Wednesday • June 19, 2013
Zoë's Blu-ray Review: IN TIME
Leave the existing world behind and enter into a futuristic world where the aging gene is switched off after 25 and time is money, literally, that many can’t afford in the cutting-edge thriller IN TIME, arriving on Blu-ray and DVD from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
The Film
This film had one of the most original story ideas featured in the recent flurry of sci-fi/action movies. The concept of time as a currency seems simple, but the politics and class differences make it an expansive universe. There are people who literally live day to day, earning just enough hours to survive while the wealthy have millions and can live indefinitely. Although the story is it’s greatest asset, it is also its downfall. The world and the characters are so vast that halfway through the film it feels as though the writers didn’t have a grasp on what to do with their either.
Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried give solid performances, a little out of their stereotypical casting. Cillian Murphy, known for his villainous performances in Inception and the latest Batman movies, uncannily hits the spot as another noteworthy antagonist. Although the plot veers off course towards the end, there are few wildly engaging action beats scattered throughout the film and it's fresh story telling very much entertained me. It’s definitely the kind of movie I hope to see more of.
Special Features Breakdown
THE MINUTES Featurette - A mini documentary from the film’s world made by fictional amateurs. This camera crew interrupts the daily lives of the movie’s characters, asking them questions about their situations and goals in life. There’s more character development in this featurette than the movie itself, and it’s beneficial to viewers to watch this.
Deleted/Extended Scenes - There are ten scenes with new footage that are mostly fillers save for one or two. A nice bonus hints more at Will’s father, which was nice to have, it didn’t explain as much as viewers may have wanted.
Access to IN TIME THE GAME APP - Included is an access code which allows you to play an expanded storyline from the film in a downloadable app. I was not able to play this but I have heard it is a simple and fun game.
Featuring an all-star cast including Justin Timberlake (The Social Network), Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!) and Cillian Murphy (Inception), the film puts an innovative spin on class warfare and explores the corruptness that lies within. Showcasing stunning visual effects and gravity defying stunts, the IN TIME Blu-ray is loaded with bonus materials including an exclusive featurette “THE MINUTES” to discover the origins of the film’s time based society, deleted and extended scenes, and access to the enhanced IN TIME THE GAME APP. DVD special features include deleted and extended scenes. IN TIME will be available on Blu-ray for an average retail price of $24.99 and on DVD for $19.99, respectively.
In the future, time has become the ultimate currency and genetic alteration has allowed people to stop aging at 25 years old. Upon reaching 25, the countdown begins and in order to stay alive everyone must work to buy themselves more time or die within a year. The rich can buy their way out of the situation, while the rest are left to negotiate for immortality. When a struggling young man, Will Salas (Timberlake), comes in contact with a “millionaire,” he is gifted more time than he can imagine. Falseley accused of murder, Will is a fugitive on the run and becomes determined to bring down the entire system by any means possible.
