From Andrew Niccol (writer of The Truman Show, writer-director of Gattaca, S1mOne and Lord of War) comes another high-concept film, this one involving time and the aging process.  In Time presents a future where people stop aging at 25, but can only stay alive if they can stay ahead of the clock — the economic currency is time, and once one runs out, one simply dies, or “times out.”  It’s an intriguing idea that is, unfortunately, never fully fleshed out in favor of an action-oriented story of rebellion and anti-establishment propaganda.  I wanted to know more about the process of time management — why 25 was chosen, how the physical process of aging was stopped, how the clock mechanism that everyone has works, etc.  All of these really neat, thought-provoking elements are there, but serve only as background to the story of a poverty-stricken man (Justin Timberlake, who is impressive) who decides to buck the system when someone does him a big favor.

Timberlake’s character moves from the “ghetto” to a most luxurious existence, and the film makes its most telling marks against the class system that divides the rich from the poor.  But it’s as if Niccol decided (or was told) that his movie couldn’t afford to be too smart; it had to move fast and use an “on the run” motif to sustain suspense.  This works as far as it goes, but In Time had the potential to be so much more than just another dystopian chase film.  Yet in every aspect, Niccol fritters away his opportunities.  The “timekeeper” who tracks down Timberlake is Cillian Murphy, who, we eventually learn, has also escaped from the ghetto.  However, almost nothing is made of this parallel, except that they can both think on their feet. The weirdest aspect is that all the women, no matter how old, all look 25.  Olivia Wilde plays Timberlake’s mother, and fairly effectively, considering that she is supposed to be almost fifty.  Niccol could have done more with this visual ingredient.

Ultimately In Time is content to be a futuristic age-rebellion movie, similar to Logan’s Run (1976).  It’s characters, at least, are nicely detailed, and the production has a cool look to it.  It’s fine for what it is, but it could have been so much more.  And as a science-fiction fan who loves utopian and dystopian social commentary movies, I wish it were even better.  ✰ ✰ ½.  4 Nov. 2011.