Infinite [2021]

June 19, 2021

Sometimes you just want to turn off your brain and watch a breezy and formulaic science fiction movie. And Infinite is exactly that with its pompous plot and flashy visuals. I mean, as soon as you see Mark Wahlberg in any movie you should lower your expectations immediately. On the other hand, he does have some good movies like The Other Guys and Pain & Gain. Not to mention his crowning achievement Lone Survivor. Here he’s the usual fast-talking action guy looking pretty good for a guy who just turned fifty. Sophie Cookson’s performance was strangely subdued and serious, it’s like she didn’t get the memo this was a relatively silly movie. And we know she’s a great actress after seeing her in The Trial of Christine Keeler.

Infinite opens with an exciting chase through Mexico City hinting that this might be a movie not so grounded in reality. I think the moment you see Marky Mark forging a sword in his apartment you know that the reality went out of the window. However, since the movie doesn’t take itself seriously and knows it’s here to entertain, it manages to get away with it. Although every time they mentioned The Egg, I started laughing. And not because I played Elite Dangerous so much mining The Egg, it’s just a funny name for a weapon of mass destruction. Training Day and The Equalizer director Antoine Fuqua knows what he’s doing. And he does it well. Sure, the action is over-the-top and not realistic but what did you expect from a storyline like this.

Marvel movies are just as silly but they somehow avoid all the hate. And don’t try to make sense of the story because there isn’t any. Our homeboy Bathurst could’ve solved the problem in an instant. And don’t look for plot holes because there are plenty. Just relax and go with the flow. Yes, people will be doing impossible things and fighting against insurmountable odds but that’s a commercial movie for ya. You can always play Tenet for the eleventh time if you’re looking for some brains plus action. Maybe this time you will actually figure out what’s going. Infinite is a definite guilty pleasure and a movie that you shouldn’t go out of your way to see it. But if you have the opportunity, why not?

Evan McCauley knew there was something wrong with him from an early age. Haunted by the knowledge he doesn’t know he had, Evan struggles to hold on to a job and has psychotic breaks. However, after ending up arrested, he finds out that there’s someone looking for him. A secret society that calls themselves The Infinites that have big news for him. News that will change his life forever.

In recent years we’ve seen a lot of movies exploring similar themes. And while reincarnation wasn’t on the menu the basic principle sure was. Infinite was produced by Paramount but it feels like a Netflix movie. Like some of their latest science fiction action movies The Old Guard, Project Power and Code 8. Sony tried to do the same with Bloodshot starring Vin Diesel. The story is your usual contrived new age bullshit stuff guaranteed to get the producers hard as it hits all the necessary tags. Plus, the ending is pretty much wide open for a sequel taking place in Indonesia. I hope that instead of another PG-13 flick we get a bloodbath like The Night Comes For Us. Also, one of the things I loved in Infinite were the exotic South-East Asian locations.

In the end, this is a forgettable but mildly entertaining ride. Good enough for one viewing mostly because of special effects and Wahlberg’s snappy comebacks. I haven’t seen this much bullet-time since Wanted from 2008 starring Angelina Jolie. As bonus content, we get a lot of amazing-looking cars like Aston Martin Lagonda Vision Concept and Aston Martin Vantage. My heart ached to watch them destroy that Ferrari in the opening chase.