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Infinite (film)

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Infinite
Official release poster
Directed byAntoine Fuqua
Screenplay byIan Shorr
Story byTodd Stein
Based onThe Reincarnationist Papers
by D. Eric Maikranz
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMauro Fiore
Edited byConrad Buff
Music byHarry Gregson-Williams
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount+
Release date
  • June 10, 2021 (2021-06-10)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Infinite is a 2021 American science fiction action film directed by Antoine Fuqua. The screenplay, which was written by Ian Shorr, is based on a story by Todd Stein, which is itself adapted from 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.[3][4][5] It received negative reviews from critics who criticized the performances and screenplay, with some comparing it unfavorably with other films like The Matrix.

Plot

In 1985 Mexico City, Heinrich Treadway tries to escape the authorities and a man, Bathurst. He and his associates, Abel and Leona speak about "the Egg," which Treadway stole from Bathurst. Treadway tells Abel that if he does not survive, the latter must remember to "look inside". He drives off a bridge, jumping from his car in mid-air and onto a crane 150 feet away. However, Treadway watches helplessly as Bathurst arrives and kills Abel and Leona.

In 2020, Evan McCauley suffers from schizophrenia. Because of past institutionalization and violent behavior, he cannot get a job. Needing meds, he forges a katana for a local gangster, even though he was never trained as a bladesmith. After the deal goes south, Evan makes his escape but is later arrested. A man at the police station introduces himself as Bathurst. He starts to refer to Evan as Treadway and claims they have known each other for centuries.

When Bathurst gets Evan to remember things about his past life, a car slams into the room. Evan's rescuer is Nora Brightman, who takes Evan to the group she is part of. There are about 500 individuals in the world who can remember all their past lives, known as the Infinites. Two opposing factions have developed among the Infinites: the Believers and the Nihilists. The Believers, such as Nora, think remembrance is a gift bestowed on them by a higher power in order to make the world better. Nihilists like Bathurst consider it a curse. They think the Infinites are condemned to witness humanity self-destruct. They want to be free of this and exterminate all life on Earth.

Both factions believe that Evan is Treadway's reincarnation. Hidden in his memory of his past life is the location of the Egg, the device that was created to end the world. The Believers must retrieve his memory and secure the Egg before Bathurst gets Evan and tortures the information out of him. As Nora, Leona's reincarnation, explains to Evan, the Infinites start to remember things when they are young. By puberty, they have recalled everything. This is why Evan was diagnosed schizophrenic. Despite their progress, Evan struggles to regain Treadway's memories, revealed to be the result of trauma endured from accidents earlier in life. However, after a session inside Artisan's machine, Evan unlocks his memories.

Treadway was killed by the previous Bathurst not long after Abel and Leona. The Believers retrieved his body and took it back to the Hub, where it is kept in a chamber. Evan recalls that he slashed open his belly and put the Egg inside. Bathurst used to be a comrade of Treadway. They spent centuries fighting beside each other. However, Bathurst became disillusioned with the Believers' mission and began attempting to end the reincarnation. The Egg was the product of that search. When activated, it will attack the DNA of living beings and destroy life.

The device with the Egg inside it flies out of a plane. Evan jumps after it and Bathurst follows. The two fight in mid-air, and Evan manages to stop the countdown by pulling out the Egg. He shoots Bathurst with a Dethroner, which ensures that Bathurst will not be reborn. Evan drowns in the ocean with the egg. Meanwhile Nora and the Artisan destroy the chips freeing the souls of the Believers Bathurst trapped, including Abel's.

Years later, Nora and Abel are reborn and they meet at the Beginning. Evan is reborn in Jakarta, Indonesia. Artisan, now older, visits him and offers a katana to the younger Evan, who regains his memories upon recognizing him.

