Mark Wahlberg's Panned Take On The Matrix 3 Years Ago Was Ironically Made Even Worse By Keanu Reeves' $159 Sequel

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Mark Wahlberg's Infinite is the actor's panned take on The Matrix from three years ago, and it was ironically made even worse by Keanu Reeve's $159 million sequel. Infinite is a sci-fi movie that was released in 2021, and while it is now streaming on Netflix, the film wasn't a very big hit. Infinite was unfavorably compared to The Matrix in almost every review, a fact that proves that the Mark Wahlberg movie was doomed from the start.

2021's Infinite is a high-concept sci-fi movie that focuses on the concept of reincarnation, with Mark Wahlberg playing a reincarnated warrior who fights for the Believers in an attempt to stop a team of evildoers known as the Nihilists. Infinite was critically panned across the board, and while its move to Netflix has seen it have a surge in popularity, much of the discussion centers around its connections to The Matrix and how unfavorably it was compared to the Keanu Reeves classic.

The Matrix Resurrections Came Out Only 6 Months After Mark Wahlberg's Infinite

The Two Movies Were Way Too Close To Each Other

Infinite's false reality sci-fi story and heady themes means that it was impossible for it to not be compared to The Matrix. However, making a film so similar to The Matrix in June 2021 was a massive mistake, as The Matrix Resurrections was set to come out only six months later. This means that the Mark Wahlberg film was doomed from the start, as any The Matrix fans that could have been interested already had their sights set on the new The Matrix movie in December.

Every antoine fuqua movie ranked The guilty southpaw training day infinite

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Even though Infinite was a far worse version of The Matrix, it had been nearly two decades since a The Matrix movie was released in 2021. This means that Infinite hypothetically could have pulled some interest from people who were looking for a The Matrix replacement. However, the looming threat of an official The Matrix legacy sequel completely killed any chances of this happening, kneecapping Infinite even further.

Infinite Was Exactly What Resurrections Was Making Fun Of

The story of The Matrix Resurrections further hurt Infinite, with the themes of the legacy sequel being all about movies like Infinite. The meta criticisms of Warner Bros. in The Matrix Resurrections were all about the studio rehashing The Matrix's story and attempting to cash in on something that was already successful rather than working on something new.

Bathhurst and evan in a composite photo from Infinite

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While Infinite wasn't made by Warner Bros., it was a clear ripoff of The Matrix, with the exact thing that The Matrix Resurrections was making fun of occurring six months before the film was released. Infinite's release date was one of the biggest nails in the coffin for the film, as its proximity to The Matrix Resurrections means that it had no chance to succeed.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Infinite is an action sci-fi film based on a novel that follows Evan McCauley, who discovers he has skills he never took the time to learn and memories that aren't his own. When Even is made privy to the existence of a secret group that knows why he experiences what he does, Evan is indoctrinated into the society of the "Infinites" to hone his craft. However, time is of the essence as one of the Infinites intends to destroy all life on earth to end the cycle of death and rebirth.

Director Antoine Fuqua

Release Date June 10, 2021

Studio(s) Paramount Pictures

Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures

Writers Ian Shorr

Cast Dylan O'Brien , Liz Carr , Toby Jones , Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson , Sophie Cookson , Rupert Friend , Jason Mantzoukas , Tom Hughes , Wallis Day , Mark Wahlberg , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Kae Alexander

Runtime 106minutes

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