The science fiction film Infinite were not kind when it released on Paramount's streaming service in 2021. Infinite, which also stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sophie Cookson and Jason Mantzoukas, holds a 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film follows Evan McCauley, who is haunted by memories of places he's never visited, until he discovers a secret society of "Infinites." Evan teams up with the group to hone his skills and stop a man in the Antoine Fuqua-directed science fiction movie.

While Infinite did not receive strong reviews upon its release, finding a second life as a trending movie on Prime Video is a silver-lining for the film. However, this doesn't change the fact that Mark Wahlberg has terrible luck when it comes to science fiction movies. While Wahlberg has always had major successes in the action genre, his sci-fi movies have not been reviewed well by audiences. Similar to Infinite, Wahlberg's 2008 sci-fi movie The Happening also received a slew of negative reviews.

Infinite Should Have Redeemed Mark Wahlberg's 2008 Sci-Fi Thriller The Happening

The Happening Director M. Nght Shyamalan Has Directed Many Mind-Bending Movies

In 2008, Wahlberg teamed up with acclaimed director M. Night Shyamalan for The Happening, a science fiction film about a mysterious natural disaster that causes people to inexplicably end their lives. In the movie, Elliot, played by Wahlberg, travels with his wife, his best friend, and his best friend's daughter into the countryside to escape a seemingly invisible killer. While its premise is intriguing and mysterious, like most M. Night Shyamalan movies, The Happening did not resonate with audiences, and also has a 17% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Infinite still struggled to connect with fans and critics, with many people even accusing the film of being a rip-off of The Matrix.

13 years after the negative reception to The Happening, Infinite was Wahlberg's chance to redeem himself in the eyes of science fiction fans. Antoine Fuqua had previously directed acclaimed films such as Training Day, Southpaw, and all three Equalizer movies, so Wahlberg was working with a proven filmmaker. However, Infinite still struggled to connect with fans and critics, with many even accusing the film of being a rip-off of The Matrix.

What Mark Wahlberg Has Said About His Sci-Fi Movies' Critical Failures

Wahlberg Does Not Like The Happening

After The Happening and Infinite, it seems safe to say that Wahlberg and the science fiction genre are just not a good mix. This is something that Wahlberg has likely reflected on himself, since he has not starred in another sci-fi movie since Infinite's negative reception. While Wahlberg has never said anything bad about Infinite, he has claimed that he knows The Happening is not that good. In a 2010 Entertainment Weekly interview while promoting The Fighter alongside Amy Adams, who supposedly auditioned for the role of Wahlberg's wife in The Happening, Wahlberg told her she "dodged a bullet." He said:

We had actually had the luxury of having lunch before to talk about another movie, and it was a really bad movie that I did. She dodged the bullet. And then I was still able to…I don’t want to tell you what movie…all right, The Happening. F*** it. It is what it is. F***ing trees, man. The plants. F*** it. You can’t blame me for not wanting to try to play a science teacher. At least I wasn’t playing a cop or a crook.

In addition to The Happening and Infinite, Wahlberg has also starred in Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes and the final two Michael Bay Transformers movies, Age of Extinction and The Last Knight. While these movies are part of larger franchises, and not standalone, original stories like The Happening and Infinite, they can still be categorized as science fiction films. Just like The Happening and Infinite, these movies also received countless negative reviews, which further proves that Wahlberg should not pursue any more science fiction projects.

Why Infinite Is Becoming A Streaming Hit 3 Years After Its Premiere

Infinite Was Recently Added To Prime Video

While it did not receive positive reviews upon its release on Paramount+, Infinite is now a streaming hit on Prime Video. While the negative reviews from critics still stand, Infinite's newfound success suggests that it is actually an entertaining science fiction movie that just never found the right audience. Since the Paramount+ streaming service was launched in 2021, just months before Infinite was released, it's possible that it just didn't find its audience at the time of release.

Since Prime Video has many more subscribers than Paramount+, more viewers now have the chance to watch Infinite and judge the movie for themselves. It has become quite common for movies that don't make a lot of money at the box office to do well when they are released on a popular streaming service. Therefore, in a similar sense, it's possible that Infinite was just on the wrong streaming service. Given its recent surge in popularity, it's clear that people are interested in Wahlberg's latest science fiction role.

Source: Entertainment Weekly