logan j. fowler and bill bodkin look at the new sci-fi thriller starring Justin Timberlake …
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided: Rent.
In Time looks like a thriller that can be surprisingly good. The concept isn’t exactly original — it runs a parallel line to the idea behind Logan’s Run, in which your life expectancy is cut off at a certain year, in which what many consider still to be a youthful age. While the 1974 film had the final year being 30, In Time’s life expectancy for the characters is 25. In the latter film, they can work to buy more time, as it the form of currency, but lead role Justin Timberlake has no such luck. However, a generous donor grants JT some more digits in his life, and the chase is on to track down the protagonist who wants to stay alive as long as possible.
In Time looks interesting enough to hold my attention. I never had anything against Timberlake, and his role in The Social Network proved he can act. But can he act as an action star? That remains to be seen. However, throw in actor Cillian Murphy, and now I’m even more intrigued; I’ve been arguing that this dude needs to be in more, as I’ve dug his work as of late. There’s an interesting concept here and the cast is pretty solid, but I don’t think the movie is definite theater stuff. I think I’ll just wait some “time” to catch it on DVD.
— LJF
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? Rent.
After viewing the trailer for In Time, there are a number of things that interest me — a dynamic young cast, high-energy action sequences. Yet it’s the film’s plot that seems the least interesting of them all. Why? I think the class warfare theme of the film is going to be extremely heavy-handed. The rich get what they want, the poor die for the rich, the poor want to give away the riches of the rich. This could get very preachy very quick and in the end hurt what could be a very good sci-fi thriller. But let’s not dwell on the negative. What the trailer does seem to promise is an electric young cast — Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men), Amanda Seyfried, Matt Bomer (White Collar), Olivia wilde, Cilian Murphy and most intriguing of all — Justin Timberlake. JT in an action movie seems like an interesting concept — will he be believable? Does he have the serious, dramatic chops to pull it off? I think the answer to these questions are yes, and I’ll be willing to find out — but on DVD.
— BB
