In Time Countdown Timer

In Time – The world’s citizens stop ageing at 25 and, after that, they live on borrowed time. With a countdown timer on their arms, they can see exactly how long they have left to live. Time has replaced money, and the pay never stretches far enough to survive. Will Salas lives in Dayton, a ghetto where the people struggle with little more than a day or two to live on. When Will saves a man with over a century of time left, he discovers the truth that the rich keep those in the ghettos poor. Angry with this injustice, he decides to take back the time that the rich have stolen and give it to those who need it most.

In Time (2011) – Director: Andrew Niccol

Is In Time appropriate for kids

Rating: 12

Running Length: 109 mins

Starring: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy

Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller

 

REVIEW: IN TIME

‘In Time’ is set in a dystopian world where instead of money, the population rely on time to live. The divide between the ghetto of Dayton and New Greenwich, where all the rich people live, is very reminiscent of the world that we currently live in with the divide between the desperate poor and indifferent wealthy. With the story being set in 2169, the world represented in the movie is an odd blend of futuristic technology (e.g. humanity is now genetically engineered and are born with a countdown timer on their arms) and current technology (e.g. the transport and weapons that are used).

While the concept is very interesting, the actual execution of the plot is poorly done. Little explanation is given for the motivations of the characters and the story is made overly complicated by the fact that these explanations aren’t given. There is also no chemistry between Timberlake (Will) and Seyfried (Sylvia) who, as the driving force behind the film lack credibility as two people wanting to make the world a better place for people who are less fortunate than themselves. However, the most disappointing thing about this film is the lack of depth from the character of Raymond Leon (played by Cillian Murphy), the Timekeeper who is desperate to catch Will and Sylvia. No reason is given for his relentless pursuit and anything interesting about his character is cut abruptly short at the end of the movie.

Overall, ‘In Time’ is an adequate sci fi movie, the concept itself is enough to keep its audience interested but the poor execution and lack of character depth lets it down to the point where it is unlikely to become a classic in years to come.

CONTENT: IS ‘IN TIME’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

There is not a lot to discuss in terms of unsuitable content for children and it is more likely that the lack of action will put most kids off from watching it. There are a few parts that parents may wish to be aware of so we will highlight these below.

With the movie being set in a dystopian future, the tone is generally quite dark and depressing. There is a lot of poverty and people struggle to live their day to day lives. There are gangsters who feed off the desperation of the poor and the rich are greedy and apathetic to the plight of the people who live in the ghettos.

When on their way to work, Will and his friend, Borel, see several bodies lying in the street. Their dialogue implies that these people have been murdered. A short while later, when they are in a bar, they come across the ‘Minute Men’ a gang led by the ruthless Fortis who steals whatever time people have left, an act which kills them.

When Will is at a party, he meets the wealthy and beautiful Sylvia and persuades her to swim with him in the sea. As they are both wearing formal clothes for the party, they take them off and go skinny dipping. At first they are only shown in the water from their shoulders up but, as they swim away, Sylvia‘s naked body is shown from the back although the water distortion prevents anything too explicit being seen.

There are a few times when people ‘time out’ which means that the timer on their arm runs down to zero and they die. When this happens, their body lurches as a sharp pain runs through them and they drop to the floor, dead. One of these deaths is very emotional as the person who dies falls into the arms of a loved one who cries out in anguish. Another is a little frightening as, in a scene lasting around 5 minutes, several men a forced to stand by a fence by the Minute Men who threaten to kill them if they don’t give them information. Fortis chooses one to kill and times him out by taking all the time he has left to live. As the timer is running down, the man begs Fortis to stop and is very scared.

There are also a few sexual references but they are not too explicit. Two women are sitting next to a man in a bar who is giving lots of time away and both offer to go home with him and later a prostitute offers someone ‘ten minutes for an hour’. Towards the end of the movie, Will and Sylvia are sitting on a bed in a hotel room. They kiss passionately and Will removes Sylvia’s dress, revealing her underwear. They then lie back on the bed but are interrupted and Sylvia puts her clothes back on so that they can continue running.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?
VERDICT: IS ‘IN TIME’ FOR KIDS?

‘In Time’ is definitely aimed at a mature audience with its interesting but complex premise and realistic ‘fight for survival’ feel of how poverty and wealth affects people. It is therefore not a movie which has been made with kids in mind. While the content itself is most likely suitable for children aged 8 and over, it will probably be too slow and boring for most under 10s.

  • Violence: 2/5 (mostly from the Minute Men, most people are killed by being timed out but there are also some people who are shot with guns. The gunshots result in a puff of red blood bursting from the victim’s body but this doesn’t happen very often)
  • Emotional Distress: 2/5 (two established characters die, one of these deaths causes an emotional outburst from another character)
  • Fear Factor: 2/5
  • Sexual Content: 3/5
  • Bad Language: 2/5 (some cursing and blasphemy, one strong word is used)
  • Dialogue: 0/5
  • Other notes: Deals with themes of poverty, wealth, family, making sacrifices for the people you care about, standing up for yourself and for the weak and the importance of living a full life.

Words by Laura Record

 

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