In Time

Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Vincent Kartheiser

Dir & Scr. Andrew Niccol

There’s a lot to like in the overarching premise of this movie. At first, it grabs your attention and you’re drawn to the futuristic world in which, literally, time is money. But In Time never lives up to its intriguing beginnings and falls flat as both a thriller and social commentary. And, much worse than that, I have retained little from this good-looking but unsatisfying film.

Set some time in the future, In Time presents us with a world in which people cease to age at 25 and their clock start ticking. Time must be earned or bought in order for people to survive more than the year they are gifted at 25. Social inequality runs rampant as the world is divided into time zones, with (supposedly) only so much time to go around. Timberlake plays Will Salas, a 28-year-old living day-to-day in the badlands of Dayton. When he suddenly finds himself with over a century to play with, he infiltrates the land of the privileged (and time-rich) in New Greenwich. He is soon on the run, with uber-wealthy Sylvia Weis (Seyfried) as his hostage. Together, they attempt to right some wrongs.

In Time certainly moves along at a clip. The plot suffers, but the audience is rarely left with time to question. There’s also no doubt that this film looks very good indeed – Niccol has an eye for the future, as seen in his much superior future-flick Gattaca. In Time is all greys and blues and cool and slightly steam-punk. The eerie glow of green from the clock on everyone’s forearm is a lovely touch, used to good effect by Niccol. Everyone is 25 (or younger) and mostly beautiful – there is a feeling at times that you’re watching a Calvin Klein ad rather than a movie, but who is going to complain too much about that?

The acting on offer is mixed. Timberlake is, at times, quite good. Seyfried is not. And the chemistry between them is heated but unbelievable. The real standout performance comes from Murphy, as Time Keeper Leon. For me, Murphy is a welcome addition to any film and In Time is no exception – we get from him the haunted and nuanced performance I wanted to see from Timberlake. The rest of the cast are solid if somewhat forgettable.

If you’re after an entertaining Saturday afternoon flick, then In Time may well fit the bill. There are good ideas flying around and the first half is pretty darn solid. But there isn’t a lot of heart or smarts on offer.

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Philippe Weis: But, hasn't evolution always been unfair? It's always been survival of the fittest. This is merely Darwinian capitalism. Natural selection.