Keep it Reel: 'INFINITE'

Director Antoine Fuqua and Mark Wahlberg team up for a time-traveling sci-fi adventure that at face value is a very interesting and cool idea, it falls flat and left me thinking, "How did they manage to mess that up?!?"  Wahlberg plays a character whose life has been a series of misdiagnosed mental health issues because he's not mentally ill, rather he has been living multiple lives due to reincarnation.   It's unclear exactly how many times he has been re-incarnated, but he manages to recall memories from the mid 18th century.  A secret group called the 'Infinites' is looking for Wahlberg because he holds the memory of the continued existence of humankind.  Wahlberg is also being hunted by a rogue group of Infinites who want nothing more than to end the constant cycle of reincarnation and end all life on Earth.

As I stated earlier, great idea, an interesting concept that they managed to mess up.   The major problem I had is, I felt I was watching several different films.   When the film begins, it feels like a "Fast and Furious" movie.  Then it took a turn and felt like a "Terminator" movie.  Once the film settled in and I seemed to get was going on, it stalled and became boring.  I didn't care for any of the characters.   I didn't care if the mission to save the world, succeeded or not.  The filmmakers did the bare minimum when exploring reincarnation and time travel and the positives or negatives that come with that.  Instead, they relied on shoot-outs and fight scenes.  All too lazy.

I enjoy a good action film as much as the next person, but if you are going to introduce a concept that has multiple levels of complexity, take the time and make the decisions to do it correctly and thoughtfully.