Time Cut (2024): Review and Summary
“Time Cut” feels so middle of the road, to appeal to maybe too many segments, that it just feels like a poor imitation of a better product.
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| Film Length | 1 Hour 30 Minutes |
| Release Date | October 30, 2024 |
| Advisory Rating | Rated TV-14 |
| Initially Available On/Via | Netflix |
| Genre(s) | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Young Adult |
| Distributor | Netflix |
| Director | Hannah MacPherson |
| Writer | Hannah MacPherson, Michael Kennedy |
| Based On Work By | Michael Kennedy |
| Character Name | Actor |
| Lucy | Madison Bailey |
| Summer | Antonia Gentry |
Plot Summary
Lucy has lived in the shadow of her sister, Summer, her whole life. Heck, she might have been born to be a replacement kid. As you can imagine, this creates a bit of animosity, but on her sister’s death anniversary, Lucy stumbles on a time machine, goes back 20 years, and meets Summer in the flesh. This leads her to get to know her, love her, and want to save her from the serial killer who killed not only Summer but three of her friends.
Trailer
Character Descriptions
Lucy
Lucy is a nerdish girl with the intelligence to get accepted into a NASA internship. She has lived in her older sister’s shadow for her entire life. Heck, the only reason her parents even went through the work to have a second child was because Summer died.
- The actor is also known for their role in “Black Lightning.”
Summer
Summer is Lucy’s older sister who was popular and sweet, she may have had a few secrets, but she was an overall good kid. However, she and her friends were murdered for their actions or inactions in some scenarios.
- The actor is also known for their role in “Prom Dates.”
Other Noteworthy Information
- Movie Contains: Blood, Criminal Acts (Murder), Depiction of Corpses
- The distributor is also known for “Rebel Ridge.”
- The director is also known for “Trinkets.”
- The writer is also known for “It’s A Wonderful Knife.”
Review
Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)
Audience
“Time Cut” is for those who like movies that don’t get too heavy into any genre. Yes, with the time travel element, “Time Cut” is sci-fi, but even with Lucy and another character being nerdy, they don’t go beyond the usual worry of time paradoxes. Also, while the expected comedy of Lucy going back 20 years and being out of style is there, the comedy is light, as is the drama of her meeting the sister who died before she was born. Even the thriller/horror element isn’t too heavy, which makes it so; this is one of those TV-14 films that feel made for those who enjoy a little horror but don’t want gore.
Highlights
A Sense Of Nostalgia
From hearing Hilary Duff to Vanessa Carlton to the style we see throughout, the nostalgia will hit you in ways that will make you laugh and/or cringe.
On The Fence
It Doesn’t Go As Far As You May Want In Any Aspect
Many people complain that Netflix overtly relies on its algorithms to produce its content. I feel like “Time Cut” is the kind of movie AI would outline to present a middle ground applicable to various audiences. It has some cool-looking effects or sci-fi, but it doesn’t really want you to understand the science and anything that would be inconvenient to the narrative; it pushes the idea that it doesn’t matter. What you may think would be the hook, especially to keep it from being directly compared to “Totally Killer” in the relationship between Lucy and Summer, is tame.
I can get emotional if a story is done right and Lucy learning about the person whose shadow she has lived under, it doesn’t lead to the fuzzy feelings you expect. This is even with, despite her being a total stranger, the two clicking immediately and Lucy being lucky enough to bypass having to figure out where to stay or eat, for Summer takes her in like she’s known her for years and not an hour at most.
Then, when it comes to the serial killer, yes, there is blood, stabbings, and someone’s head getting bashed in off-screen. However, blood isn’t flying, chases are short, and even though the killer is a stalker to killing type, there are no jump scares. The scariest thing about them is figuring out who sunny Summer has in her orbit that would want to kill her and why.
By the way, the reveal and reason are trash. So, if you saw “Totally Killer” on Prime Video and thought you’d get more, but with the film taking on a different decade/generation, go watch “Totally Killer,” for it is the better, by far, of the two.
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