Time travel movies hold a special place in Hollywood’s repertoire which captivates audiences with their tantalizing blend of adventure, romance, and mind-bending paradoxes. What makes these films eternal favorites among audiences? Firstly, it’s the sheer escapism they offer. Whether it’s zipping through history in a DeLorean or navigating alternate timelines, time travel movies transport viewers to world beyond their imagination.
Secondly, the inherent intrigue of altering the past or glimpsing the future taps into our innate curiosity about what could have been or what might be. Additionally, the complex narratives and clever twists keep audiences on the edge of their seats, challenging them to unravel the intricate webs of causality.
But perhaps most importantly, time travel movies often explore deeper themes of fate, identity, and the consequences of our actions, resonating with viewers on a profound emotional level. Whether it’s the thrill of adventure, the allure of the unknown, or the philosophical ponderings they provoke, Hollywood’s time travel movies continue to enchant audiences worldwide.
TOP 10 TIME TRAVEL MOVIES
10. PREDESTINATION (2014)
Based on the 1959 short story “All You Zombies” by Robert A. Heinlein, this is story about a Temporal agent who is sent on time travel journeys to stop the deadly events from happening. On one such mission he gets brutally injured and his superiors ask him to immediately retire citing his health concern. However, he is sent on a final task, to New York City, in 1970 as a bartender.
What I like about this movie is that it doesn’t focus on the stylized special effects to convey the theme of time travel. In fact, this movie aims at the intellectual side of time travel & the impact it has on humans. At the beginning it occurred to me as if the plot is liner and not complex but then I was completely stunned with the sudden twist and surprise this movie has.
Ethan Hawke and Sara Snook have done a fabulous job of portraying a layered character and at no point they appear out of sync in this twisted tale of events. Directed by Michael & Peter Spierig this time travel movie is a must watch for anyone who is interested in a sci-fi thriller.
9. 12 MONKEYS (1995)
In 1996, a deadly virus is released which wipes out the human race. Only few survivors are left, who live underground as the air on earth is deemed poisonous. Cut to 2035, James Cole is a prisoner in an underground facility Philadelphia. He is troubled man living with his own past trauma. In order to develop the cure for virus scientists select Cole for a time travel journey. His mission is simple. go back to the year 1996, find the original virus and come back with details.
Like all time travel movies, this too relies on the complications of general relativity. In his first attempt Cole accidently lands in the year 1990 and gets imprisoned at mental hospital. I’m telling you time travel isn’t easy guys. Look where it lands you up! At the asylum he meets one significant mental patient Jeffery Goines, who allegedly holds the key to this deadly virus. Unbeknownst to this knowledge Cole escapes from the prison and travels back in 2035.
In a thrilling tale of twist and turns 12 Monkeys constantly kept me engaged and allowed me to solve the confusion that the lead character goes through. Director Terry Gilliam subtly approaches the concept of time travel and layers it with a fascinating subplots. Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, and Christopher Plummer have done a commendable job, but it is Brad Pitt who leaves an impact in his role as a mental patient Jeffrey Goines.
8. THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE (2009)
This movie is based on a novel published in 2003 by author Audrey Niffenegger. Henry, a librarian, possesses a unique genetic disorder, which causes him to time travel. But wait! There is slight issue. He has no control over his time travel and the duration of his visit.
Though time travel is the prime theme of this story but at it’s core this is a delightful love saga. When Henry meets Clare for this first time in a library, she tells him that she knows him and in the future they are married. Sounds bizarre right? From here on Henry finds way to keep a track of his wife and the important events in their life. In one of his visits he meets the childhood version of Clare and provides her with important dates about his appearance.
Henry’s incessant visits start affecting their relationship and in this chaos Clare goes through multiple miscarriages. She eventually gets pregnant and gives birth to a daughter named Alba. During one of his visits, Henry figures that he’ll get killed when his daughter turns five and this leads him to his final moments as a time traveler. Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams chemistry makes this movie magical and worth watching. It’s a charming time travel story with great acting and spectacular cinematography.
7. GROUNDHOG DAY (1993)
Phil Connors is a weatherman tired of his boring job. He is self centered, narcissistic and doesn’t care much about the good life that he is leading. One day he visits to Punxsutawney for an annual coverage of Groundhog day festivities and his life changes completely.
The next morning when Phil is about to leave Punxsutawney, he experiences previous day events repeating in his life. Initially he thinks it’s a Deja vu and doesn’t pay much thought to it. However, he soon realizes that he is stuck in a time loop and cannot seem to get out of this town. For the first few days he his furious, indifferent, makes fun about everything and goes through the same loop without giving it a deep thought. In fact he attempts suicide in different ways but doesn’t succeed.
Things starts to change for Phil when he confides in Rita his news producer. Rita is a sweet natured beautiful lady who doesn’t fall for Phil’s antics. In fact she reminds Phil of what an ass he is in life. Slowly Phil drops his egocentric nature and starts connecting with people on a personal level. This movie reminds me that if we embrace kindness and gratitude we’ll realize that It’s a wonderful life. Directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, this is my personal favorite.
6. THE TERMINATOR (1984)
A mega blockbuster movie which solidified Arnold Schwarzenegger career in Hollywood. Directed by James Cameron, this movie is about a cyborg who is sent back in time from 2029 to 1984, Los Angeles. He is programmed to execute a woman named Sarah Connor, as her about to be born son will defeat Skynet in 2029. With a poker face and no remorse The Terminator keeps chasing his target. However, there is a human soldier named Kyle Reese who intents on stopping this killing machine.
