Title – Infinite (2021)

Director – Antoine Fuqua (Southpaw)

Cast – Mark Wahlberg, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sophie Cookson, Dylan O’Brien, Jason Mantzoukas, Rupert Friend, Toby Jones

Plot – Evan McCauley (Wahlberg) discovers that he is in fact a reincarnation with deep-seeded memories of past lives, as a battle between fellow reincarnated souls rages throughout the Earth with only Evan’s memories left to stop a devastating end to the world as we know it.

“What do I know that you need so bad?”

Review by Eddie on 25/06/2021

A film with (please forgive me) infinite possibilities on what it could provide in a thrilling sci-fi action romp sense, the first collaboration between director Antoine Fuqua and star Mark Wahlberg since their hit 2007 film Shooter is instead a DOA big-budget affair that its backer Paramount Plus must surely be questioning its investment in.

Based on D. Eric Maikranz book The Reincarnationist Papers, Infinite harbors deep down within itself an intriguing set-up of warring factions of whom have the rare ability to be reincarnated upon death and reborn with past memories to do life all over again on a constant loop but as has been the case in recent times of both the career of the once good Antoine Fuqua (Training Day seems like lifetimes ago now) and the phoning it in Wahlberg, Infinite is a by the numbers affair without a single ounce of originality or creativity, squandering any chance it had of being something worthwhile from the moment it begins.

Perhaps too consumed with the thought of opening more gyms/burger joints (an oxymoron if there ever was one), buying his kids basketball cards or renting himself out to betting ads, Wahlberg in particular here brings the film down to the doldrums with a robotic performance where it appears as though his in a constant state of shock and awe, mouth a gasp and eyes wide opened with final confirmation that gone are the days where Wahlberg’s services in these type of mid-tier but watchable thrillers was a good thing, with the one-time Hollywood heavyweight in dire need of doing something better with his time.

In this instance however Wahlberg isn’t alone with the likes of Dylan O’Brien, Rupert Friend and in a genuinely can’t believe it existed cameo Toby Jones all badly lowering their colours in Fuqua’s bland exercise in wannabe sci-fi spectacle, with the only joy found in this cast centred around a running with it Chiwetel Ejiofor as the films egg-hunting bad guy Bathurst 2020, who runs rampant in any of the screen time he is given in what’s probably a future Razzie nominated performance that at least provides us with some type of enthusiasm and effort.

With everything falling a part in a cast sense and with a plot line that will lose most viewers very early on with a range of daft and bizarre movements; SPOILER ALERT – in particular a whole story revolving around the fact Bathurst 2020 wants to stop being reincarnated by destroying the world when he holds a specialised de-carnation gun in his very hands? Infinite is far from enjoyable in any aspect with all the fun from this amateurish production stemming from witnessing how a film like this could see the light of day.

If Paramount Plus is going to release original content like this, its highly likely it won’t be sticking around too much longer in the public realm.

Final Say –

As a car crash in motion Infinite provides some mild entertainment but in any other sense this overblown, undercooked and bland offering is a dumpster fire of epic proportions. A new low in the quickly sinking career of both its leading man and director.

1 jar of honey out of 5