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Infinite is a 2021 American science fiction action film directed by Antoine Fuqua. Ian Shorr wrote the screenplay based on a story by Todd Stein, who in-turn adapted D. Eric Maikranz's 2009 novel The Reincarnationist Papers.[1] The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sophie Cookson, Jason Mantzoukas, Rupert Friend, Toby Jones and Dylan O'Brien.[2]

The film was digitally released on Paramount+ on June 10, 2021, following delays from its original August 2020 theatrical release due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It received negative reviews from critics, who criticized Wahlberg's performance and the screenplay, with some comparing it unfavorably to other films like The Matrix.

Premise

Evan McCauley (Mark Wahlberg) possesses skills he has never learned and memories of places he has never visited which haunt his daily life. Self-medicated and on the brink of a mental breakdown, Evan is sought by a secret group that call themselves “Infinites,” revealing to him that his memories may be real--but they are from multiple past lives. The Infinites bring Evan into their extraordinary world, where a gifted few are given the ability to be reborn with their memories and knowledge accumulated over centuries. With critical secrets buried in his past, Evan must work with the Infinites to unlock the answers in his memories in a race against time to save humanity from one of their own (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who seeks to end all life to stop what he views as the cursed, endless cycle of reincarnation.

Cast

Production

In March 2017, Paramount Pictures had bought the rights to a spec script entitled Infinite by Ian Shorr with Mark Vahradian and Lorenzo di Bonaventura set to produce the film. The script was described as Wanted meets The Matrix.[3] By November 2018, Paramount began talks with Antoine Fuqua to direct the film.[4] It was announced in February 2019 that Chris Evans had entered negotiations to star in the film, with Fuqua officially confirmed as director.[5] That same month, John Lee Hancock was reported to have provided rewrites on Shorr's script.[6] In June, Evans dropped out of the project due to scheduling issues with Defending Jacob, with Mark Wahlberg entering negotiations to replace him.[7][8] Wahlberg was confirmed in August, with Sophie Cookson and Dylan O'Brien added to the cast.[9][10] In September, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Rupert Friend and Jason Mantzoukas were cast.[11][12][13] Tom Hughes was cast in October.[14]

Filming began in September 2019. Scenes were shot in central Cardiff,[15] Farnborough Airport[16] and an indoor ski facility, The Snow Centre, during a week long shutdown to the public.[17][18] Filming was also done in London, Mexico City, Guanajuato, Nepal, New York City, Scotland, Thailand and the Alps.[19]

Release

Infinite was originally scheduled for a theatrical release on August 7, 2020,[20] but was delayed to May 28, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[21] It was delayed again to September 24, 2021, when A Quiet Place Part II was moved to the May slot.[22] On May 6, 2021, Paramount cancelled Infinite's theatrical release, and instead digitally released it via Paramount+ on June 10, 2021.[23]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 17% of 47 critics' reviews of the film are positive, with an average rating of 4/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "An initially intriguing sci-fi thriller that quickly veers into incoherence, Infinite is as inane as it is inconsequential."[24] According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 28 out of 100 based on 24 critics, the film received "generally unfavorable reviews."[25]

Ty Burr of The Boston Globe gave the film 1.5/4 stars and wrote: "Heading straight to streaming platform Paramount+ without the embarrassment of appearing in theaters first, the movie is both blissfully incoherent and weirdly generic, as if it had been assembled from the spare parts of other movies and glued together with stuntwork."[26] From The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney said: "Infinite is a soulless grind. Juiced up with a succession of CG-enhanced accelerated chases and fight action interspersed with numbing bursts of high-concept geek speak, Antoine Fuqua's sci-fi thriller isn't helped by a lead performance from Mark Wahlberg at his most inexpressive."[27]

In his review for Variety, Peter Debruge called the film "Matrix-meets-The Old Guard wannabe" and wrote: "The more you start to nitpick this movie, the more innumerable its plot holes appear, until the whole thing collapses in on itself."[28] Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times said: "The script doesn't reincarnate so much as it recycles, drawing freely on the nested realities of Inception, the free-your-mind metaphysics of The Matrix and the amnesiac-assassin revelations of the Jason Bourne movies. Maybe watch one of those tonight instead."[29] Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com gave the review 0.5/4 stars, saying that "rather than crafting a high-concept science-fiction marvel, Fuqua's Infinite relies on shoddy VFX and ropey world-building for the worst film of his career." [30]

