This utterly baffling trailer for director Andrew (Gattaca) Niccol’s new picture In Time seems to be for an entire trilogy, or at least something the length of Berlin Alexanderplatz, but apparently is for one feature-length motion picture. It’s a near future where scientists have nullified the effects of the aging gene, so everyone’s young and (mostly) beautiful, but in order to stamp out runaway overpopulation, everyone is given a certain amount of time. Literally; one’s remaining time is tattooed on one’s arm. Of course, as with any medium of exchange, some figure out how to get more than others. And therein lies our movie.
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The concept seems interesting. The execution looks weird. And not in the good way. Justin Timberlake, of all people, is the Everyman protagonist who something something something and ends up romancing rich, privileged Amanda Seyfried (in an unfortunate wig), who fires guns at people and stuff. The visuals are a weird middle-ground between glossy and tacky, like it cost just enough to be a cheap-looking expensive movie rather than an expensive-looking low-budget movie.
Of course, the 800 lb gorilla in the room, that threatens to leap onto the helicopter that is In Time and tear it to shreds in its bare hands (sorry, I’ve got Planet of the Apes on the brain just like everyone else at Tor.com) is Justin Timberlake. He’s got a nice touch with light comedy, but this is not that, to put it very mildly. We find out whether or not he pulls it off here on October 29th.
Danny Bowes is a playwright, filmmaker and blogger. He is also a contributor to nytheatre.com and Premiere.com.
