In Time, written and directed by Andrew Niccol, stars Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Vincent Kartheiser, Olivia Wilde and Alex Pettyfer. An interesting premise to this alternate reality film with a heavy helping of moral issues giving In Time a middle of the road rating from this reviewer.
Plot:
When scientists unlock the secret to immortality, time becomes the new currency and one desperate man comes under attack from a mysterious group known only as the "Time Keepers." In the not-too-distant future, scientists have discovered a way to turn off the aging gene. As the threat of overpopulation looms over society, money becomes a thing of the past. Now, assets are measured in time; those with the most time also possess the most power. Meanwhile, the lower classes are forced to barter with the new elite if they want to live forever. Suddenly a young commoner stumbles across a treasure chest of time. With the "Time Keepers" in hot pursuit, however, he may never get a chance to use it.
First off let me start by saying the film isn't a total waste of time, there's some really good points to the movie I'd like to touch on. The picture itself is beautifully shot with vivid blues and shades of grey throughout that give the film a very futuristic feel. Amanda looked stunning in her high class outfits with Justin and Alex holding it down strong for the men. Beef cakes fill the screen from scene to scene which is ALWAYS a plus in my book. The more shirts that fly off the better! Anyway, back to the story. The premise of the story was solid and the scenes that translated well came at you like a ton of bricks. But by the end of the film it felt like we were being force-fed the film's moral message. The audience gets it and we are with you, but the overuse of the moral message made the film start to feel redundant.
With a Bonnie and Clyde or Robin Hood type of theme, the story takes on the issue of time and what would you do if you had all the time in the world. Or on the other side of the coin what would you do with only a day on the clock? If everything you did was based on gaining and losing minutes of your life how would you survive and would you even want to live forever? It carries a class warfare message that many people can relate to in this economic environment. Some intense action and emotional scenes did reach out and grab me, helping the movie move things along. Unfortunately gaps in the dialog and overall plot of the film left me frustrated and disappointed with the movie as a whole.
Some strong performances from the cast were overshadowed by the lack of script. I felt that more time needed to be dedicated to the interaction of the actors and buildup towards the ending. Something I noticed, as a woman, it was pretty unrealistic for Amanda and Olivia's characters to be running around in 6 inch heels all the time. I mean take them off or something because I personally know there's no way you would be able to run that fast without breaking your neck! A lack of sexual chemistry also added to the unbelievability between our main characters. You could tell they both came to do a good job with the parts they had, but as a couple it felt a bit disjointed. They seemed more like good buddies then lovers.
Overall the movie was pretty okay, with a few majors parts missing in the script, overuse of moral plot issues and lack of chemistry In Time is generating an average rating from this reviewer. I'd check around to read what other folks are writing if you're still on the fence or pop in to catch the cheap showing. For the ladies that love some man candy you'll get a good dose with this one.
Getting 3 Timekeeper Sheep
KD
