Review: "In Time" Sexy Cast Aside, It Might Not Be Worth Yours

In the sci-fi, futuristic "thriller" In Time, no one ages past 25 and time is a form of currency -- which sounds pretty cool, but actually causes more problems than it solves.

Timberlake plays Will Salas, a blue collar worker living in the lower echelons of "time" wealth. Even so, he has the heart of a lion. He saves a reckless "time billionaire" (played by the dreamy Matt Bomer) from a bunch of thugs led by the sleazy Fortis (Alex Pettyfer -- am I sensing a Magic Mike connection here?) Bomer's character thanks him by giving Will all of his time wealth -- which is over a century.

This unexpected time windfall turns out to be more of a curse than a blessing and creates several complications for Will. He winds up on the run not only from Fortis and his band of thugs, but also from the official "Timekeepers" who think Will has stolen all the extra minutes. Along for the ride is the anime-eyed Amanda Seyfried as his abductee love interest Sylvia.

In Time director and writer Andrew Niccol (known for his work on Gattaca, Lord of War, The Truman Show) has created a very clever story that revolves around the old adage, "time is money" -- but the execution may not be worth your time. (Okay, you can probably expect many bad puns like that from various reviewers.)

One big problem is trying to wrap my head around Justin Timberlake as a sci-fi action hero. It doesn't work here. He may have jumped the gun in silver screen stardom. He definitely needs a little more time to earn those stripes.

Another issue is Alex Pettyfer. His character is just there to fulfill the role of a villain twisting his handlebar mustache. He's nothing but a playground bully that is supposed to be menacing, but as played and written winds up being unintentionally comical. The film's other antagonist fares better. Cillian Murphy does his best with the odious lead timekeeper Raymond -- and mostly succeeds.

Amanda Seyfried's seductive straight-cut bangs work…even if it is a blatant wig.

Also disappointing was the thinly written romance between Will and Sylvia. After abducting her, they fall in love, she quickly develops Patricia Hearst syndrome and falls into line behind him, something totally at odds with her previously bored, rebellious character.

Lastly, the pieces of this time bandit puzzle are all there, but it just does not come together in any satisfying way. I had a strong urge to like this movie, expecting it to be a savvy sci fi thriller in the vein of Gattaca, say. I was left disappointed.

I would have enjoyed the movie more if the Madonna/Timberlake collaboration "4 Minutes (To Save the World)" wasn't playing through my head the entire time.

In Time opens in theaters October 28.