Time Is Money

Introduction
The most recent movie that was super excited to watch was In Time starring Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy. My only impressions of the movie was from the trailer and I absolutely loved Inception and to me, this movie had that kind of feel. After watching the movie, I don't think I will ever say the words, "I don't have enough time," because this movie gives that phrase a literal meaning. In Time ended up being a really good movie with a great cast and intersting plot.



Individuals receive a mortal clock using time as the standard currency.  

 Describe
In Time is set in a future where time is money. Every person stops aging at 25 and has enough time to buy themselves immortality. The rich can live to be hundreds of years, whereas the poor are constantly under a time restraint. This time has control over all individuals becoming the currency which pays for coffee, bus rides and rent. The cost of living takes away a person's time to live and the time is kept on a mortal clock on the individuals arm. Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) crosses paths with a rich and wise man who gives him all of his time. Will finds himself with a century of time and decides to overthrow the currency system while trying to give others more time. The video below gives an in depth look at the movie, In Time.

The main character of Will Salas really stood out to me and that was played by Justin Timberlake. Although some people may know him from the pop band N'SYNC or even his solo singing career, he has really made a name for himself in the film industry. He's recently gotten a lot of praise for his recent role as Napster founder Sean Parker in the academy award winning movie The Social Network which he was nominated with the cast for a Screen Actors Guild Award. Timberlake has also been seen or heard in a few movies the last few years including Bad Teacher, Friends with Benefits and Yogi Bear. I have been pleasantly surprised by Timberlake's performances in the films that he has been in. I think he has been making a great transition from singer to actor and I believe we will be seeing a lof of him in even bigger and better films to come.

Analyze
I have yet to see Timberlake in an action movie and it is a little bit different from the comedies I have seen him in. He is a very versatile actor, being apart of cartoons, comedy, action, and drama. So far, I absolutely love what he is doing in all of his movies and he is one of those actors who will take on challenges which I think really benefits him. It was refreshing to see him in a different element and I have really enjoed watching him in the drama and actions films versus the comedies and cartoons.

Amanda Seyfried portrays Sylvia Weis, a rich socialite. She is also a major character opposite Justin Timberlake. Seyfried has been in a lot of different movie throughout her career and some of the movies she has been involved in has also gotten a lot of buzz. Then on the other hand she has taken on some roles that I didn't think she would ever be in. To me, I always know Seyfried as the ditsy, blonde in Mean Girls, she has also had leading roles in Mamma Mia!, Dear John, Letters To Juliet and Red Riding Hood. I have actually seen every one of those movies and she has been involved in a lot of romantic movies, but if you also look into the plot of In Time, she ultimately has a love interest as well so it isn't too far out there for her to take on this character. Although, I have yet to see her in an action type role and in this movie she does it wonderfully.

The movie, In Time is similar to the movie Inception because, in a way, they are both psychological thrillers. With the movie Inception, you really had to pay attention and follow along with the drastic phychological ideas that were presented in the film. The same goes for In Time, you have to pay attention to the "outside of the box" ideas in which the plot revolves around. Inception didn't outright tell you when the characters were in a dream which made it suspenseful and in In Time doesn't always let the audience know how much time they have left on their clock which also brings suspense. The difference between the two is that ultimately there are two different idea, but both of these ideas evoke interest in the audience. I don't think before either of these movies I would have ever thought, what if we are all dreaming right now in the world we're in? Or even, what if our lives were marked by a fast ticking, money hungry clock? Even though those questions are different, both movies tackle those specific ideas and are a mix of drama, romance and action.



Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) and Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried).


Interpretation
The one reason why I really liked this movie is because it made me think, what if this really happened? What if our society was based not on paper and coin money, but time? All of these questions are answered in this movie and it blatantly shows you all of the things that could go wrong. I think the movie mattered to me because I sometimes don't have an "out of the box" thinking and this movie is solely based on an idea "outside the box". Although it isn't exactly seen in our society, it does reflect and directly mirror a lot of the trends we see in our culture. People will kill for money, people will steal money and people will ultimately do anything for money and in the movie all of that is just replaced with time. The only factor is that in the real world you won't die when you're checking account hits zero (thank goodness). The target audience is hard to pinpoint, I think anyone who is interested in drama or action movies or even someone who is interested in culture and society could also enjoy this movie. The movie clearly depicts the stereotypes of the rich and poor. The poor steal and the rich just steal in a more classy way, but what it really reveals is the difference between the lower class and upper classes of society.

Evaluation
The only problem I had with the movie was the ending. I don't want to ruin it at all, but I think the entire movie was great, it was just the ending that was mediocre. I just finished watching it and thought, that was it? I felt like it could have came to a better conclusion. Overall, the movie really makes you think and it does have that Inception kind of plot. I think aside from The Social Network it would have to be one of the best films that Justin Timberlake has been in. I think this movie necessarily won't be a classic, but I think it won't be forgotten either. I mainly think that because of all the futuristic ideas and how closely it resembles our society today, just in extremes. Roger Ebert gave the movie 3 out of 5 stars in his review, http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111026/REVIEWS/111029992, the Washington post raves that it is "stylish" http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/movies/in-time,1177766/critic-review.html#reviewNum1 and the San Francisco Chronicle boasts that it is " satisfying and...feels like part of the national conversation". http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/27/DD631LMEUL.DTL

I agree with Roger Ebert, although I almost would have given it a higher star rating because I think he is always harsh anyways. But, when I read his review he didn't give it a lot of praise, but he did mention how Justin Timberlake is becoming a great actor which I do fully agree.

I do agree with the Washington Post, it's certainly a "stylish" movie. The movie has the feel of maybe being a futuristic movie, but then some situations happen or the surrounding don't necessarily reveal what the actual year is. They also meantion it is a "big idea" in which I also agree, but like Roger Ebert they didn't give it an amazing review. I don't think it was totally amazing, but looking at the movie as a whole it was a good, thought provoking movie.

I really like that the SF Chronicle talks about the movie being apart of the national conversation. These are the words that I wish I could say and I totally agree with the statement. I noticed that the movie mirrors a lot of the society in today's world, but the real world isn't as extreme as the film's idea. The movie is kind of a picture of what things could be like and I think that's what the SF Chronicle noticed about the film as well.

Engage
I haven't gone out and bought any other movies that Justin Timberlake has been in, but I think when In Time does come out I'll probably purchase it. The movie literally had me in tears at the first 15 minutes of the movie and that just shows how great it was all put together. I searched for nominations and other projects that Justin Timberlake has been in and although it isn't a long list now, I know it will significantly grow in the next few years. Acting wise, he is headed in the right direction. Sadly, none of my friends or family have seen the movie, but they both think it would be interesting to see. They saw the same interesting storyline that I saw in the trailer for the movie.

Summary
All in all, the cast is full of great actors, the storyline is interesting and the ending is mediocre. Although, the conclusion doesn't meet the standards of the rest of the movie, it really is a great. Critics gave the movie very average ratings, but in my opinion it's a movie that's worth the money to see (and time). Justin Timberlake gives a very convincing performancing portraying the hero of the storyline. I also hope I don't see the day that this may actually happen, it makes me just a little nervous about all the technological advances now a days. I learned how to look more in depth to movies. I kind of view movies on the surface and the outside, but now I can see the layers of everything that it takes to make a good film.