In Time

The Bonnie and Clyde of the digital age yearned for analog, resulting in a sympathetically understated film set in the future. In it, a single serious nag at the laws of Niccol's world immediately takes away from the positives but is then ultimately saved by the great Timberlake and even better Murphy. (14/01/2012)

I don't want to live in this world. But I would look at it, maybe every day. The brilliantly selected cast of young Hollywood up-and-comers gives you a taste of a story about justice, love, and adventure, but it is precisely the simple yet perfectly powerful idea of an alternative present that creates such a versatile spectacle out of In Time. And yet, because the idea itself is not enough, there is nothing left but to salute Andrew Niccol for the relentless pacing. With the support of Craig Armstrong's soundtrack, it is easy in the decisive moments to forget to breathe. (04/11/2011)

A typical Niccol sci-fi flick that captivates and entertains even without futuristic sets, digital robots or any kind of spectacular flying machines. All he needs is a simple yet great idea intelligently incorporated into an action story with humanistic values. Justin Timberlake is okay, Cillian Murphy is excellent as usual, and just undress Amanda Seyfried, cover her in chocolate and spend the last hour of your life with her. This is how respectable Mostow's Surrogates wanted to look. (07/11/2011)

A clever simple hyperbole that advancing contemporary commodity fetishism and Darwinian-conceived capitalism ad absurdum. Moreover, the film makes irony out of its own impossibility to step out of the established constraints of show business. But Niccol never put the few attractions (Bond quotes, Bonnie and Clyde romance, dystopian films) before the very idea of fighting an unfair system in which the wealthy exploit (ontological) wealth by exploiting the defenseless. Some of the theses feel like Niccol read Badiou's “The Communist Hypothesis" and modified it for the needs of a Hollywood spectacle (i.e., he did not allow himself to go that far, but dutifully stepped in there - see the excellent ending). The film is full of holes in logic and motivation, the script is very unbalanced, the editing and camera somewhat toothless, but the whole feels like a pleasant impulse to reflect on the state of contemporary society and the utopian nature of the system. This is what makes In Time a remarkable and stand-out title in the contemporary Hollywood peloton, though not exactly a flawless title or one worthy of boundless enthusiasm. (70%) (24/10/2011)

It's not it. The poster and main characters are romantic to some extent, but In Time is a disgracefully wasted opportunity. Andrew Niccol came up with a captivating and highly original story, but unfortunately, he completely fails in other aspects. It's not that I expect flying saucers or a million-person battle, but perhaps just a bit more polished visuals, more fatefulness, more dynamic action, more exuberant artistic stylization, and definitely fewer unfinished plotlines. Buying and stealing time is nice, but if you think about it, it's clear that if someone could gain time just by touching someone else, everyone would have killed each other a long time ago and certainly wouldn't wait in front of a time bank offering thirty percent loans. They could have also done without a certain type of car for the wealthy class, and the retro police cars don't fit in there either – there are simply too many of those things. But to not just criticize, the million year concept is cool, there are occasionally thrilling scenes, Justin Timberlake is good as always, and Cillian Murphy is phenomenal as always. In my opinion, Niccol would have been better as the screenwriter, not the director. (12/11/2011)