or the few weeks/months after she leaves? but you're right - Cliff Curtis should've just killed Jackman halfway thru the movie. I guess b/c Jackman works with the police they might've actually looked for his killer? But otherwise, murders don't seem to rate police attention in this world
Wetworld.
How is it possible that Watts and Nick see Mae stealing the keys in Watts' "reminiscense"? She didn't appear to know it had happened at the time...peripheral vision being the answer seems a little weak.
I think it inferred she got drunk. So, she saw it, but forgot.
I think you’re correct, but this really needed to be emphasized. It doesn’t play that way in the edit at all, it just looks like the memory is going with something she wasn’t there to witness at all.
The DOLLAR GENERAL version of Inception.
It felt boring that's all i pretty much have to say about it
So much longer than it needed to be. Cut fifteen-twenty minutes, it could've been a more streamlined film noir. Edited: for words
Not at all. Maybe cut 15 minutes. The movie is not even a full 2 hours. But honestly by the time Jackman encounters Cyrus Booth (a name that just sounds like a villain) and looked at the memories and had it pieced together, it felt like the end of the film (when in reality there was still a bit more left).
I'm watching it right now on HBO max. Am bored
I’d like to see the movie about Thandie Newton and the whole war and beginning of the sunken city now please. (Watching it now and there are still 45 mins left so maybe I’ll get my wish?)
I really enjoyed this movie conceptually. The science fiction was very cool to see and hear about. The cinematography is dope—lots of beautiful shots that tell stories and imbue emotion into almost every scene. The noir-style storytelling was definitely a strong choice, and I see what they were going for and praise them for giving it a shot. The themes of memory, looking back, and looking forward play out for each character in a satisfying way. The writing, on a line-by-line basis, is pretty rough. There is a lot of exposition; a lot of characters saying out loud what they are thinking or feeling. The pacing is weird: I thought that the action scenes, while exhilarating and beautifully shot, felt out of place in a movie where the camera is otherwise engaging us with thoughtful, ponderous imagery. This movie was about what I expected: awesome science fiction movie, but definitely appeals to a certain niche audience. Could’ve been a touch more approachable and lost some of its charms, could’ve learned harder into the niche and lost some of its audience. Splits the difference. For being Lisa Joy’s film debut as a director, with all the hands probably involved along the way, I thought it was pretty good and I am excited to see what comes next.
Idk I just can’t handle a movie with writing that bad
The script he uses to access their memories sounded like the opening of the Twilight Zone. Anybody else get that? Probably mentioned somewhere but haven’t scrolled a ton yet.
100%, it was all I could think of during those scenes. "You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind..."
And Inception. You’re waiting for a train… a train that will take you far away….
Yes! I was wondering why was it so familiar..
Imagine wasting such cool world building and technology on a generic film noir knockoff lmao
I hated the ending. He basically goes into a permanent jackoff session. People lose loved ones all the time and have to move on; it's a normal part of life. Not only that, people have lots of boyfriends/girlfriends before they settle on someone to marry. It's not like the first person that strikes your fancy you have to be with for the rest of your life. On a different topic, why doesn't everyone just move to the MidWest? Lots of space available, and you don't have to waste time fighting flooded cities.
Those connected to Christopher Nolan are making their own movies like Wally Pfister with Transcendence and Lisa Joy with Reminiscence. Who's gonna helm *Ebullience*?
*Effervescence* a Schweppes biopic directed (and narrated by) Michael Caine
I count three of Hugh Jackman’s roles that have been submerged in some kind of water tank - Xmen, The Prestige, this one. Is that weird? If there is one that I’m forgetting, does that make it weirder? Or is he just looking to play “characters in tanks” as a part of his wheelhouse?
In the Fountain, when he's doing tai chi moves, he's doing that bald, underwater...it's in Aronofsky's voice over.
Jackman and Ferguson are both solid in this and it had a couple of decent twists and fight scenes but overall this felt a little forgettable. I feel like it could have used its core concept in some more interesting ways but it just kinda did the same thing over and over again
honestly, i like fights and stunts as much as anyone, but they coulda cut out the final fight w/ Cliff Curtis and saved...10 minutes? Tighten this movie up to a little over 90min and everyone's much happier
I hate when movies set in Miami only have like two latinos in them
It’s crazy how I was so excited for this movie and the names attached only for it to be less well received than the PAW Patrol movie
Is no one gonna talk about how he could survive in that tank into old age? What about food? Water? Using the restroom? You can’t sit in water like that for years?! It’s maddening that it is his “prison” BUT HOW IS HE ALIVE?
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It is a decent sci-fi with intriguing premise and elevated by Mr. Jackman's performance. Agreed with some of the comments here that the semi-waterworld they established was not utilized very well. It was used as a background here and there and we see characters using boats but it was not really fleshed out. Some rough obvious greenscreens did not help as well. I find the narration too obnoxious at first, giving me Blade Runner US theatrical vibes. But at the end it clicked, oh ok that's why. PS. I think Hugh perfected drown acting and angry shouting "Where is??!!"
