Blu-ray

The science-fiction genre has frequently proven fertile ground for allegories about concerns regarding the world we live in. Andrew ‘Gattaca’ Niccol’s latest film is one of the more ham-fisted to come along in recent years.

In Time conjures up a near-future where people work in order to be paid the minutes, hours and days they need to live. Meanwhile the wealthy have immortality conferred on them, but only if they live a boring, risk-free life. Subtle it isn’t. But at least Justin Timberlake (who is proving to be a credible actor) and Amanda Seyfried make for an engaging sci-fi Bonnie and Clyde, while Cillian Murphy steals the show as the by-the-book cop pursing them.

Picture: In Time might not be up there with Blade Runner in the sci-fi stakes, but it’s certainly a good-looking movie. Fox’s AVC 2.40:1 1080p encode is a thing of true beauty, delivering the kind of crisp definition and perfect colour balance that will look just as spectacular on a big projector screen as it does on a 42in TV. Contrast and brightness are particularly impressive, ensuring that even the darkest scenes have a palpable sense of depth and no shortage of fine detailing. Colours pack punch. And there are no traces of any kind of technical anomalies.
Picture rating: 5/5

Audio: In Time isn’t quite the all-action fest you might expect, and therefore its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is short of true demo-worthy sequences. That said, the mix works extremely hard (arguably harder than the script) to bring Niccol’s futuristic world to life, with heavy dollops of ambient noise spread around the speakers to create a genuine sense of space and scale. In the midst of this aural landscape, the dialogue and score are highlighted with exceptional clarity.
Audio rating: 4/5

Extras: Having failed to set the global box office alight, it’s perhaps not too surprising that In Time isn’t blessed with an abundance of bonus features on Blu-ray. But even so, it is still disappointing to see just how little effort 20th Century Fox has put into this aspect of the release.

First up comes The Minutes, which is an instantly forgettable 17-minute faux documentary featuring in-character interviews with the principal cast about the subject of immortality. I mean, really: who cares? Then comes a collection of ten deleted/extended scenes, only a handful of which are of any real interest. And other than a generic Fox BD-Live link, plus a DVD and Digital Copy of the film, that’s your lot. Perhaps they simply ran out of time...
Extras rating: 1/5

We say: An amiable sci-fi time-waster that certainly looks and sounds the part on Blu-ray

20th Century Fox, All-region BD/R2 DVD, £25 Aprrox, On sale now
HCC VERDICT: 3/5