Cast

Production

Development

D. Eric Maikranz self-published The Reincarnationist Papers in 2009. Due to his difficulties to find a literary agent to have his book adapted into a film, he announced a campaign in the first edition of the book, offering to his readers a commission to someone who successfully pitched a film adaptation of his book to a Hollywood producer. By eighteen months, he received an email from Rafi Crohn, a junior executive on a Hollywood production company who found his book in a Nepalese hostel. (Maikranz paid the commission to Crohn in December 2019.)[citation needed] Crohn then commissioned Ian Shorr and Todd Stein to write an adaptation.[clarification needed]

In March 2017, Deadline reported that Paramount Pictures had bought the rights to Shorr and Stein's adaptation, which was described as Wanted meets The Matrix, with Mark Vahradian and Lorenzo di Bonaventura along with John Zaozirny and Crohn set to produce the film. The same Deadline article mistakenly called Shorr and Stein's screenplay as a spec script and Maikranz's book as "unpublished".[6] By November 2018, Paramount began talks with Antoine Fuqua to direct the film.[7] It was announced in February 2019 that Chris Evans had entered negotiations to star in the film, with Fuqua officially confirmed as director.[8] That same month, John Lee Hancock was reported to have provided rewrites on Shorr's script.[9] In June, Evans dropped out of the project due to scheduling issues with Defending Jacob, with Mark Wahlberg entering negotiations to replace him.[10][11] Wahlberg was confirmed in August, with Sophie Cookson and Dylan O'Brien added to the cast.[12][13] In September, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Rupert Friend and Jason Mantzoukas were cast.[14][15][16] Tom Hughes was cast in October.[17]

Production

Filming began in September 2019. Scenes were shot in central Cardiff,[18] Farnborough Airport[19] and an indoor ski facility, The Snow Centre, during a week long shutdown to the public.[20][21] Filming was also done at ex-Rothschild stately home, Mentmore Towers in Buckinghamshire, in London, Mexico City, Guanajuato, Nepal, New York City, Scotland, Cambodia and the Alps.[22]

Music

Harry Gregson-Williams, who worked with director Antoine Fuqua in his previous films, has composed the film score. Paramount Music & La-La Land Records has released the soundtrack.[citation needed]

Release

Infinite was originally scheduled for a theatrical release on August 7, 2020,[23] but was delayed to May 28, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[24] It was delayed again to September 24, 2021, when A Quiet Place Part II was moved to the May slot.[25] On May 6, 2021, Paramount cancelled Infinite's theatrical release, and instead digitally released it via Paramount+ on June 10, 2021.[26] In countries where Paramount+ isn't available as a streaming service, the film was released through ViacomCBS-owned SVOD services Paramount Play and Paramount+ on August 23, 2021.[27]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 16% of 77 critics' reviews of the film are positive, with an average rating of 4.1/10. 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."[28] According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 28 out of 100 based on 27 critics, the film received "generally unfavorable reviews."[29]

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."[30] 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."[31]

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."[32] 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."[33] Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com gave the film 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."[34]

The New York Times listed the film as one of the "Worst Films of 2021".

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
2022
 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Picture Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Huffam, Stephen Levinson,
Mark Vahradian, Mark Wahlberg and John Zaozirny 		Pending [35]
Worst Actor Mark Wahlberg Pending
Worst Supporting Actress Sophie Cookson Pending

