My quick rating – 5.2/10. Sometimes a flick can tell you exactly what you’re in for right from the opening frame, and 57 Seconds wastes absolutely no time doing just that. We open on a plane already in full crash mode, with our narrator politely introducing the passengers like we’re being handed a seating chart for the upcoming disaster. It is one of those “start at the chaos, then rewind to explain how we got here” openings that screams, don’t think too hard about this.
At the center of the madness is Franklin Fausti, played by Josh Hutcherson, a blogger who stumbles into the orbit of tech visionary Anton Burrell, played by the always commanding Morgan Freeman. After thwarting an attack on Burrell, Franklin finds a ring that allows its wearer to travel exactly 57 seconds into the past. It is a fun sci-fi hook, and honestly, there is some genuine potential in the concept. The problem is what the movie decides to do with it.
Instead of immediately diving into high-concept thrills, Franklin basically starts using time travel like it is a cheat code for theft and forced swipe rights. Before the revenge plot against the pharmaceutical company responsible for his sister’s death really gets going, he is already using the ring for selfish reasons, including nudging romantic outcomes in his favor. It makes it incredibly difficult to look at him as some heroic underdog when his first instinct is essentially, what if I used science fiction to improve my dating odds? Not exactly the most inspiring protagonist move.
That is really where 57 Seconds stumbles the most. When you have such a complex storyline about revenge, corruption, and messing around with time, there are just so many absurdly stupid decisions made that it seems as if common sense must have been the very first one sacrificed on that altar. Franklin, the hero of the story, doesn’t really come across as one. In fact, I was waiting all through the film to see him get smacked upside the head.
Still, if you approach this as a bit of innocent sci-fi fun, there is enough here to make it an okay watch. The premise alone keeps things moving, and Morgan Freeman does what Morgan Freeman has done for decades – show up and make a flawed movie look far more respectable than it probably deserves. His presence alone keeps the whole thing from completely falling apart.
On the other hand, Josh Hutcherson gives us the bare minimum. It’s adequate enough, yet the whole notion of having him play the lead in an action-thriller doesn’t seem like such a good idea. The movie isn’t anything daring or clever, resorting to convenient plot elements and actions existing to keep the script moving.
My advice? Give 57 Seconds a shot, but do not overthink it. The moment you start pulling at the logic, the whole thing unravels faster than the timeline itself.
