When I first heard that Olivia Wilde would play Justin Timberlake's mom in Andrew Niccol's upcoming sci-fi thriller In Time, my initial reaction was, "Huh? What a stupid idea." But I recently saw the film's trailer, and I have to admit I was drawn in.
In Time presents a future where the human aging gene has been shut off and we can live forever. People stop aging at 25 — but in a world where one doesn't grow older, time has literally become money. Stamped on everyone's arm is a clock that keeps track of the time they have left. If you're rich, you live forever. If you're poor, you work to earn the right to live.
Justin Timberlake plays a working class guy just scraping by (which takes on a whole new meaning in this flick) and whose mom is approaching her sell-by date. One day, he comes across a jaded wealthy man who is bored with eternal life. This poor rich chap is so impressed by JT's uncomplicated earnestness that he presents JT with his huge cache of remaining time. But what seems like a blessing turns out to be a curse when JT finds himself on the run from "time keepers," who protect a corrupt system where the rich get richer on the backs of the poor.
Admittedly, the plot of In Time is the very definition of high concept, but what good sci-fi isn’t? And like the best science fiction, In Time takes its foundation from contemporary social issues (here, government intervention and economic inequality) and builds on it — and, of course, adds hand-to hand combat and firearms.
Thanks to its premise, In Time is filled with the cream of the young Hollywood crop. Besides Timberlake and Olivia Wilde, the cast features Amanda Seyfried, Alex Pettyfer, Cillian Murphy, Vincent Kartheiser, Johnny Galecki, Bella Heathcoate and Matt Bomer, who I’ve been told is the handsomest man alive. So there's that.
Director Andrew Niccol, who also wrote the script, has made a career of speculative fare. His first film, 1997's Gattaca, was a well-executed piece of futuristic filmmaking. His next flick, S1m0ne, starring Al Pacino, was less successful as was his next project, Lord of War, a curious choice that featured Nicolas Cage as an arms dealer.
But with his new film, Niccol is back to the future. He's an artist who's at his best when he's looking forward. And now that I understand what Niccol is doing with In Time, it doesn't seem like such a stupid idea after all. Plus, he beat Nicolas Winding Refn's long-promised, thematically similar Logan's Run remake, which has been in development hell for years. I guess Refn hasn't heard: Time is money.
When I first heard that Olivia Wilde would play Justin Timberlake's mom in Andrew Niccol's upcoming sci-fi thriller In Time, my initial reaction was, "Huh? What a stupid idea." But I recently saw the film's trailer, and I have to admit I was drawn in.