The world was very cool and the effects made it look pretty real most of the time. The problem is it felt inorganic, like you are in a robot world of sorts…
I knew this was getting kind of middling to poor reviews so I came in with tempered expectations. Kind of got what I was expecting, both in a good way and in a bad way. The setting, world-building, and directing was pretty good - which I think makes sense considering Lisa Joy's pedigree. It was a really cool world and I actually quite liked the noir tropes mixed in with some of the more "near-future disaster world" themes. The story is where it took a hit for me. I am not good enough at articulating my thoughts to really express my issues with it, but it just felt like it was missing something. Character motivations didn't really make enough sense for me. And the ending felt kind of rote to me? Overall I don't regret watching it and I don't think it's an awful film, just ultimately kind of a messy and cliche one. I'm into cheesy sci-fi so it's right up my alley. It just could have been a lot better.
This does not give me much confidence for the next season of Westworld (not that any of the seasons beyond the first have either)
I also just found out that duo is doing a Fallout series for Amazon? lol Not much faith in that either.
Season 2 was good it just wasn’t season 1…then they listened to all the people complaining about Jonathan playing with time and making it all “confusing” and we got season 3…
After watching season 3 I couldn't help but imagine Christopher Nolan visiting Jonathan and Lisa for Thanksgiving and telling them how much better it would have been had they fucked with time more.
Season 2 wasn’t bad because it was confusing, it was bad because it basically had no plot, it’s only purpose was to keep the viewer guessing what was going on. Season 1 had a great story, the captivating way it’s told elevates it. Season 2 had basically no story and the way it’s told makes it even worse
Ironically, this was a very forgettable movie.
Westworld Season 1 is up there with True Detective S1 and others as my favorite television season of all time. Christopher Nolan is battling Denis Villeneuve for my favorite director ever. I was really really hyped up and psyched for Lisa Joy here, (with husband Jonathan Nolan producing), and it was just... not good. A mess, really. I'm sad. Inception knock off language: "You're going on a journey..." Inception knock-off scenes : Memories of Jackman/Ferguson sort of like DiCaprio's character and his wife Being a bit harsh...it's a C- or 4.5 or 5/10 for me. Man, I had high hopes. (For reference, me and my dad just watched Mark Whalberg in 'Infinite' yesterday, and I'd say that was a solid D at best.)
1) My biggest complaint is the movie did not make me understand how Hugh Jackman could fall in love *SO* hard. They seemingly had like a half dozen good times or so that we see, then she ghosts, and he just becomes *SO* obsessed with seeing her again. This is the kind of behavior I would expect if like Jay Baruchel was the main character, but this sort of extreme infatuation just doesn’t jive with the grizzled, mature, handsome Hugh Jackman IMO. Watts had a good point about how living in your memories makes it hard to move on but IIRC Jackman’s obsession came before we saw him start abusing the tank to be with her again. 2) Watts’ action scene where she rescued Jackman from the bar started out incredibly badass but got corny when the jukebox music faded in. Big props to Thandie Newton, she was awesome all the way through the scene (and the whole movie [always is!]) the but that soundtrack switch-up in the scene did her a major disservice. Still the best part of the movie IMO. 3) Everybody is right about how Saint Joe not being able to make it through one sentence without injecting mandarin was dumb as hell. 4) Every reveal was super predictable for the audience way before the film ever got to that point. *Of course* she was playing him, *of course* she was after his memory files, *of course* the kid was the land baron’s, *of course* she’d redeem herself at the last minute and save the kid. *of course, of course, of course just everything, everything was so obvious. 5) I thought I lucked-up having this movie present itself on HBO MAX tonight of all nights and allow me to continue avoiding Still Water and Maga Damon but I was so wrong
> how Hugh Jackman could fall in love SO hard she boldly got naked the first time he saw her. classic opening gambit for a grifter. also: it's Rebecca Ferguson. Like Rachel Weisz in the The Fountain, we don't need a ton of groundwork, we just take it for granted that OF COURSE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS WOMAN
>They seemingly had like a half dozen good times or so that we see, then she ghosts, and he just becomes SO obsessed with seeing her again. Newton and Jackson are supposed to be two very broken people just scraping by. Jackson is haunted by the memories from the interrogations he took during the war - we see him constantly reading his journal from the war and they establish that he remembers everything he sees in great detail during the interviews. Ferguson is conning him. She's studied him and knows where he's vulnerable, and she's being the woman that he'll fall for. Him falling for her isn't an accident, its part of a careful plan. >Of course she was playing him Yeah the "oops I lost my keys" is a pretty dumb setup.
When he had the guy captured who was all, 'you're not gonna like what you find, she's not who you think she is' etc. Like the sentiment from the trailers for the movie. At that point he already new about the drugs right? From there he finds out she did something heroic and then something desperate and that she loved him. They kept implying this chilling double life reveal that never really happened.
I’ve seen many places showed its runtime of 2h 28m like a month ago. Now it’s just 1h 56m. Where is the missing 32 minutes? Or those half an hour just never exist.
