Today’s quick review: Infinity Chamber. In a future America ruled by an oppressive government known as the ISN, Frank (Christopher Soren Kelly) wakes up inside a high-tech prison with no knowledge of how he got there. His only company is his jailer Howard (Jesse D. Arrow), a computer program with limited capabilities. Recalling the details of his last day of freedom, Frank must figure out why he was captured and how can escape.
Infinity Chamber is a budget science fiction mystery with decent ideas and mixed execution. Infinity Chamber is one part mystery, one part jailbreak, and one part musing on the nature of AI. Its script toys with a couple of interesting concepts, but it lacks the skill needed to make the most of them. Likewise, Christopher Soren Kelly’s performance is competent enough to hold the movie together but not enough to make it shine.
Infinity Chamber is a mystery without enough clues. The world inside Frank’s cell offers few answers, while the world outside is never explored in any real detail. The result is a story that’s difficult to invest in, with no clear plot trajectory and unclear rules. To its credit, Infinity Chamber does do a good job of managing its individual scenes, if not always in stitching them together. The forward momentum is jerky, but it’s there.
Infinity Chamber is worth a watch if you’re a sci-fi fan with flexible tastes. There are too many similar science fiction movies with better execution for Infinity Chamber to stand out, but the quality of its central puzzle, writing, and acting are high enough to at least make it viable sci-fi fodder. Other sci-fi movies that toy with similar themes include OtherLife, Moon, and Ex Machina. For an action-genre take on a prisonbreak, check out Escape Plan.
6.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for a thoughtful plot that doesn’t live up to its full potential.