Review: In Time
What We Thought
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, ThrillerWhat We Liked :
Cool Concept, Strong Supporting TalentWhat We Disliked:
Script is all over the place, TediousIf time equals money, then your time is better spent somewhere else.
Imagine if you lived in a world where all your time was literally money. Would you pay four hours of your life for a cup of coffee? Or two hours for a bus ride? These are questions the civilization of In Time ask themselves on a daily basis.
Having literally one day at a time, Will Salas (Justin Timberlake), works for more life for him and his mother (Olivia Wilde). In the world of In Time once you hit age twenty-five you never age a single day more. The only catch is you have to accumulate time in order to stay alive.
During a quick interlude at a bar, Will meets Henry Hamilton (Matt Bomer), a man who was over a century to live. Henry has grown weary of living and donates his remaining time to Will. Will decides that the best course for him, is to give people who live in similar harsh conditions, more time.
On the other side of the spectrum is the wealthy. They seem to have all the time in the world. They will gamble away thousands of years at a time just for fun, when there are people dying in the streets. Will is determined to live a life where he can give back to the poor.
In a mix between Bonnie & Cylde and Robin Hood, In Time has a lot of interesting ideas on paper, it’s a shame they never made it to the screen. The supporting cast is strong; featuring performances from Cillian Murphy, Amanda Seyfried, Vincent Kartheiser and Alex Pettyfer. With this much talent, it’s hard to believe Andrew Niccol couldn’t pull a winner out of this.
It’s unfair to say that In Time is uninteresting, it just lacks motivation. The script is all over the place and never decides what story it wants to focus on. Will Salas’s father is mentioned quite a bit in the beginning of the film, but by the end he is just included in a long list of unanswered plot points. What we are left with is a series of interesting half hour television episodes strung together for a film narrative.
In Time will get plenty of fans in years to come. It’s a fine movie for a rainy day on TBS or TNT. The problem is there was a lot of expectation for something more and given the pedigree of Niccol’s past work it can’t be considered anything more than a disappointment. If time equals money, then your time is better spent somewhere else.
About the Author
Good review, Max. I think the film has a great potential to be a great sci-fi classic, I really like the theme of the story. But the cast is just meh, I mean Justin Timberlake?? I don't mind seeing him as supporting actor, but as a lead I don't think he can keep my interest.
"It’s a fine movie for a rainy day on TBS or TNT…" Sounds good, I'll just rent it when it's out, but I'm in no hurry.
I actually liked the cast as the highlight of the film. I think it would've been a great collection of talent if only the material had been stronger. I endorse your idea to wait on this one.
I was really disappointed by this one as well. Justin Timberlake has been in some brilliant films recently, I loved Friends with Benefits. I was expecting a lot from In Time and it didn't live up to my expectations at all. Shame really, as it could have been fantastic. Great review, Max!
I have enjoyed Timberlake in other films recently too. Especially The Social Network. I hope this doesn't diminish his star power and he'll continue to get great roles.
I felt very similar to you my friend. I thought, nice idea, poorly executed…..stretched far too thin
Great write up matey
I didn't know you had seen this yet Scott. Maybe I missed your write-up. Thanks for checking out the review. I wish this film was so much more than what it turned out to be.
I did really enjoy this film but it does have a lot of flaws. I loved the attention to detail – like the fact that the timekeepers don't carry a lot of time around with them – but it became too cliched with the Robin Hood, taking from the rich to give to the poor, scenario.
The actors were my favorite part. It should've been a lot beter than it was considering the cast, but it didn't turn out that way huh?
I saw how you felt, but I just couldn't slam this film that hard. I still had an enjoyable time at the movies, but it was ultimately forgetful.