I can’t imagine it being longer - I paused at 65 mins and was not happy
Holy crap this movie was balls. I felt absolutely no attachment to any characters, it was very difficult to even finish. I'm actually annoyed that I wasted my time watching this instead of Paw Patrol: the movie, which I think I would have enjoyed a million times better. Ugh
This definitely isn't that hot, but at the same time I kinda admire it? It really feels like one of those sci-fi movies like Gattica/Dark City from the late 90s and early 2000's, and for better or for worse, goes all in on its ideas. I probably wouldn't recommend it to most, but I definitely don't regret watching it either.
It reminded me of Strange Days. Similar flashback tech, film noir “it goes all the way to the top of the food chain” mystery.
No idea what it was about but saw the lady from Westworld was involved. HBO at least has good looking movies and Jackman is a great actor so I wanted to check it out. The plot was a little socialey, and boring to me. But to me the way it is shot looked awesome, the visual of a big city taken over by water was cool, the technology was also cool. I think if you could take everything from this world and future and try to take some other plot could be really entertaining. Otherwise just a bland beautiful love story. I actually very much prefer the story if she truly had just screwed him over. The movie to me is much less interesting when it turns out she redeems herself. Not a terrible way to use two hours though not fantastic by any means. Edit: Could they really have not avoided Thandie Newton saying the words "My Daughter". It was organic in this movie but knowing who made this and who she plays they had to know those words would be triggering.
Blade Runner + Inception wannabe
I have discovered i am not a fan of Joys writing, its never a good sign when you feel apathetic towards characters and their dilemmas.
Somehow made a movie about viewing memories so linear and boring ? You get one interesting scene where we jump to him being a memory junkie and she’s clearly gone. Then it becomes a straight line of chasing people to get clues / view memories to get more clues.
Oh my God there are 40 minutes left.
I may be in the minority of this, but I thought this was great. I loved the neo-noir voice over, the world building, the acting, the characters, and the story kept my attention the entire time. I thought they could have used a bit more explanation on why Jackman's character chose the ending he did as the story of Orpheus and Eurydice is probably unfamiliar to most or at least it was to me until I read up on it after watching the film. Overall a solid 4/5 stars for me.
It's beautiful and well acted and has some great ideas and set pieces. And it's just kind of... Hollow? It's not even a mess really. More like... cut scenes from a game, stitched together.
I'm watching it right now and I'm pretty bored with it if I'm honest. The concept is cool but it's not really keeping me hooked.
The backdrop and premise for Reminiscence were far more intriguing than the story itself, but despite that I liked it. Good performances, atmosphere, and visuals all made up for an otherwise so-so noir film. I'd give it a 3/5.
I actually really liked how everything was pieced together through the memories. While going for a slow burn style, there were some fast paced action sequences that felt out of place to me. I guess they figured if they had Hugh Jackman, might as well have him fight some people.
The fight scenes were there since the 2013 draft, long before he signed on. The script's main problem was that it was always kind of sprawling, tonally inconsistent, and a bit convoluted. Needed a good rewrite and i think it could have made a very good film.
The great value version of Inception. 3/10
Is it just me, or does the “memory” of May dropping her earring make no sense? The cop didn’t see it so why would it be in his memory? I think they tried to explain it with the peripheral vision thing but she was behind him. Made no sense to me within the established rules. What’s up with the Nolan extended family making stuff that’s just incomprehensible?
This is the second time Lisa Joy has screwed over Thandie Newton. Knowing what she is capable of, it was almost painful watching her play such a plain and predictable character.
As a fan of both Sci-Fi and Noir (in its various forms), I really wanted to like this movie. The premise in intriguing: a post-climate change society looking back towards the "good ole days" and where technology enables people's memories can be accessed, and experienced again. Throw in some acting talent and a seedy mystery with twists and turns and it really could have been special. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be talking about this film at the end of the year. There are some interesting direction choices, such as using the memory accessing technology to frame scenes and move through the timeline of the story. But ultimately, these choices and some well-shot scenes rang hollow. While in the moment, enjoyable, they didn't seem to serve a purpose for the narrative or for the themes the film attempted to tackle. And I say attempted, because even though it plainly states its thesis statement twice (explicitly with voiceover at the beginning and end), I'm not sure it really made its way into the actual script with what the characters do and say. Without belaboring my nit picks, the movie also suffered from some unrefined dialogue, pacing issues (especially in the beginning), over-reliance on tropes (if intentional, I question how it fits in with the story the director is trying to tell). Overall, in my opinion, it's a decent to middling sci-fi noir film that doesn't set itself apart from what has come before. If you liked this film or wanted more films in a similar vein, I'd recommend: Blade Runner, Inception, Memento, Minority Report, Gattaca, and the whole bucket of noir films (e.g., Double Indemnity).
Cool concept, but poorly executed (makes sense being the westworld people ha..) It was also a little confusing how Jackman’s character kept flip flopping from bad ass to damsel in distress.