In Time

This is a film that asks, "What if time were literally money?" In Time is set in a future where the ageing gene is turned off, which halts everyone's age at 25. Characters are able to use units of time as currency with work giving you more time that can be taken away for goods and services - therefore, the rich can be ageless, while the poor are on borrowed time. A struggling man named Will (Timberlake) is framed for murder when he inherits a fortune of time from a wealthy man who turns up dead. He must work out why he was framed and find a way to stop the various dark forces on his tail. Just like his 1998 debut the Gattaca, director Niccol once again delves into a dystopian future where our genes are spliced to make us forever beautiful (or young, at least). The results aren't as bad this time around, with the thriller proving to be a diverting and intriguing couple of hours - if just a little bleak. Timberlake, as with many of his recent performances, is likeable and engaging as the lead, but he heads a cast (including Seyfried and Wilde) that is nice to look at, but not terribly deep - not unlike the whole of the film itself. Entertaining, but perhaps too polished to be anything other than a high-concept studio movie.