Time Cut Is the No. 1 Movie on Netflix, but Is It Really Worth Watching?

In 2023, a year before Time Cut, Nahnatchka Khan's Totally Killer premiered. Both movies are built on the same formula: slasher meets time travel trope, and there is a hint of nostalgia in the air.

In Totally Killer, the main character travels to the 1980s to stop a criminal who is attacking high school girls and, years later, her mother. Time Cut, though released a year later, was in production before its predecessor. However, Hannah MacPherson's work will be hard pressed to avoid comparisons with Khan's film.

Neither movie claims to be a revolutionary in the genre: the combination of horror and comedy is nothing new. But if Totally Killer can be thanked for its successful attempt to entertain the viewer, Time Cut can hardly be called a cheerful or witty Halloween scare.

What Is Time Cut About?

In 2003, an unknown killer is hunting teenagers in a small town. The latest victim is popular high school student Summer.

The action soon shifts to 2024: Lucy, Summer's little sister, born after the tragedy, lives among the ghosts of the past. The death of their daughter has broken her parents, the room of the deceased stands untouched like a sacred altar, and Lucy herself never knew her sister and has no idea what Summer was like.

On the anniversary of her death, the family traditionally goes to the old barn – the site of the murder. Noticing a strange flash of light, Lucy enters the barn and discovers a mysterious device: a moment later, the girl finds herself in 2003 – a few days before her sister's death.

Plot and Dialog Are the Weakest Part of Time Cut

It is the dramaturgy that causes the most disappointment in Time Cut: the film can neither boast with lively dialogues nor with an exciting narrative. On the other hand, thanks to Lucy's difficult fate, the filmmakers had a chance to give the story complexity and depth.

The girl grew up in a house where grief left its mark in every corner, and life has stood still since 2003. Finding herself in the past, she is surprised to see how happy her parents were and in what environment her sister grew up. The parents' decision to have a second child is linked to their desire to cope with the pain of losing Summer.

Lucy's life is overshadowed by tragedy, but a chain of terrible events literally triggers her own birth. The sci-fi horror had the opportunity to unfold in an unexpected way: but, without spoiling anything, we can say that the ambiguous ending will not surprise you.

Time Cut Is at Least a Good Way to Feel Nostalgic

Time travel in movies is always a way to indulge in nostalgia. The director's most successful decision was to send the main character to 2003. From low-rise jeans to cult film remakes, the past few years have been filled with nostalgia for the 2000s.

Netflix's comedy slasher may not become an annual movie to rewatch at the end of October, but at least it will preserve the mood of society.