Concept outlives the script

Rating: 3/10 (8 June 2013)

In a futuristic dystopia money has been replaced with life - the moment your credit runs out you end up dead. Life as a commodity to trade had changed society into those who can afford eternity and those forced to work at dead-end, quasi-slavery, jobs only to survive the day. This order remains unquestioned until time-stricken Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) is gifted over 100 years by a rich outsider fed up with the reality in which he lives. This allows Will to venture into the most expensive living zones, where he soon unravels the corrupt system created for the egotistical few. Followed by authorities led by Raymond Leon (Cillian Murphy), who fail to believe that someone would have gifted 100 years of life to a complete stranger, Will meets up with heir to Weis Time Bank corporation, Sylvia (Amanda Seyfried). Hungry for adventure and a life not dictated by fright of death Sylvia and Will create a gungho Robin Hoodesque / Bonnie and Clyde team who steal time from the rich and offer it to the poor.
With a strong concept rife with capitalist and philosophical undertones, director Andrew Niccol takes the bare minimum exterior, filling it with action fluff, instead of some well-crafted idea-expansion. Tragically empty with some uninspired performances by the surprisingly wooden Seyfriend and Timberlake, the whole movie rings hollow, echoing of wasting opportunities. After some initial promise the whole story spirals downwards, playing with gimmicks resulting from the base idea, instead of exploring the possibilities it offers. Lacking any clever observations and fronted by two leads with absolutely no emotional pull, "In Time" dissolves any initial interest, making it forgettable drivel not worth the time credits spent on it.