Time Cut
Introduction
A slasher film? Yes! A teen scream? Yes! With a topping of time travel? Oh, yes! Time Cut had everything going for it. So much so, that I was ROOTING for the film to be good, or at least decent. After all, who doesn’t love a good ol’ Halloween horror flick? The problem is, this time travel slasher is itself behind times, as last year’s Totally Killer, already did the same concept (and slightly better). Now, Time Cut is not a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination. It’s actually pretty watchable, entertaining, and engaging. However, there are a few areas in which the film misses the mark terribly. Let’s find out!
Story & Screenplay
Summer (Antonia Gentry) is a summery (pun totally intended) teen living in a sweet (again, sorry) little town called Sweetly in 2003. Neat. Only, there is a masked killer on the loose who ends up killing her and three of her friends. Cut to 2024. Lucy (a decent Madison Bailey) is Summer’s younger sister, born after her demise, but living in her ever looming shadow. The town is not cheerful anymore, her parents are so scared that they try to talk her out of a NASA internship, and she pretty much doesn’t have any friends. However, as fate would have it, she stumbles upon a time machine that transfers her to 2003 – before her birth and Summer’s death. She becomes friends with Quinn (Griffin Gluck), the token physics nerd cum one sided lover (of Summer), and confides in him. Eventually, she befriends Summer as well, and has the sister she never had. But Lucy knows what’s going to happen to Summer. Now she is faced with a dilemma – should she alter the past and risk changing the future? Or should she just let things happen the way they do? That’s what forms the crux of the central conflict. It’s a delicious idea, no doubt, but the problem is, the writers are almost scared to go anywhere adventurous. If you’ve seen 3 slasher flicks in your life, you know exactly where the story is headed, and the film (barring the ending) totally fails at surprising you. It also doesn’t help that the film has a been-there-done-that kind of a vibe, wherein you feel almost every scene, every subplot is something you have seen, somewhere else. The similarities with Totally Killer also expose the film a lot. If only the writers were braver, we could’ve had a rather interesting Halloween flick. Yet, what we get is a bland screenplay, with half baked plots, bereft of any creative ideas.
Direction
Hannah Macpherson (who has also co written the film) tries to go for a ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ kind of a movie, but with an added twist of time travel. However, she’s unwilling to commit to either aspect of the film. So, neither do the slasher elements look scary, nor does the time travel look fascinating. The gore, or the lack thereof, is a major letdown, as it feels like the movie itself is too scared to show us blood. She also fails to make us care for (most of) the characters. Never does a murder seem like it matters (there aren’t a lot of murders anyway). You only get to know, pretty much, three characters, and even then you’re not able to empathize with them. She does make the proceedings entertaining, however, and you don’t really feel bored. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s ‘good’ entertainment, however. If at all, it shows that the editor has done a good job. Time Cut was actually announced and shot before Totally Killer. However, not only did Totally Killer beat Time Cut to our screens, it also turned out to be the better product (even if marginally).
Performances
Antonia Gentry has done a fairly good job of portraying Summer, the ‘final girl’ in this thriller. She does ooze confidence and charisma on screen. Griffin Gluck plays the typical nerd in love with ease. But not a lot can be said about his performance, and that’s not entirely his fault. He does shine in one particular scene, fairly late in the movie. Just shows what he could’ve done, if given the right material. Madison Bailey is the true star of the show here, and she excels in the role. She has been given the best written role in the film (which isn’t saying much), and the young actress does make a meal out of it.
Conclusion
Time Cut is a bland slasher, time travel flick, which is too scared to show anything new. Can be seen once, but don’t expect to be blown away by it. Currently streaming on Netflix.
