The Mark Wahlberg Sci-Fi Action Movie Nobody Knew He Existed Is Now a Big Streaming Hit

Posted by Jonathan Klotz | Published 1 hour ago

Mark Wahlberg doesn't do many sci-fi movies, starring in two Transformers movies, for Tim Burton. Planet of the Apesagain Endless. It's the last one that's really surprising because three years after it was unfairly dropped from streaming, it was one of the most popular movies on Amazon Prime for weeks. Wahlberg's attempt to launch a sci-fi franchise is surprising in terms of film, but so is the film's director, Antoine Fuqua, known for the Equalizer franchise, making his only foray into sci-fi action.

First released in 2021, there's a good chance that most people streaming today think it's new when, in fact, it's been bullied by the studio and pushed out in the belief that no one can find it.

A Tried Franchise Starter

Endless has all the makings of a second tier sci-fi franchise, such as The Jumper or Valerianand devotes a significant portion of its working time to describing the world. I watch a lot of sci-fi, and it feels like every movie wants to be a launching pad for the next big thing, but few are as obvious about it as Endless. Not as subtle as Tom Cruise's Mother and that ham-fisted attempt at Dark Universe.

Infinite is described as being part of a select group of 500 people who retain memories from their past lives. Over the centuries, this group has split along ideological lines into Believers, who hope for the best of humanity, and Nihilists, who have become disillusioned and want to end the cycle of reincarnation and the world in the process. Mark Wahlberg plays Evan McCauley, a man who suffers from schizophrenia and a history of violent outbursts, but that is because he is a permanent person, but his mind is damaged, and he cannot accept his past lives.

There are no twists and no surprises Endlesswhich isn't a bad thing, as there's definitely room for some light, feel-good sci-fi action where the good guys win and the bad guys lose, but the film feels like empty calories. Little Ceaser of sci-fi: empty calories remind you of a different food every time you eat it.

Affected by COVID

Endless it is an adaptation of The Resurrection Papersa self-published novel by D. Eric Maikranz, who cleverly offered a 10 percent commission to any readers who referred him to a Hollywood producer. Paramount picked it up in 2017, initially with Chris Evans attached, in his first MCU role, but he dropped out, and Mark Wahlberg signed on, with Fuqua attached as director, then Chiwetiel Ejifor on board as the villain; was set for success and would meet its worldwide release on August 7, 2020.

COVID has changed everything, it is delayed Endless to May 2021 and then September, then Paramount decided to skip the theatrical release and dropped it on Paramount+. For many years, the film has quietly languished in service, with critics targeting it as a B-movie that tries to copy all the best parts of other films, mostly. The Matrix. However, when it became available on Amazon Prime, the film spent weeks at the top of the service's top ten list, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Endless is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.