The cinema often reflects those desires of society. Not only with commercial intention but because many of these stories are based on the obsession of other authors, for example HG Welles who was one of the first to talk about a machine created to travel through time.
From now on; scientific theories or simply facts built from the author’s own imagination, have given us all kinds of stories based on trips from the present to the future or the past, time loops or trips beyond the knowledge of the human being.
We have collected the 20 best Time Travel movies.
1. Back to the Future (1985)
Time goes by and it becomes increasingly clear that this film by Robert Zemeckis about a young man, a slightly crazy doctor and a Delorian turned into a time machine is one of the greatest works of all time offered by popular cinema.
A script that has been rated number 1 in the blockbuster section many times benefits from a Spielbergrian direction and charisma in its cast and in the situations raised by the plot that does not need a single shot to bring it to the brink of a heart attack. to the viewer. Cinema with a wide smile that gives back to the most disenchanted of viewers the pleasure of dreaming like a child again.
2. Terminator 2 (1991)
Probably the best action movie in history, “Terminator 2” is the renewed version of the first film, a sequel that does not change any of the essential axes of its predecessor but that pushes all its aesthetic and plot possibilities to the limit. The outline of its characters, the scale of the action and the impact of unforgettable sequences such as the Nuclear Holocaust make it one of the indisputable fantastic characters.
3. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
In the near future, Earth has been invaded by a deadly alien race whose advance seems unstoppable. To face the enemy there are the United Defense Forces, special commandos equipped with the latest military technology.
Our protagonist, Commander William Cage (Cruise), an officer who has never been in combat and who is forced to participate in a suicide mission, ends up there as a punishment.
4. Stuck in Time (1993)
One of the movies that bring us the funniest Bill Murray. Phil, the weatherman for a television network, goes to Punxstawnwey for another year, to cover the information of the Groundhog Day festival. On the return trip, Phil and his team are caught in a storm that forces them to return to the small town. The next morning, he wakes up to his astonishment that Groundhog Day is starting again.
5. Intellestellar (2014)
Are all movies set in space time travel movies? It is certainly a question worth asking. Aging in a relativistic biological space-time is a hell of a drug, after all. Without getting too into Albert Einstein’s twin paradox, simply put: we age more slowly when we travel through space. Christopher Nolan’s 2014 sci-fi film “Interstellar” not only features some harrowing moments of time dilation, but the third act reveals that the power of love can bend the fabric of space and time.
The film opens with a doomsday scenario: A global plague is turning the Earth into a heap of ash and dust. A plan is formed to find a new planet for humanity and a team, including former NASA test pilot Joe Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), is sent out into the galaxy to scout the three possible candidates. Operatic, inventive and brimming with intergalactic spectacle, “Interstellar” is an epic space saga of the highest quality.
6. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
Masterfully directed by Mamoru Hosoda (“Summer Wars”, “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” part of a minimalist cast: a triangle of friendship and romance formed by the vertices of Makoto, Chiaki and Kosuke to thread an extremely complex plot squeezing to the limit all the possibilities of caroms with spacetime.Emotional film with a couple of twists in the script that are certainly surprising and a spectacular direction.
7. Midnight in Paris (2011)
Without a doubt, one of the great films of the 21st century so far, “Midnight in Paris” is Allen in its purest form: absurdity, poetry and an emotional story of a Hollywood screenwriter turned writer who will experience the most improbable of events. travel during a night walk through the beautiful streets of the city of light. Oscar winner for best original screenplay and one of the most valued films of 2011.
8. The Pier (1962)
An unparalleled demonstration of how to create cinema of the highest artistic height with the most meager resources, Chris Marker’s photo-novel is one of the most impressive pieces of audiovisual art of the 20th century. In addition to serving as inspiration for another excellent film, “12 Monkeys”, “La Jetee” is an emotional journey with a very dark tone with a heartbreaking twist in its ending. Sublime.
9. Time on Your Hands (1960)
Delightful adaptation of the HG Wells classic, “The Time Machine”, George Pal’s film offers all the elegance and narrative precision of classic cinema; nothing is missing and nothing is superfluous. Great moments of production design and an excellent Rod Taylor in the main role for one of those enjoyable films, no matter how much the technological leap causes abysses in the visual section.
10. Prime (2004)
Indie cinema par excellence and, so far, the only work by its director, screenwriter and star: Shane Carruth. A film of tremendous complexity with meager means, “Primer” manages to condense a maze of paradoxes and time lines that become a confusing skein in just 76 minutes. In spite of everything, the tape has a total internal coherence. His filmmaker always warns that it is normal not to understand more than 30% of the plot on its first viewing.
11. Star Trek IV. Mission: Save Earth (1986)
Kirk, Spock and co. travel back in time to neither more nor less than San Francisco in 1986 to try to prevent a disaster in the 13th century. Our only hope: the whales. Scripted by Nicholas Meyer (“Star Trek II & VI”) and directed by Leonard Nimoy, “Star Trek IV” is, in its own right, one of the most interesting and bizarre films in the franchise, with a well-used comic encore. and an excellent narrative rhythm that was about to have Eddie Murphy in its cast.
