Page 18 THE VILLADOM TIMES II & IV • November 9, 2011 ‘In Time’ features brisk pace, intelligent central idea by Dennis Seuling There are two kinds of science fiction films. The first is filled with razzle-dazzle special effects, futuristic cityscapes, elaborate gadgetry, and worlds that are wildly different from our own. The second type is set in a recognizable world of the not-too-distant future and relies on a concept that is strong enough to grab viewers and hold attention throughout. “In Time” is the latter. In the world presented by writer/director Andrew Niccol, human beings, through genetic engineering, have a life span of only 25 years, which makes for some interesting visuals. Members of a three-generation family, for instance, may all look the same age. Every person has a digital clock embedded in his or her arm, counting down the hours, minutes, and seconds before the allotted time runs out. When that happens, an electric shock delivers instant death. However, it is possible to borrow or buy time to survive beyond age 25. Everything has a price in time, including bus rides, coffee at the local stand, and cab rides, and everyone is constantly aware of how much time he or she has left. Time is also the target of well organized gangs who prey on the weak. Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) lives day to day on the time he receives as payment for working in a factory that manufactures the time dispensers that embed time directly into people’s forearms. When he rescues a man who is about to be robbed because he has a decade of time on his clock, Will becomes the target of both thieves and “Timekeepers,” police who track down large amounts of time that have been stolen or have gone missing. With a windfall infusion of unexpected years, he decides he can now afford to leave the ghetto and live large. He buys a fancy sports car and heads to a casino where he engages in a high-stakes game of poker with businessman Philippe Weis (Vincent Kartheiser). He eventually is attracted to Weis’ daughter, Sylvia (Amanda Seyfried), who is drawn into his troubles. The concept is intriguing, but the execution is somewhat sloppy and flawed. Even though several plot points relate to time running out, viewers Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) and Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried) race against the clock in still have the old Holly- the sci-fi thriller, ‘In Time.’ wood cliché of watching the seconds count down. When there are only three minutes a variation of his unctuous ad exec on TV’s “Mad Men,” to defuse a bomb, for instance, why can no one accom- Cillian Murphy’s Timekeeper Raymond Leon reminds plish the task until only two seconds remain? There are the viewer of Javert’s obsessed cop in “Les Miserables,” variations of that here, which diminish and dumb down and Olivia Wilde has a brief but effective role as Will’s the story. mother. Timberlake is a competent actor, but his performance The notion of an embedded clock in every citizen’s arm does not deliver the needed sense of utter desperation. His is, of course, suggestive of Holocaust tattoos, an unsubWill seems a little too glib and complacent to suddenly tle way of underscoring the point that these citizens are become the guy who wants to take on an inherently flawed doomed. More science fantasy than science fiction, “In society. In one scene, he is spending his newly acquired Time” works best as traditional thriller. There are quite currency with abandon. In the next scene, he is express- a few well-staged chases, many of which are on foot, that ing indignation at social inequality brought about by keep the pace brisk. time hoarding -- the unequal distribution of wealth, so to Rated PG-13 for strong language and violence, “In speak. Time” is a small, entertaining movie with an intelligent Though Seyfried is striking, with piercing blue eyes and central idea. Viewers have seen it before, in slightly difa waif-like face, she falls short in the acting department. ferent form, in “Logan’s Run,” but there are enough variaShe attempts to infuse her role as the requisite female love tions to make it fresh. “In Time” is accessible to both sci-fi interest with a spunky attitude and rebellious edge, but she and non-sci-fi fans. If viewers cannot exactly empathize never convinces. with Will Salas, we can definitely appreciate the odd world Supporting performances are strong. Kartheiser plays he inhabits.