I have seen Justin Timberlake in many other films and thoroughly enjoyed his performance, but I couldn't get into him during 'In Time'. As well, Vincent Kartheiser (Pete Campbell on AMC's Mad Men), brings forth a mediocre performance, much different from his believable and enjoyable character on Mad Men. He plays Philippe Weis, the rich, greedy father of Amanda Seyfried in this film.
In Time goes as follows: In a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth. Here, Will Salas finds himself accused of murder and on the run with a hostage - a connection that becomes an important part of the way against the system.
As mentioned before, I usually admire JT's performance in the films that he does, but I feel as if he could have turned this role down and they could have found someone else. My issue is seeing people who are usually very talented actors trying to do films that are just bad. In Time was exactly that, and this is why I hated him so much in it.
I will give this movie some credit however. The whole idea is extremely interesting, and stands as one of the most unique concepts I have seen in a film. Director Andrew Niccol (Lord of War) has no problem writing an interesting screenplay, but evidently has a hard time bringing it to life. Badly edited car-crash scenes combined with a frequently confusing story line, combined with hysterical one-liners makes for a miserable experience at the theaters. I am surprised at the surprisingly higher rating from IMDB users. They gave it a 6.8. Too high for me. 3/10 for the cool concept and kudos for the attempt. If it's on Netflix check it. Otherwise don't.
Here's a film with Denzel Washington being an absolute boss titled Safe House:
Even the idea of In Time was a gimmick attached to a cliché. I'd expect the exact same plot threads from a movie called "Robin Hood IN THE FUTURE".
ReplyDeleteWhen Time itself is a currency, it's exactly the same as stealing money. Sure it added the "immortality" angle but the basic concept is the same and the question of immortality doesn't even make you think.
You're still sitting there thinking this movie was suspiciously timed perfectly, capitalizing on the mindset of all the people protesting corporate influence on government.