12. The Navigator: A Time Odyssey (1988)
Undoubtedly, one of the strangest time travel tapes in memory, “The Navigator” put us in the shoes of a medieval people guided by a visionary infant who leads them to a tunnel in the center of the Earth that connects with the New Zealand of the 20th century. Among other merits, the film has the highest award at the Sitges Festival as of 1988.
13. Planet of the Apes (1968)
Although very surely far from the cinematographic quality of other titles on this list, “Planet of the Apes” deserves a position on the podium for being pioneering, for its extraordinary script and for having what is possibly the most impressive and popular ending of the history of cinema. The hand of the great Rod Serling (alma mater of “Twilight Zone”) is perceived behind the framework of an unforgettable story.
14. 12 Monkeys
In the not too distant future, 2035, humanity has been driven underground by a deadly viral pandemic. James Cole (Bruce Willis), a mild-mannered, soft-spoken convict, “offers” to act as a time-traveling guinea pig. His mission is to travel to 1996, the year of the outbreak, and discover the cause of it. However, when Cole is accidentally transported too far into the past, his sweaty warnings of impending disaster turn into the rantings of a lunatic, and he is quickly incarcerated in a mental health facility.
There he meets two people who will have a profound impact not only on his life, but on the future of the human race: a compassionate psychiatrist and a fellow psychiatrist who happens to be the son of a prominent virologist. Directed by imaginative former Monty Pythonist Terry Gilliam, “12 Monkeys” balances its stark surreal march with an uncomfortable degree of verisimilitude.
15. Palm Spring (2020)
One of the best Palm Springs time loop movies. The movie is not without its flaws. Caught in the loop together, Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg’s characters are a perfect comic couple, and their shared humanity makes for a beautiful arc. The film raises questions about what is worth doing in life when nothing lasts and how to stay sane when every day is the same. Of course, as something of the polar opposite of Tenet, he benefited from coming out during the pandemic by speaking, as he does, about the experience of lockdown.
16. Arrival (2016)
When mysterious ships come to earth without explanation, linguistics professor Louise Banks (Adams) is summoned to try to establish communication with the extraterrestrial beings. As she delves deeper into the investigation, Louise begins to have what the viewer assumes are flashbacks that reveal her daughter dying of an incurable disease. In the end, however, we find out that the language of the aliens actually allows Louise to move forward and see the life and death of a daughter she has yet to give birth to. It’s one of the most unique and complex uses of time travel, as Louise’s choice at the end offers a fascinating examination of the choice we have in our lives and whether knowing the ending ruins the trip.
17. Source Code
Duncan Jones’ hit “Source Code” unwraps a unique twist on the “time loop,” following a US Army captain, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who is sent, time and time again, to the digital recreation of a train explosion in real life, being your mission to find out who is the guilty terrorist. It is a clever and convoluted mystery, also starring Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright.
18. The Visitors
Directed by Jean-Marie Poire (who also directed the 2001 English-language remake of “Just Visiting”), “The Visitors” follows two poor medieval souls who accidentally stumble into modern times, landing in the early 1990s. 1990 thanks to a clumsy and not entirely good magician.
With his loyal servant (Christian Clavier) in tow, brash knight Godfrey of Malfete (Jean Reno) must contend with futuristic horrors like concrete roads, dentistry, and the mug-cut, no longer an option. fashion. “The Visitors” is a time travel movie that is as crazy as it gets.
19. The butterfly effect.
Though “The Butterfly Effect” wasn’t especially well-regarded when it released in 2004 (as its low Rotten Tomatoes score attests), Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber’s time-travel film has since enjoyed a modern reappraisal. , emerging as one of the most interesting science fiction horror proposals of the early 1990s. The film follows Evan (Ashton Kutcher, playing against the grain), a young man struggling to remember his past, thanks to a history of horrific abuse.
By chance, Evan discovers that reading his old journals allows him to literally embody his younger self, changing the most traumatic parts of his past by making different choices. Unfortunately, as the film’s title suggests, Evan’s meddling with the past, however seemingly insignificant, produces a domino effect with tragic consequences not only for his own life, but for those around him.
20. Peggy Sue got married
In “Peggy Sue got married” there is no actual time machine. In her place, the titular character (played by Kathleen Turner) travels back in time in her own memories. Or maybe it’s a particularly vivid daydream. Who can tell? When you pass out at your high school reunion, anything can happen!
In any case, middle-aged Peggy Sue inadvertently travels back to her teenage days in the early 1960s, where she toying with the idea of ​​breaking up her marriage to her high school sweetheart before she has a chance to start. With an all-star cast, including Nicolas Cage, Helen Hunt and Jim Carrey, Francis Ford Coppola’s 1986 film is a bittersweet gem.
