Movie Review: In Time

This year, I would say that IN TIME would the best futuristic sci-fi movie for me.

In the distant future, all the people in the world are born and genetically engineered with a self-timer and life expiration once they reach 25 years old. It's a  future where the most valued currency is no longer money but time. And just like money, the rich can stay 25 years old for as long as they can afford while the poor will have to struggle and earn minutes and seconds one day at a time just to survive. It is where daily wages are a matter of life and death.

IN TIME is another barrier-breaking sci-fi movie starring Justin Timberlake as Will Salas and Amanda Seyfried as Sylvia Weiss. Will lives in a modern type “ghetto” where poor people are segregated from their rich counterparts. But in a stroke of luck, Will stumbles upon a rich guy with a death wish, Mr. Matt Bomer, whom he saved from people who wanted to rob all of Bomer's time that's worth centuries. After surviving the night in an abandoned building, Bomer took his life leaving Will all his time. 

Will, enraged by the system where the rich can get more time while the poor works to death just to live another day or two, left the ghetto and crossed into the time zone of the rich where he discovered a much deeper and darker side of the system.

A standing obviation goes to Andrew Niccol who wrote and directed this movie. He's the same guy who did GATTACA, another out-of-this world sci-fi movie. For me, this is what sci-fi movies should be all about, an out-of-the box concept. Kudos also to Justin Timberlake who made an outstanding performance in this movie. Sad to say, Amanda Seyfried did not really stand out. 

Truly, Timberlake is one versatile performer. A few weeks back, he also did excellent acting in the film Friends with Benefits. A successful singing career, a prolific comedian of Saturday Night Live and now a versatile actor? I would not be surprised that there are more stuff this guy could do and show us next. He’s simply amazing.

For the film’s setting, the futuristic “feel” is not much obvious. High-tech flying cars or anything like that are not in this movie. The cars and building structures were a bit outdated in sense, so defining when in the future was not quite not obvious. It’s more of a gothic type of film in a minimalists setting. Weapons like guns were not so “future-like” as well. The special effects were a bit short-changed too.

Nonetheless, the story itself made a lot of impact in this movie. I was most especially fascinated with the part where the rich character introduced to Will Salas his mother-in law, his wife and  his daughter who all looked 25 years old. That was so freaky and funny. As many vain people today are coming up with the latest procedures just to halt aging, I cannot help but imagine that sooner or later scenarios like that might be possible.

This is one movie that is worth watching despite some flawed parts. Overall, I would place this film among the ranks of RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES among this years’ good films.

IN TIME, rated PG 13, is now showing in cinemas nationwide. It is released by 20th Century Fox and distributed by Warner Bros.