Marxist sci-fi

Rating: 5/10 (1 September 2013)

Back in 1997 writer-director Andrew Niccol had a great debut with the sci-fi film Gattaca, an ambition, intelligent sci-fi drama. He set out to return to the sci-fi genre with a slightly more mainstream effort, In Time with Justin Timberlake getting the starring role.
In the future scientists are able to stop the aging process to 25-year- old over and after that they have a digital timer that gives them an extra year. Time has become currency with the poor living day by day whilst the rich could live forever. Will Salas (Timberlake) is a 28- year-old factory worker who meets Henry Hamilton (Matt Bomer), a suicidal rich man who tells Will the truth about the system and gives Will all his time. Soon Will goes to the wealthy district and teams up Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried) and the pair end up becoming Robin Hood figures who rob from the rich to give to the poor. But on their trial are Timekeeper Ray Leon (Cillian Murphy), a police officer for the society and Sylvia's banker father Philippe (Vincent Kartheiser).
Niccol clearly been reading his Marxist philosophy and highly influenced by the narrative of the post banking crisis world. We get the usual left wing arguments and world building with society being split between the rich and poor with the rich living in a gated community, living off the back of the poor as they live in luxury and few caring about the poor/the ghetto. The ghetto is left to its own devices as people literally die on the street and it is a dog eat dog world where if anyone shows any sort of wealth end up getting themselves killed by a local crime lord played by Alex Pettyfer and the police ignore crime in the poor district. This is even a film that advocate that the rich and banks are the real thefts and criminals, wants the redistribute wealth and goes for the easiest target, the banks. Surprising considering this is a film made by Fox.
In Time was meant to be a starring vehicle for Justin Timberlake and sadly he does not impress. He is solid in the few action scenes but he was a little stiff and unconvincing. He is capable of more having seen what he can do in The Social Network. But the whole cast was lacklustre, even Murphy, an actor I normally like, seemed disinterested. Whoever thought that casting Pettyfer was a good idea really needs to consider their career.
In Time does have a strong concept and Niccol does have some good ideas likes that Will is discovered that he is from a poor background because he runs and rushes when people in the rich district where no one needs to rush and the effect of the timers on people's arm was nicely done. But visually In Time is a bland film and its look of the world is no different to what it is today, compared to Gattaca had a retro-futurism to it. None does In Time have the complex themes that Gattaca had.
In Time had some solid ideas but overall it would have worked better as a short film and takes a very basic view of Marxism. It does not success as a sci-fi drama or as an actioner.