Time Cut struggles to match up to other films in the same horror comedy genre

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As a seasoned viewer of time-travel films and a connoisseur of emotional rollercoasters, I must say that “Time Cut” left me with a sense of unfulfilled potential. It had all the makings of an intriguing plot – a sister’s life hanging in the balance, a mysterious time machine, and a dash of romance for good measure. However, it seemed to me like the filmmakers were too eager to rush through the narrative, leaving many threads dangling and unexplored.

In an unusual turn of events, Lucy unintentionally journeys through time from the year 2024 to the year 2003, only a few days before her elder sister, Summer, is due to pass away.

The movie Time Cut begins by presenting Summer in the year 2003, a time when she’s dealing with the tragic consequences of three of her friends’ deaths. It doesn’t take much time before Summer encounters her own untimely demise, setting the stage for the remainder of the film.

Presently, Lucy, a young woman, was born a few years following Summer’s passing. Despite this, her parents have struggled to give Lucy the independence she craves, as if the spirit of Summer continues to hover behind her.

Whenever I tag along with my folks during our yearly pilgrimage to Summer’s memorial at the tragic location where she lost her life, events take a surprising turn as I find myself inadvertently transported back in time, right before the 2003 murders occur. Determined to halt these tragedies and get back to my present, I join forces with Quinn, Summer’s brilliant scientific companion who harbors unrequited feelings for her while enduring torment from his schoolmates.

The narrative of Time Cut provides ample opportunity for dramatic tension, but regrettably, it fails to fully develop the emotional aspects of its plot threads.

Lucy’s parents are deeply affected and distressed due to the loss of Summer, which intensifies their apprehension about letting Lucy venture out on her own. Even when she secured a summer internship at NASA – an exceptional opportunity – they remain hesitant, preferring to keep Lucy within their sight due to their concern for her safety.

Lucy subtly suggests a strained bond with her parents, who appeared more carefree and jovial in 2003. However, the narrative choice in “Time Cut” to focus less on Lucy’s familial relationships leaves little emotional investment as it races to return Lucy to her present time. This is further emphasized because “Time Cut” does not establish a compelling connection between Lucy’s past and present that makes her longing for home significant.

In the film, the heart-wrenching moment arrives when Lucy understands she must decide between preserving her own life or Summer’s life, after learning that her parents had no intention of having more than one child. If Lucy lets Summer perish, she can rejoin her parents, yet she would be haunted by the awareness they never shared with her the same affection they showed to Summer. Conversely, if Lucy saves Summer, she has nowhere to return to in 2024 since her parents wouldn’t have had her. The internal battle Lucy faces as she grapples with the idea of sacrificing herself for her sister is the movie’s most profound and intricate theme, striving to make the story feel fresh and innovative.

Fans of blended horror-comedy genres might find Time Cut reminiscent of Amazon Prime Video’s Totally Killer, but it distinctly leans less on the time travel aspect compared to Time Cut.

In “Totally Killer”, Jamie’s familiarity with the time machine stems from her friend having constructed it for a science project earlier. This means that Jamie was aware of its presence while evading the killer, although her use of the time machine was unintentional at first. Because the movie has already introduced the concept of the time machine, it becomes more straightforward when Jamie eventually utilizes it.

In the Netflix movie “Time Cut,” I found Lucy’s time travel origin felt overly contrived. Instead of creating tension by placing Lucy in a life-threatening situation that necessitated her using the time machine as an escape, they had her casually stumble upon it in an abandoned barn, just sitting there after being used. Even though she’s shown to be intelligent, she seems unfazed and even carelessly presses random buttons on this mysterious device without any understanding of its workings.

In contrast to Jamie’s time machine usage in ‘Totally Killer‘, which is primarily driven by her desperate struggle for survival against a killer with the aim of saving her life, Lucy from ‘Time Cut‘ seems more focused on the technology itself rather than using it as a means of survival.

Indeed, the story hinges on its shocking final revelation, but regrettably, it doesn’t provide enough depth or humor to sustain the film. However, in a surprising turn of events, we discover that the antagonist is none other than a future iteration of Quinn.

In the depiction of what happens to Quinn, we learn that being pushed into the river – an incident Lucy managed to stop when she first arrived in 2003 – was the event that ruined his life completely. Later on, getting rejected romantically by Summer added fuel to the fire. Overwhelmed with anger and seeking revenge, he embarks on a violent rampage. However, after committing these crimes, he vanishes without a trace, leaving behind an unsolved mystery as the murderer is never identified or apprehended.

If Quinn’s actions were driven by being tormented by Ethan and ridiculed by Summer, one might question why Quinn targeted the other three characters for murder instead. It seems odd that Ethan, the main instigator of bullying, was never among the victims. The movie’s reasoning behind Quinn’s motivation appears flawed, suggesting a planned plot twist that wasn’t fully fleshed out. However, this inconsistency might not be the most illogical aspect of the film’s ending.

Despite making it home, Lucy found herself unknown to her parents as they were unable to recall her presence since in this alternate reality, they had only one child – Summer. Consequently, Lucy never existed within this timeline, leaving her without any friends or relatives, although no such connections were established initially.

The fact that Lucy chose to stay in the past raises several perplexing issues. Since Lucy wouldn’t have a birth certificate, school records, or any evidence of existence, one might wonder how she managed to secure an internship with NASA in 2003. If Lucy’s parents never discovered her true identity, where did she reside in 2003? Did they ever learn the truth about her?

In contrast to many other horror comedies, Time Cut doesn’t offer anything fresh or insightful when it comes to commenting on the humor of contrasting past and present, or predictable patterns in horror films. While it can be a fun choice for filling spare time, it doesn’t measure up to other movies within its genre in terms of depth and originality.

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2024-11-08 04:15