While Cillian Murphy is, for many people, best known for his roles in Oppenheimer and the popular crime drama series Peaky Blinders, he’s no stranger to sci-fi. He was one of the stars of 2010’s Inception, 2007’s Sunshine, and perhaps most notably, the post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later (because, yes, zombies are sci-fi, too.) But one of Murphy’s sci-fi films is one you’ve probably never heard of — and now it’s streaming for free on Tubi.
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Released in 2011, In Time is a dystopian sci fi set in a near future where time is the primary currency and when your time runs out, you expire — literally. The film stars Murphy as an antagonist “Timekeeper” or time cop along with Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried as a pair of people trying to destroy the corrupt system. The film was met with poor reviews from critics but performed reasonably at the box office. While the film, which also stars Olivia Wilde, Matt Bomer, Johnny Galecki, and Alex Pettyfer, has its flaws, it’s an interesting take on a story of revolution and definitely worth checking out.
In Time Has a Great Premise (Though the Execution Could Be Better)
As sci-fi goes, In Time has a pretty solid premise. In a dystopian 2169, people have been genetically engineered to stop aging at 25 but there’s a catch. They are also given a one-year countdown that starts counting down (it’s literally on people’s forearms). Once that countdown hits zero, the person times out and dies instantly. In this world, time — specifically a person’s lifespan — is the universal currency with people able to earn more time but also having to spend time like one would spend money. This has created a wide gulf between the poorest people in Dayton where most people have fewer than 24 hours on their clocks at any given time, and the wealthy New Greenwich where people have hoarded so much time, they’re practically immortal.
When Will (Timberlake) ends up rescuing a man with 116 years on his clock from time-robbing thugs, the man transfers his time to Will and tells him about how the rich keep increasing the cost of things to keep the poor, well, poor. However, when he times out, Timekeeper Raymond Leon (Murphy) assumes that Will robbed him. The film follows Will as he not only tries to evade Raymond but also finds himself wanting to destroy the whole system after his mother (Wilde) dies when she runs out of time by mere seconds.
The idea of literal time being currency and the mechanism by which the rich continue to oppress the rest of society is fascinating and offers up plenty of opportunity for commentary. Unfortunately, much of that opportunity gets tangled in an uneven action film that, at times, can’t decide what kind of heist film it wants to be. That said, despite a bit of unsteadiness and uncertainty in the execution, In Time is still an entertaining movie. It has a Bonne and Clyde element when Will meets up with banking heiress Sylvia (Seyfried) who joins him on his mission to rob time vaults and take down the system. The movie is also visually appealing, with the New Greenwich scenes being particularly slick and stylish as you might expect for a futuristic wealthy society.
What Else is On Tubi This March?
If you’re into sci-fi, March is a great month for free streaming. In addition to In Time, Ad Astra, Battle: Los Angeles, Bicentennial Man, Ex Machina and more all arrived on Tubi this month, but you’ll want to act fast. Several of the movies are already popping up on the streamer’s “leaving soon” page meaning time is running out for a sci-fi streaming fest.
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