Awesomely Bad! Or maybe just awesome?

Rating: 8/10 (4 November 2011)

I had no expectations for the quality of this film. I was hoping for a science fiction film that delivered on its premise- time equals money- and the implications of that world.
I'll start with the negatives. The dialog is very thin and clichéd. The plot is a by-the-numbers fugitive story. The "message" of the movie is overstated and oversimplified. The characters are stereotypical, and this movie probably has one of the "worst" special effects I've seen on the big screen (you'll know it when you see it).
And now the positive. Everything!!! I don't know they did it...everything I said above is true...and somehow none of it matters. The dialog? Oddly believable (good performances all around). The story? Oddly captivating and fun! Also well paced. The message? Actually, it's SO relevant to today's political climate that making it completely obvious and cheesy is somehow the only way to go. The film has an agenda, and it makes you root for it. The characters show a good mix of sincerity and humor...although they never invoked my empathy, I believed them. The bad special effect?...OK, that I can't defend, but it was hilarious (everyone in the theater laughed)...it was almost as if it was meant to look fake.
Simply put, either the person making this film was a hack who got really lucky, or he's a satirical genius. This film is either a brilliant mock-up of every "film like this" that exists, or it succeeds by emulating their "best" qualities. Awesomely bad or just awesome, it's fun either way. If you're not laughing by the end of Act II, you're taking it too seriously.