References

  1. ↑ "Infinite - WGA Directory". WGAEast (March 31, 2020).
  2. ↑ "INFINITE (2021) Movie Trailer 2: Mark Wahlberg & Chiwetel Ejiofor Have Been Reincarnated and Enemies for Centuries". www.film-book.com.
  3. ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike (March 15, 2017). "Paramount Buys Ian Shorr Sci-Fi Spec Infinite". Deadline. Retrieved on April 23, 2021.
  4. ↑ Kit, Borys (November 1, 2018). "Antoine Fuqua in Talks to Direct Immortal Thriller Infinite (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on April 23, 2021.
  5. ↑ McNary, Dave. "Chris Evans in Talks to Star in Antoine Fuqua's Past-Lives Drama 'Infinite'", Variety, February 12, 2019. 
  6. ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike (February 12, 2019). "Paramount Taps Chris Evans, Antoine Fuqua For Tentpole Infinite". Deadline. Retrieved on April 23, 2021.
  7. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 28, 2019). "Mark Wahlberg In Talks To Replace Chris Evans In Paramount's 'Infinite'". Deadline Hollywood.
  8. ↑ Kit, Borys (June 28, 2019). "Mark Wahlberg in Talks to Replace Chris Evans in Antoine Fuqua Thriller Infinite". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on April 23, 2021.
  9. ↑ Kroll, Justin. "'Kingsman' Actress Sophie Cookson to Star in 'Infinite' With Mark Wahlberg (EXCLUSIVE)", Variety, August 14, 2019. 
  10. ↑ Kroll, Justin. "Dylan O'Brien to Star Opposite Mark Wahlberg in 'Infinite' (EXCLUSIVE)", Variety, August 29, 2019. 
  11. ↑ Kit, Borys. "Chiwetel Ejiofor to Play Villain in Mark Wahlberg Action Thriller 'Infinite' (Exclusive)", The Hollywood Reporter, September 10, 2019. 
  12. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (September 10, 2019). "Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson Cast In Paramount's 'Infinite'; Jasper Polish Joins 'Force of Nature'". Deadline.
  13. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 13, 2019). "Paramount Action Pic 'Infinite' Adds Jason Mantzoukas & Rupert Friend". Deadline.
  14. ↑ Tom Hughes Cast In ‘Infinite’; Jasmin Savoy Brown To Star In ‘Conductor’; Isabel Arraiza Joins ‘The Little Things’
  15. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-50117698
  16. ↑ Phillips, Jamie (September 18, 2019). "Is filming at Farnborough Airport for new Mark Wahlberg film Infinite?".
  17. ↑ "The Snow Centre" (en). www.facebook.com.
  18. ↑ "The Snow Centre" (en). www.facebook.com.
  19. ↑ Fleming Jr., Mike. "Paramount Moving Mark Wahlberg-Starrer 'Infinite' To Memorial Day Weekend 2021; Antoine Fuqua & Lorenzo Di Bonaventura Discuss Challenge Of Cutting A Movie In Surreal Moment", Deadline, April 14, 2020. 
  20. ↑ McNary, Dave. "Chris Evans' 'Infinite' Gets 2020 Summer Release Date", Variety, May 8, 2019. 
  21. ↑ Fleming Jr., Mike. "Paramount Moving Mark Wahlberg-Starrer 'Infinite' To Memorial Day Weekend 2021; Antoine Fuqua & Lorenzo Di Bonaventura Discuss Challenge Of Cutting A Movie In Surreal Moment", Deadline, April 14, 2020. 
  22. ↑ Haring, Bruce (2021-03-04). "'A Quiet Place Part II' Moves Yet Again, Now Set For 2021 Memorial Day Weekend".
  23. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 6, 2021). "Mark Wahlberg & Antoine Fuqua Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Infinite’ Skips Theaters & Heads To Paramount+". Deadline Hollywood.
  24. ↑ "Infinite (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb.
  25. ↑ "Infinite Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc..
  26. ↑ Burr, Ty (June 9, 2021). "To ‘Infinite’ (but not beyond): Mark Wahlberg’s new movie is on Paramount+". The Boston Globe.
  27. ↑ Rooney, David (June 10, 2021). "Mark Wahlberg in Antoine Fuqua’s ‘Infinite’: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
  28. ↑ Debruge, Peter (June 10, 2021). "‘Infinite’ Review: Mark Wahlberg Reincarnation Thriller Will Leave You With Déjà Vu Screen". Variety.
  29. ↑ Burr, Ty (June 9, 2021). "To ‘Infinite’ (but not beyond): Mark Wahlberg’s new movie is on Paramount+". Los Angeles Times.
  30. ↑ Daniels, Robert (June 10, 2021). "Infinite review". RogerEbert.com.

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