Infinite
“And next… well, the possibilities are… infinite.” — Evan McCauley
Infinite might have been the movie that marked the end of big-budget original sci-fi films and led to the decline of Mark Wahlberg’s blockbuster career. When a movie has the power to end an actor or genre, you know it’s at a whole new level of terrible. The quality of this is simply rock bottom.
Infinite explores the idea of people being able to remember their past lives. These individuals are divided into two groups: one seeking to destroy the world, and the other striving to make it better. It’s your typical sci-fi dystopian rebellion versus the villain trope — a concept we’ve seen a billion times.
Protagonist
The protagonist, Mark Wahlberg, lacks charisma and depth. I don’t understand why people think Mark Wahlberg is a great actor, but so far, his blockbuster films have been disappointing. His performances are often worse. Sometimes, watching him is cringe-worthy. He attempts to deliver lines with intense emotion, but it often comes across as goofy or over the top. When it isn’t, he just feels dull. Mark Wahlberg is not suited to be a blockbuster lead at all.
His character is also a jumble of nothingness. He undergoes a character arc that either makes no sense or feels empty. The film mentions he was diagnosed with schizophrenia but fails to show any signs of it. Those are just words he utters. He doesn’t show any symptoms, issues in daily life, or anything like that, even when everyone else seems convinced otherwise. He randomly agrees to all sorts of crazy plans — boarding a plane to a shady island or risking his life in a tube for something he isn’t even sure about — which is questionable. There are no major character moments or clear direction for his arc. He agrees to these ridiculous demands with a single line.
Villain
The villain, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, delivers a much better performance than Wahlberg. One scene with him was enough to overshadow whatever Wahlberg did.
His motivation is to end the world because he hates humans, but the emotion Ejiofor portrays for his character manages to outshine the terrible script and execution.
At the end of the day, he is still a terrible villain who is generic and cliché, but at least there was something about him worth remembering.
Side Characters
Every other character here is worse than you can imagine. They are boring, empty, hollow shells of the human being you see on screen. They have no substance inside, only words coming out of their mouths.
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It feels like they were AI chatbots — you know, with no emotions or personality, just words that mean nothing. It’s emotionally draining to watch these empty characters talk and act as if we should care.
Writing
The screenplay is poorly written. No one truly understands storytelling and just strings together whatever they think is cool. Some scenes are meant to build tension for a big action sequence, but they feel hollow and rushed. It seems the writers lacked any heart and just wanted to showcase the cool effects.
The settings and plot progression resemble other movies like The Matrix — a normal guy gets arrested, a sci-fi villain appears, and he’s saved by a female heroine who trains him to fight with kung fu. It’s all familiar stuff with a script that is riddled with clichés and generic tropes, making it boring.
Technical Filmmaking
On the technical side, the film does nothing innovative. There’s one car chase scene that was decent, but that’s about it. The action feels generic.
The cinematography and lighting are flat. There are no memorable shots to speak of. It’s a film that offers nothing for filmmakers to learn from.
All of this is very disappointing as I initially thought the concept was interesting. I also did some research and discovered this film is based on a short story.
The director has made some excellent action films, so how did he mess up so badly here? Every scene has issues. All these flaws together make a film that simply doesn’t work.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Infinite seems to be the final nail in the coffin for the original sci-fi genre. Even though it’s based on a short story, studios probably won’t invest heavily in original sci-fi anymore unless it’s from a well-known source or directed by a legendary filmmaker like Christopher Nolan. If it’s none of those, we may never see original high-budget sci-fi films again.
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Infinite is now streaming on Paramount Plus