In this James Cameron saga the plot is simple but the action is phenomenal. The special effects of cyborg on Arnold is so convincing that it feels absolutely real. The scene when he looses his eye after a battle is surreal and spooky. Arnold looks so real as a cold blooded killing machine, that he barely needs to speak. His body language does the heavy lifting and the job is done. I must say it’s a perfect casting and he was born to play The Terminator!
5. X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (2014)
Frankly speaking I had stopped watching X-MEN when Bryan Singer quit this franchise. But when I got to know that this movie is lead by him with the original cast of X-MEN I was absolutely thrilled. Hugh Jackman, Ian Mckellen and Patrick Stewart reunite in this time travel saga with young mutants.
In the future the mutants are at a war with robots named Sentinels. These robots are build using the DNA of Mystique, which makes them immensely powerful and adaptive. Their mission is to wipe mutants from this planet and this leads to a destructive war. To end this battle Professor Xavier & Magneto come up with a time travel hack which only Wolverine can make through!
Cut to year 1970 where Logan’s mission is to unite with young Charles Xavier, Erik, Mystique and other fellow mutants to stop Dr. Bolivar Trask, the creator of Sentinel project. In the beginning Logan finds it difficult to convince Charles about his time travel and their plan to save the world but then he finally succeeds. However, the other problem is Erik who is defiant and furious. No points for guessing. Yes they do unite and end up defeating the bad guy. Being a millennial it was nostalgic to watch the original X-MEN in this time travel movie.
4. EDGE OF TOMORROW (2014)
It’s 2015 and an alien race AKA “mimics” have conquered Europe by annihilating millions. In midst of this chaos are our lead character Major William cage (Tom Cruise) and Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt). United Defense Force (UDF) is the alliance formed by global military to destroy these mimics. Sergeant Rita is a war hero who has been at the frontline and she knows how to win this war but she can’t do this alone.
Major William Cage is a public affair officer who gets himself entangled in an invasion by UDF. When General Brigham orders Cage to cover the invasion of France from the frontline he refuses and attempts to blackmail Brigham. To this he is forcefully sent to a military base at Heathrow airport to join the battle as an infantry. It is during this battle he finds himself stuck in a loop.
After dying multiple times on the battlefield Cage finds out that they can end this war by killing the leader of mimics called “Omega”. Every time Cage & Vrataski get close to find the “Omega” they are killed by the aliens and the loop starts again. The duo eventually finds a way to win the battle but of course they must pay a price.
3. AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019)
After the destruction of Avengers Infinity war, Thanos has successfully wiped the half of human race and defeated the the mighty avengers. Ironman, is wandering on a spaceship all alone with low oxygen, and has no hope of surviving. Back at home Captain America and Black Widow are grieving the loss of their fellow avengers and trying to keep the balance.
In a mysterious stroke of luck Captain Marvel saves Ironman and brings him back to earth. Few days later Captain America and Black widow meet Antman who has somehow travelled through time and made it in the present. He is shocked to see the events of infinity war and wants to bring his loved ones back anyhow. That’s when the idea of time travel strikes and they build a time travel portal with the help of Bruce Banner, but aren’t successful. Then arrives Tony Stark to the rescue and he cracks the code. YAY!
The plan is simple. Go to the past, find all infinity stones and restore the balance. But this time the stakes are high and this is their only chance. Director Joe & Anthony Russo do a great job of weaving this intricate timeline that they started ten years ago. All the questions are addressed and this time travel heist looks logical. Acting, background score & special effects are mind-blowing and I can only say that it was great experience to watch this movie on a big screen. This movie is final love letter by the original avengers and it’s must watch for Robert Downey Jr. fans.
2. BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (1989)
Bill and Ted are high school students who want to start their own rock & roll band called “Wyld Stallyns”. But before they can do this they must pass their history class. Now this looks like a impossible task as they aren’t good with studies. Furthermore, if Ted doesn’t graduate from high school his father plans to send him to a military school in Alaska and end his dream plan.
But hey with time travel every thing is possible. At a convenience store Bill & Ted are struggling with their history report and that’s when they encounter Rufus, the man from the future. He is a cool looking guy who promises to help them with their history report. How? With time travel dude! Of course it’s an offer that Bill & Ted can’t refuse.
Using a time booth Bill & Ted encounter major historical figures like Napoleon Bonaparte, Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc, Sigmund Freud, Genghis Khan etc. At one point they end up befriending the wise Socrates and gain his worldly wisdom. This is a well written scientific comedy which makes it a fun ride to watch. Starring Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter & George Carlin this time travel movie is highly entertaining.
1. BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985)
Marty McFly is a teenager who lives with his troubled family. His mother is an alcoholic suffering from depression, father faces bullying by his co workers, and his older siblings aren’t doing well in life. Marty plans of becoming a Rockstar but his dream is shattered after an unsuccessful music audition. At this night he meets his quirky scientist friend Dr. Brown and this encounter changes his life altogether.
Dr. Brown has made a time travelling car “DeLorean” and he wants Marty to test his invention. The stage is set and Marty accepts the request but at that moment they are attacked by Libyan terrorists. Why? because Dr. Brown has stolen plutonium from them in order to fuel his time travel car. During the attack Marty escapes and lands in the year 1955. This is the year when his mom and dad are young adults and he isn’t even born yet. And now to travel back in 1985, he needs plutonium!
Writer Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale have done a awesome job of weaving this story. It looks simple but trust me with this kind of theme, it could have went either overboard or boring. In fact Back to the future is one of those perfect movie which will forever entertain the audience. Michael J. Fox as Marty is charming, Christopher Lloyd as mad scientist is hilarious, Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover in supporting cast are equally good. This is a classic time travel movie and a historical feat in motion pictures.
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