In Time (2011)

In Time is a tale about a dystopian society, where time has replaced money as the only currency, you can either live forever or die trying. Will Silas (Justin Timberlake) lives his life a day at a time but when he is falsely accused of murder he finds himself on the run. After living the high life for a short period, Will meets Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried) and together they work to bring down the corrupt system that witnesses the elite in society living forever while innocent people die.

Overall Review Score

9 out of 10

Review

In Time is a 2011 dystopian-inspired sci-fi thriller. While the film is based on multiple works of a similar nature, such as, Time is Money by Lee Falk, The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi and “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman by Harlan Ellison, it features a fresh take on the ‘cops and robbers’ and ‘boy from the slums trying to right the corrupt system’ concepts. It offers and intriguing premise that feels organic and realistic. While the films main cast, including Amanda Seyfried, Justin Timeberlake and Cillian Murphy emit a powerful on-screen relationship that draws the audience in and leaves them following every twist and turn of this entertaining thriller with rapt interest – even if their minds are subconsciously is thinking about how long is left on each character’s time clocks. Although, the film is let down (albeit marginally) by a slightly under-developed supporting cast and the occasional script change that feels forced and ill conceived. However, despite this, Andrew Niccol – the film’s director and writer – should be commended for creating a thought-provoking script that blends together locations complete with differing colour schemes, buildings, and character mannerisms in an effortless manner that fully satisfies the audience from the opening sequence to the ending credits. Overall, In Time takes the audience through a unique story that is visually and conceptually intriguing. While it does have some under-developed characters, it will effortlessly highlight the acting credentials of Amanda Seyfried, Justin Timberlake, and Cillian Murphy and will leave the audience contemplating how much time how much time they waste on a day-to-day basis.

Reviewer 1's score & comments:

Score: 9 out of 10

Comments:

In Time is a truly enjoyable film that features a unique and gripping premise, in that everyone stops aging at 25 but the one catch is that they only have one more year to live, unless they beg, borrow, steal or work for more time. While the film never explains how this system was implemented or anything about Will Silas’s father, despite mentioning him several time throughout the film, In Time still kept my attention for its 104 minute run time. Further to this, I was pleasantly surprised with the acting talents displayed by Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy, as their acting helped maintain the flow of the story and helped to outline the corruption in the system.

Reviewer 2's score & comments:

Score: 9 out of 10

Comments:

In Time is a film that oozes good acting, good storytelling, and good cinematography. Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried put on commendable performances as Bonnie and Clyde-inspired robbers with such good on-screen chemistry that their relationship feels invigorating and electrifying in equal measures, while Cillian Murphy puts on a spine-tingling, slightly dark, performance as determined Cop / Timekeeper Raymond Leon. Overall, while the film could have been longer to allow for certain elements, such as, who / what happened really happened to Will Salas’s father and how the system came about, In Time is powerful dystopian story that will leave the audience questioning if they had 24-hours to live how they would spend it. It is thoroughly entertaining throughout and serves as an emotional, but non the less poignant, testament to William Penn’s famous saying “time is what we want most, but what we use worst.”

#scifi #thriller #amandaseyfried #justintimberlake #cillianmurphy