In the near-future, Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) lives in a flooded Miami due to climate change. He and his assistant Emily 'Watts' Sanders (Thandiwe Newton) operate a machine for people to relive their best memories. Both are veterans of a devastating recent war. Mae (Rebecca Ferguson) walks in asking for help to find her keys and begins a relationship with Nick. She goes missing and Nick becomes haunted reliving his memories with her over and over again. The police hires him to get into a comatose suspect's memories where he discovers Mae working as a nightclub waitress. He starts investigating on his own and dives into a rabbit hole of mysteries.
There is a lot to like in this near-future sci-fi noir. I like the style of it. I like Hugh Jackman. I like the idea of this concept but the concept actually imbeds a devious story landmine. It forces a lot of the action into flashbacks. The narrative becomes a labyrinthian mess. It strives for something interesting but fails to grasp it. Writer/director Lisa Joy seems to be trying to branch out on her own after her work on Westworld. She has something there but it needs work. The first thing I would work on is the title. It's trying to be Nolanesque without the self-confidence.
There is a lot to like in this near-future sci-fi noir. I like the style of it. I like Hugh Jackman. I like the idea of this concept but the concept actually imbeds a devious story landmine. It forces a lot of the action into flashbacks. The narrative becomes a labyrinthian mess. It strives for something interesting but fails to grasp it. Writer/director Lisa Joy seems to be trying to branch out on her own after her work on Westworld. She has something there but it needs work. The first thing I would work on is the title. It's trying to be Nolanesque without the self-confidence.