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Netflix’s latest film,Time Cut, had the potential to be great, given the time travel andhorrorelements the creators decided to incorporate. However, much to the audience’s disappointment, the film didn’t live up to that intriguing expectation. The concept of time travel has always garnered attention as it makes the audience question what they would do if they were in a similar situation as the protagonists of the films tackling this subject. Netflix’s top Halloween pick film follows the story of two sisters, Summer (Antonia Gentry) and Lucy Fields (Madison Bailey), who become the center of a supernatural thriller involving time travel and a masked killer.
The film begins in 2003 after three of Summer’s best friends have been murdered at a high school party.The masked killer, known as the Sweetly Slasher, has now turned to Summer as his next victim, ultimately resulting in her death. Fast-forward to the present day, Lucy stumbles upon a time machine in the same area where her sister was murdered.
She accidentally travels back in time to 2003, and the typical time-travel plot ensues with Lucy trying to get back to her time while doing everything possible to prevent the Sweetly Slasher from killing her sister.Even though the premise was promising, the plot holes left viewers unsatisfied with the filmand the similarities toBack to the Futureand Prime Video’sTotallyKillerare all that audiences are discussing.
Back to the Future meets Scream in this horror film from the creators of Freaky.
Shouldn’t Lucy’s Parents Recognize Her From the Past?
LikeBack to the FutureandTotally Killer, Lucy meets her parents in 2003, and, for obvious reasons, they don’t know who she is, but they are introduced to her through Summer. Not only is Lucy attempting to alter the past by saving her sister, but she learns the devastating truth thatshe wasn’t supposed to existas her parents hadn’t planned for any more children after Summer. This gut-wrenching truth, however, doesn’t change her goal of saving her sister’s life.After traveling back to 2024 and taking the Sweetly Slasher with her to kill him, Lucy alters the past and saves Summer’s life, meaning she no longer exists in present-day 2024.
Time Cut Director Explains Netflix’s Decade-Hopping Slasher & Praises Madison Bailey
Hannah Macpherson discusses making her new film Time Cut with the writer of Freaky, on Netflix Oct. 30.
Once she realizes that her tampering with the timeline has affected her existence, Lucy decides to travel back to 2003, but her parents don’t recognize her despite sharing familial moments with them when she first traveled to 2003. The fact that they don’t know her as their daughter makes sense. However,the fact that they don’t know her as Summer’s friend is one instance that left viewers confused.
Lucy Receives a NASA Internship in 2024 and 2003
The ending and beginning of the film mirror each other, just in a different year. Lucy’s narration reveals that the same internship she was accepted for with NASA in 2024 is the same internship acceptance she received in 2003. Thefilm fails to explainhow Lucy still exists despite changing the course of time and never being born. She was not supposed to exist in 2003, so the logical thinking of how she was able to apply to an organization like NASA without the proper identification required to be considered for a position with said organization.
Time Cut Stars Antonia Gentry & Madison Bailey Dish on Their Netflix Time-Travel Slasher
Antonia Gentry & Madison Bailey discuss playing sisters in different time periods in the new time-traveling slasher movie, Time Cut, out Oct. 30.
Logical thinking cap on,the biggest plot hole within this plot hole is how NASA didn’t verify Lucy’s identity. Technology wasn’t as advanced in 2003 as in 2024, but an organization like NASA would thoroughly vet any incoming personnel.The time machineis also something Lucy didn’t consider handing over to NASA to explain how she exists in 2003 while being from 2024, but that would also derive from the premise of the film.
Time Cut Is a Netflix Success Yet Underwhelming for Critics
Although the film has many discrepancies,it was a hit for Netflix as it currently sits in the number 2 spot in the Global Top 10. Netflix’s audience was intrigued by the union of horror and time travel in the film, demonstrating the long-lasting popularity of the horror genre and the creative avenues it could take.
Critics, on the other hand, weren’t impressed with director Hannah Macpherson’s film.The film received a harsh 19% Rotten Tomatoes score, prompting potential viewers to save time for a different movie or watch Madison Bailey in the second part ofSeason 4 ofOuter Banks. Audiences shouldn’t let critics' scores influence their decisions and make up their own minds, but the critics might be right on this one.Time Cutis streaming onNetflix.
