The great cinematographerRoger Deakinsis quite selective these days; even more so after winning two Oscars. He works only on massive tent poles, or on new films directed by past collaborators. But in 2011, between shooting the Coen Brothers’True GritandSam Mendes’Skyfall, Deakins shot a science-fiction thriller that earned terrible reviews, had little impact on the cultural landscape, but marked a career-altering first for him. Directed byAndrew Niccol, the movieIn Timedid fairly well at the box office and is now rising up the HBO viewership charts.
According toFlixPatrol, it was theseventh-most-watched film on HBO on July 8, ahead ofJordan Peele’sGet Out, the cult classicNapoleon Dynamite, and the recent animated filmThe Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie. The HBO charts were topped byRyan Coogler’sSinners, and the hit video game adaptationA Minecraft Movie.In Timehas been consistently scoring spots in the top 10 during the last week, but it hasn’t quite broken out. The moviegrossed around $175 million worldwideback in 2011, against a reported budget of $40 million.
StarringJustin Timberlake,Amanda Seyfried,Cillian Murphy,Matt Bomer, andOlivia Wilde, the movie wasbased on an admittedly exciting premise. It was set in a future where time is literally the primary currency. A person with more time could technically live forever, while the poor could die the second their clocks ran out. The movie offered commentary on class division and capitalism, butearned mixed reviews. It’s currently sitting at a 36% score onRotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus reads, “In Time’s intriguing premise and appealing cast are easily overpowered by the blunt, heavy-handed storytelling.”
‘In Time’ Marked a First for Deakins
The great criticRoger Ebertgave it a moderatelypositive review, praising the premise but noting that “a great deal of this film has been assembled from standard elements.” Interestingly,In Timemarked Deakins' first time shooting on digital. He’d go on to shootSkyfallandBlade Runner 2049digitally as well. He hasn’t done a movie since Mendes' little-seenEmpire of Light, which debuted in 2022. Perhaps the filmmaker will bring him on board hisambitious four-part Beatles series? You can watchIn Timeon HBO Max in the United States, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
