Infini Movie Review

Written by Karin Crighton

Released by Vertical Entertainment

Directed by Shane Abbess
Written by Shane Abbess and Brian Cachia
2015, 110 minutes, Rated R
Released on VOD on May 8th, 2015

Starring:
Daniel MacPherson as Whit Carmichael
Luke Ford as Chester Huntington
Grace Huang as Claire Grenich
Harry Pavlidis as Harris Menzies

Review:

Whit Carmichael is only going out for 52 minutes. That’s all it takes to teleport to the edge of the galaxy and back these days. Stricken with poverty, he has no choice but to take on this dangerous mining mission to support his wife and unborn child. But like all best laid plans, things go horrifically wrong when mysterious contagion from outpost Infini shuts down the entire West Coast operation, stranding Whit on Infini with the lifeform itself. He must survive until the East Coast operation comes to rescue him...then survive them as well.

When I saw the trailer for Infini, I grabbed it up, seeing another potential Event Horizon. But Inifini isn’t malevolent-alien-lifeform as usual. The sensitivity, the reluctance to abandon reason and dive into violence, the constant reminders of what makes us people kept Infini an alien movie with a human soul. Whit is absolutely determined to survive whatever this place throws at him to get home to his wife and coming child. While that leads him to violence with the infected crew of East Coast, he never forgets that they too are fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, friends, and lovers. Each confrontation forces him into a situation where he must choose his life over someone who has as much to lose as he does.

It’s a shocking change from the expendable-extra take on most action movies; I chalk that up to its non-American (Australian) origin, although most of the actors speak with an American accent for some reason. [cough*marketing*cough.] We know the names of those who die, we spend time with them and like them. We relate to them as we relate to Whit, and when he must turn on them, it hurts to watch them fight.

That being said, it’s still incredibly exciting. We can never tell if Whit is infected or just fighting for his life. When replicas of Whit attack, are they intentional or a fluke of the bizarre alien life form that inhabit this planet? Will their own rescue cause the doom of everyone else with whom they come into contact?

The writing is exceptional. I’m not a fan of resurrection/salvation stories, but Infini won me over by keeping the tension ultra-tight up until the very last frame. I loved every bit of Daniel Macpherson’s performance as Whit; he is a man stripped to the last remaining ounce of humanity and I believed every minute. Grace Huang stole her finale as Claire, the medic who can’t fathom a life without disappointment and hardship. The choices she makes haunt her to her last moments on Infini, and Huang bares her soul for the camera along with Bren Foster as her hopeful partner, Morgan.

Infini reminds us that no matter what alien life we may encounter in our coming days or eras, we are defined by our humanity, and must not forget that.

Grades:

Movie: 4 Star Rating Cover
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