Released discreetly on Netflix just before Halloween, the slasher Time Cut currently occupying the top 1 of the streaming platform. But is this fantastic film for teens, based on time travel, really worth a watch?
Notice to all those in their thirties and forties: Time Cut will make you feel old in your life. Now, know that the 2000s are vintage and that films involving time travel therefore target this time period to create a gap with the present.
This is the case of this latest horror production from Netflix, halfway between Back to the future et Screamwhich is already a hit on the streaming platform, only a few days after its release, on October 30, 2024. Now that the Halloween period is fast approaching, is it necessary to delve into the temporal murders of Time Cut ?
And slasher without hemoglobin or suspense
If you’ve been hanging out on social media in recent days, you’ve probably seen this extract of a few seconds that teleports a teenage girl to the early 2000s, to the sound of So Yesterday by Hilary Duff. Fur-lined boots, CD players and message T-shirts with rhinestones included are out in this sequence of Time Cut. The Netflix film imagines that young Lucy goes back in time, by chance, to try to save her sister, who died in 2003 at the hands of a masked serial killer.
We might as well warn you now: if you expect a slasher worthy of the name, with bloody execution scenes and thrills from your sofa, you risk being disappointed by this production which aims rather to reach a family audience. The gore as well as the murder scenes are thus carefully concealed off-camera, revealing only a few drops of hemoglobin at best, and frightened faces at worst. Too bad, since the assassin could have been really scary if the film took him more seriously.
Kiara and Ginny return to the future
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a no-brainer teen movie, to unplug your brain while enjoying some late-night Halloween candy, then Time Cut will be perfect for you. Borrowing largely from the codes of Back to the futurebetween temporal paradoxes and references to the classic of the 1980s, the feature film distills its fantastic atmosphere with as much precision and lightness as a tasty cotton candy. We thus embark on a sort of trip to the heart of a colorful funfair, sprinkled with looks from the 2000s, perfect for those nostalgic for the era.
The time travel is all the more pleasant as we find ourselves in the company of three teenagers well known to Netflix fans: Madison Bailey, the star face of the series Outer BanksAntonia Gentry, the famous Ginny in Ginny & Georgia as well as Griffin Gluck, detestable antagonist of Locke and Key. Together, they manage to compose rather endearing characters, which we enjoy following for the very short duration of Time Cut. In just over an hour and a half, the Netflix film has all the qualities to offer us simple, quick, effective entertainment, and so full of sugar, that we ultimately find ourselves asking for more.
The verdict
We liked
- Madison Bailey et Antonia Gentry ❤️
- References to Back to the Future
- Un bonbon post-Halloween
We liked less
- Where is the blood?
- Where is the fear?
- A too timid slasher
Time Cut could have become a great mix between Back to the future et Screambut unfortunately it borrows too much from the first to claim itself as a slasher worthy of the name. A good dose of blood, violence and suspense is missing from this horror film, which is a little too wise to be credible. It remains good entertainment, perfect for spending a Halloween evening after the hour, in front of an avalanche of teenage candy.
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