References

  1. ^ "Infinite - WGA Directory". WGAEast. March 31, 2020. Archived from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  2. ^ "INFINITE (2021) Movie Trailer 2: Mark Wahlberg & Chiwetel Ejiofor Have Been Reincarnated and Enemies for Centuries". www.film-book.com. 7 June 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-06-10. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  3. ^ Szalai, Georg (2021-07-01). "Paramount+ Takes 'Infinite' for International Markets". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  4. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (2021-07-01). "'Infinite': Mark Wahlberg Sci-Fi Thriller To Debut On Paramount+ In Streamer's Overseas Markets". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  5. ^ "Keep it Reel: 'INFINITE'". 2021-07-16. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  6. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 15, 2017). "Paramount Buys Ian Shorr Sci-Fi Spec Infinite". Deadline. Archived from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  7. ^ Kit, Borys (November 1, 2018). "Antoine Fuqua in Talks to Direct Immortal Thriller Infinite (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  8. ^ McNary, Dave (February 12, 2019). "Chris Evans in Talks to Star in Antoine Fuqua's Past-Lives Drama 'Infinite'". Variety. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  9. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 12, 2019). "Paramount Taps Chris Evans, Antoine Fuqua For Tentpole Infinite". Deadline. Archived from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  10. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 28, 2019). "Mark Wahlberg In Talks To Replace Chris Evans In Paramount's 'Infinite'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  11. ^ Kit, Borys (June 28, 2019). "Mark Wahlberg in Talks to Replace Chris Evans in Antoine Fuqua Thriller Infinite". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  12. ^ Kroll, Justin (August 14, 2019). "'Kingsman' Actress Sophie Cookson to Star in 'Infinite' With Mark Wahlberg (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  13. ^ Kroll, Justin (August 29, 2019). "Dylan O'Brien to Star Opposite Mark Wahlberg in 'Infinite' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on September 23, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  14. ^ Kit, Borys (September 10, 2019). "Chiwetel Ejiofor to Play Villain in Mark Wahlberg Action Thriller 'Infinite' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 11, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  15. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (September 10, 2019). "Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson Cast In Paramount's 'Infinite'; Jasper Polish Joins 'Force of Nature'". Deadline. Archived from the original on September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  16. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 13, 2019). "Paramount Action Pic 'Infinite' Adds Jason Mantzoukas & Rupert Friend". Deadline. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  17. ^ "Tom Hughes Cast In 'Infinite'; Jasmin Savoy Brown To Star In 'Conductor'; Isabel Arraiza Joins 'The Little Things'". 28 October 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
  18. ^ "Mark Wahlberg movie Infinite closes Cardiff road for stunt". BBC News. 21 October 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-10-28. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
  19. ^ Phillips, Jamie (September 18, 2019). "Is filming at Farnborough Airport for new Mark Wahlberg film Infinite?". Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  20. ^ "The Snow Centre". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
  21. ^ "The Snow Centre". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-19. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
  22. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 14, 2020). "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. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  23. ^ McNary, Dave (May 8, 2019). "Chris Evans' 'Infinite' Gets 2020 Summer Release Date". Variety. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  24. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 14, 2020). "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. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  25. ^ Haring, Bruce (2021-03-04). "'A Quiet Place Part II' Moves Yet Again, Now Set For 2021 Memorial Day Weekend". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2021-03-05. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  26. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 6, 2021). "Mark Wahlberg & Antoine Fuqua Sci-Fi Thriller 'Infinite' Skips Theaters & Heads To Paramount+". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  27. ^ "Триллер «Бесконечность» с Марком Уолбергом выйдет в России сразу на Paramount+ и Paramount Play". Film.ru (in Russian). August 19, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ^ "Infinite (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  29. ^ "Infinite Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  30. ^ Burr, Ty (June 9, 2021). "To 'Infinite' (but not beyond): Mark Wahlberg's new movie is on Paramount+". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  31. ^ Rooney, David (June 10, 2021). "Mark Wahlberg in Antoine Fuqua's 'Infinite': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  32. ^ Debruge, Peter (June 10, 2021). "'Infinite' Review: Mark Wahlberg Reincarnation Thriller Will Leave You With Déjà Vu Screen". Variety. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  33. ^ Burr, Ty (June 9, 2021). "To 'Infinite' (but not beyond): Mark Wahlberg's new movie is on Paramount+". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  34. ^ Daniels, Robert (June 10, 2021). "Infinite review". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  35. ^ Lewis, Hilary (February 7, 2022). "Razzies: Filmed Version of 'Diana' Stage Musical Tops 2022 Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
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