In Time [HD]

Entertaining but Flawed
In Time is only the 4th film by New Zealander and The Truman Show writer Andrew Niccol and comes six years after Lord of War (2005) with Nicolas Cage and Jared Leto. While I reserve a special place for Niccol having seen all of his films and being satisfied by every one of them, Niccol has failed to make a film that would put him over the top. His debut Gattaca emerged as a cult classic that failed to find a major audience at the box office. Simone with Al Pacino went largely unnoticed and is never mentioned today. Lord of War, despite its complex setup and departure from Niccol's usual science fiction themes, also was not a major motion picture. In Time may come off as Niccol's most commercial work...

Such A Good Concept... So Poorly Done
I'm a sucker for a good sci- fi / action movie. I'm rather forgiving in just how much I will overlook in the name of quality entertainment.

First, the Good: Some of the acting (Cillian Murphy, Justin Timberlake and a few others) are respectably solid. Also, the overall concept is very intriguing... the world currency is time, and when a person turns 25 their "life clock" actually begins. From the time you are 25, life's objective is to keep your life clock from expiring. If it expires, you die. Not a problem for the rich, who have more time than they know what to do with: a "wealthy" person may have centuries to live, while the "poor" continuously struggle for more time. It's a very interesting premise that becomes more interesting when a poor worker (Justin Timberlake) saves a "wealthy" man from a time stealing mob boss while flaunting his wealth in the ghetto. in return, he gives Justine Timberlake all of his time (over 100 years). In a short but very philosophical...

GOT A MINUTE?
In the future "time is money." Literally. People live to 25 years old, after which time they have one year left, then they die. The good news is that you can buy time and live forever, but only the rich can do that. Everyone else is struggling to stay alive. Currency is done in time, transferred by computer chips installed in the forearm. A cup of coffee will cost you 4 minutes of your life. I kept thinking about "Logan's Run" as I watched this film.

The cliche possibilities are endless and they are not shy about using them. "All the time in world." "Got a minute." "Too much time on my hands" "Who's got the time?" "You must come from time." "Taken years off my life." "Drank his life away." "Too much time in the wrong hands..." "I had the time to buy one of these." "Thank you for your time." "The time he has taken." "It would take a million years." Ouch!

"Hey big spender, spend a little time with me." "I'd give a year of my life just to spend an hour with her."...

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