Fun, flawed sci-fi flick

Rating: 7/10 (11 January 2017)

The cast is pretty surprising. I've only seen "JT" in Black Snake Moan, but I thought he was adequate in this film. His acting skill might have been deficient with a heavier script, but that is another problem I had with the film. Amanda Seyfried is a hottie here before her Les Miserables fame, and her character was a cliché, but portrayed well. Again, the script I think failed to demonstrate her motivation and attitude change, but she did good with what she had. She and JT actually run a lot in this film and that kept me excited.
The action is good, no doubt. Cillian Murphy was the biggest surprise; I liked his character the most and his motivations. Lastly, Vincent Kartheiser I am fond of for his work in Larry Clark's Another Day in Paradise and he looks a lot like his Mad Men character, but his boyish face works.
The script: What did the father of "Will Solace" do as the Timekeeper (Cillian Murphy in a remarkable performance) alludes to? This felt unexplored to me. Nice symbolism with Will Salas (sp?), which I suppose plays to the theme of time and no rest for the wicked.
I felt there were some contrivances and unexplained "BAMF" moments like when JT outsmarts a room full of armed thugs or when he escapes the mansion in the beginning, or how they get through all the time-zone barriers after the escape, since the movie showed the process not being so easy and quite costly the first time and why JT runs his time down and I feel like most of the script wasn't fleshed out enough, and if elaborated would have made for a more satisfying experience. Most fans from what I gather like the concept more.
I would agree with that, but I did like the film a bit more, so I will be buying the Blu ray for my collection as it seems to have nice replay value for the creativity and brisk pace. The concept was neat, yet I would say I was bothered more by it than the film itself. Not much detail is given to why these people are being genetically engineered (cloning?) or why society has reached that point.
There is also a lack of cohesion with how the "time is life" system works. Is it just a visual aid for the viewer? I think not, since these people can physically see the timers on their arms, but maybe it is still just a metaphor? E.g. the rich and powerful have all the time they want, the poor and meek more of a struggle? Other minor issues like the time-arm-wrestling were vague and the actual process of how people exchange time. Sometimes people seem calm and mentally processing the transfers, like when JT gives his buddy ten years of time, but sometimes seem anxious to make sure the other person doesn't take too much time during the exchange.
The pacing: The run-time of the film is pretty short, and the pacing is a bit problematic for me. It makes sense to be quick-paced, but scene after scene felt robbed to me of tension and character development because one minute the protagonists are relaxed, the next on the run. Terminator I felt did much better, and this is no Terminator, but just an example of how you can keep tension and balance quick and slow moments better. The two lovebirds don't even get a proper love scene or any real relational development. One scene he's holding her at gunpoint, the next she's digging him. Like I mentioned, Seyfried isn't given much to work with then and I wondered why she would not make a break for it from this fellow. Overall, this movie was too short.
The themes: Robin Hood, poor vs rich, etc. It was interesting, and another reason why the movie should've been longer. The ending feels insignificant. This might just be a political message by Niccol, but all the more reason to keep it going. The ending felt very "sequel-y" to me, similar to the sci-fi flick 'Push.' The more worthwhile theme that is handled better was the aspect of time and vanity, how people get cosmetic surgery, are always in a rush, like old Brooks complains about in The Shawshank Redemption, and how the rich would ironically value time and wealth so much that they miss out on what it means to "truly" live and take some time to enjoy the world.
Production design: The guns and costumes are pretty neat. I think I saw some AUG rifles. Murphy's coat was cool, his car design too, almost Knight Rider-esque, and was that a Shelby Cobra? Not sure, very 007-looking. The scenery/locations are perfect for the movie, being LA and whatnot. The mansion scene is on-point, and the costumes were pretty dapper. Seyfried's outfits looked nice, but that was another issue too: Where was she getting these clothes? There seems to have maybe been some deleted scenes showing these in-between moments.
I'm interest in the Blu-ray version because I rented the standard definition, so wondering if the movie looks better and if I'll be able to see the color better. Nothing wowed me with the cinematography, but there wasn't too much "shaky cam" and nice overhead shots if I recall and a good chase scene.
Better than it was bad. I was thinking a 6, but this movie is fun and surprisingly substantial. Check it out if you're a sci-fi fan. I hear that Niccol took a lot of inspiration from other films, which might bother sci-fi fans as did Oblivion. I would say this is not nearly as good as Oblivion which I gave an 8/10 but it's still not bad. I was surprised that it was not a comic book.