Michael Slavin
Depending on how old the person reading this is, they will have varying memories of 2003.
Maybe that was the year you entered high school?
The year you got married?
Maybe like me you were only five, and so it’s probably the first year you remember being a conscious human being?
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Before I even think about the possibility that many readers will have not even been alive, it is undeniable, no matter where you fall on this spectrum, that 2003 has an incredibly distinct and undeniable aesthetic.
Just like how an American Supreme Court Justice once defined obscenity in film, you may not be able to describe it, but you know it when you see it.
Well, viewers watching Netflix’s newest horror Time Cut have said that the streamer did not stick the landing on portraying that 2003 vibe.
The film sees a young girl sent back in time to 2003, and Netflix posted a clip of her appearing in the early 00s bewildered by the sight of Uggs, tracksuits, and a Walkman.
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Despite this though, and the classic Hillary Duff song So Yesterday playing, fans are not convinced.
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One reply said: “This doesn’t look like 2003, idk how to explain it, but this looks like 2024 pretending to be 2003.”
While we’ll let off the criticisms saying that’s exactly what it is so that’s why it looks like that, this was not the only post criticising the era specific nature of the movie.
Another tweet about the film said: “Not a frosted tip in sight. No goths or punks. No hemp necklaces.
“No t-shirt over long sleeve tee. Did they not have a single 40yo working on this production”.
One particularly harsh tweet simply said: “This is not 2003 this is a shein ad”.
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Another said: “Having been in high school in 2003, I can tell you it looked NOTHING like this fake 2024 version they are selling you… No gelled hair.
“Band Tees? Chuck Taylors? There several other things, but someone didn’t do their homework before making this”.
The film has been released to a predominantly positive response, shooting to number two on the Netflix charts, behind only Don’t Move.
Despite the huge amounts watching the horror, perhaps inflated partially by the clever release date of the day before Halloween, the reviews have been less than kind.
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With a 5/10 on IMDb, and a shocking 13% on Rotten Tomatoes, it ranked significantly lower on both even that Joker 2, one of the flops of the summer which inspired fan walkouts in protest.
Thankfully Time Cut isn't playing in theatres, or I worry you'd get angry Millennials walking out in droves.