“In Time” takes place in a world where time is everything, and many must die so the privileged few can be immortal.
In a distant future where time is currency, the poor are forced to live literally day-to-day.
Everyone stops aging at 25, and only has one year before running out of time on his or her biological clock. The poor may not live to see 30, while the rich may remain immortal.
“In Time” was written and directed by Andrew Niccol, writer of “The Truman Show.” It tackles another issue of social justice, just as “The Truman Show” did with Jim Carrey’s character, Truman, serving as an expression of society’s obsession with media. This time, Niccol depicts socioeconomic inequality in the form of time.
A man from the rundown time zone, Will Salas (Justin Timberlake, “Friends with Benefits”), finds himself accused of murder and almost out of time. Salas and his hostage, sheltered rich girl Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried, “Mamma Mia”), are hiding from the “time keepers,” including Raymond played by Cillian Murphy (“Inception”).
“In Time” is thought-provoking for those that are looking. It invokes comparisons between its fictional world and American society.
The film can also stand alone as an action packed sci-fi film. It has few twists, but makes up for it with an interesting premise and lifelike emotion. The underlying story is not innovative, but actors make the movie meaningful.
The actors are all well known, but none stand out as the star of the film. They were all believable in their roles, but no one outshined the rest.
Seyfried seems almost silly in her first few scenes, but as her character evolves out of her sheltered mansion, her demeanor and acting change. What was seen as silly at first serves as growth for her character. Seyfried also manages to transcend her traditionally comedic roles.
Similarly, Timberlake delivers a believable performance that only occasionally lacks emotion.
Olivia Wilde (“Tron”), who plays Will’s mother, has little screen time, but she performs strongly as an old soul in a young body.
As always, Murphy delivers a chilling performance as a complex character whose hidden emotion defines his character in fascinating ways.
At some points, the film slips into silly moments and time puns, but they do not detract from the movie to the point where it hinders connection to the story.
“In Time” does not go any longer than it needs to be, keeping the action quick. Though it lacks refinement, the film is entertaining, emotional, action-filled and appealing to sci-fi enthusiasts.
mbousquet@theeagleonline.com
