Time travel in cinema and television
Ignore the numbers, these are in no particular order! Time travel is endlessly debatable and full of possibilities. I love the ideas provoked by watching time travel films.
This list is incomplete because my future self keeps adding more films...
This list is incomplete because my future self keeps adding more films...
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- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsSean ConneryShelley DuvallJohn CleeseA young boy accidentally joins a band of time travelling dwarves, as they jump from era to era looking for treasure to steal.Classic Terry Gilliam, deliciously quoteable, and a grand adventure.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydLea ThompsonMarty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.The time travel movie everybody loves. BTTF has a simple storyline which serves mainly as a vehicle for a nostalgic look back at the 1950s as well as showcasing the quirky and fun Christopher Lloyd.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydLea ThompsonAfter visiting 2015, Marty McFly must repeat his visit to 1955 to prevent disastrous changes to 1985...without interfering with his first trip.It gets more complicated in this sequel, although BTTF2 manages to retain the quirkiness and humor of the franchise to a lesser degree. This will never be as beloved as BTTF part 1, due in large part to the recycling of themes and the storyline --which is more difficult to follow--kind of a mess in fact. Still, you have to watch BTTF2 in order to get the setup for ...
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydMary SteenburgenStranded in 1955, Marty McFly learns about the death of Doc Brown in 1885 and must travel back in time to save him. With no fuel readily available for the DeLorean, the two must figure how to escape the Old West before Emmett is murdered.More fun than part 2 and more sophisticated than the first two films put together. Cool Wild West theme and a decent amount of action.
- DirectorShane CarruthStarsShane CarruthDavid SullivanCasey GoodenFour friends/fledgling entrepreneurs, knowing that there's something bigger and more innovative than the different error-checking devices they've built, wrestle over their new invention.Primer is about as far from a Back to the Future-type movie as you can get in every way: low budget, obscure actors, and dialog designed to be thought-provoking instead of snappy.
If you claim to understand this on first viewing, you're lying--or you're channeling Stephen Hawking.
Primer is probably the most "realistic" time travel movie made to date and it's also guaranteed to make your ears bleed trying to untangle the plot. I'll admit that it was smarter than I am, but that won't stop me from trying again every now and then; I can't resist a good puzzle. - DirectorNacho VigalondoStarsKarra ElejaldeCandela FernándezBárbara GoenagaA man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour. Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.What a trip! You could stay up all night puzzling out what started this tangled mess of a time loop. Although a low-budget film, Timecrimes' script is intelligent and engaging.
- DirectorJ.J. AbramsStarsChris PineZachary QuintoSimon PeggThe brash James T. Kirk tries to live up to his father's legacy with Mr. Spock keeping him in check as a vengeful Romulan from the future creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time.Not primarily about time travel, but it's an important plot point. I included ST in this list mainly because it's cool. :)
- CreatorDonald WilsonSydney NewmanStarsWilliam HartnellPatrick TroughtonJon PertweeThe adventures in time and space of the Doctor, a Time Lord who changes appearance and personality by regenerating when near death, and is joined by companions in battles against aliens and other megalomaniacs.The original Doctor who made me wonder why American television wasn't as cool as BBC. I loved Tom Baker and joined the Whovian society before it was cool. I only wish I'd kept the official membership card.
- CreatorSydney NewmanStarsJodie WhittakerPeter CapaldiPearl MackieThe further adventures in time and space of the alien adventurer known as the Doctor and his companions from planet Earth.Cool modern Doctor Who with sexy sidekicks and big-budget sfx.
- DirectorRobert SchwentkeStarsEric BanaRachel McAdamsRon LivingstonHenry DeTamble, a librarian, possesses a unique gene that lets him involuntarily travel through time. His wife, Claire Abshire, finds it difficult to cope with it.Kind of a weird blend of "chick flick" and time travel. Actually a very intelligent philosophy is expressed in the book upon which it is based -- I recommend both. This, despite the goody-two-shoes Rachel McAdams' performance.
- DirectorSimon WellsStarsGuy PearceYancey AriasMark AddyHoping to alter the events of the past, a 19th century inventor instead travels 800,000 years into the future, where he finds humankind divided into two warring races.The lead actor lacked charisma, but this was a solid interpretation of the classic book; I'll go out on a limb and call it better than the 1960s version. It was wonderful to see what modern cinematography could do for this story, especially the journey forward through the eons. I also loved Orlando Jones as the "librarian".
- DirectorNicholas MeyerStarsMalcolm McDowellMary SteenburgenDavid WarnerH.G. Wells pursues Jack the Ripper to the 20th Century when the serial murderer uses the future writer's time machine to escape his time period.HG Wells goes after Jack the Ripper in 1979! Great premise and a pretty good film overall.
- DirectorRian JohnsonStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittBruce WillisEmily BluntIn 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent into the past, where a hired gun awaits - someone like Joe - who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by sending back Joe's future self for assassination.The inspiration for this list!
I have not one bad thing to say about this film: It has smarts, looks, some pretty intense action, and heart. JGL and Bruce knock it out of the park sharing the lead role as two different timeline versions of the same man. Easily my favorite SF film of 2012 and probably the best of this millenium so far. - DirectorEric BressJ. Mackye GruberStarsAshton KutcherAmy SmartMelora WaltersEvan Treborn suffers blackouts during significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life by reading his journal.Not bad, not bad...I usually find Ashton Kutcher annoying, but was able to overlook him here.
- DirectorStephen HerekStarsKeanu ReevesAlex WinterGeorge CarlinTwo rock-'n-rolling teens, on the verge of failing their class, set out on a quest to make the ultimate school history report after being presented with a time machine.Silly film, absolutely does not take itself seriously...just go along for the ride. That, and some of the humor which is sly and occasionally brilliant.
I refuse to acknowledge the existence of any other so-called Bill and Ted film... - DirectorTerry GilliamStarsBruce WillisMadeleine StoweBrad PittIn a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.Best Brad Pitt performance ever. Also worth watching because of the well-constructed time travel loop and Terry Gilliam's vision of our dystopian future.
- DirectorRichard KellyStarsJake GyllenhaalJena MaloneMary McDonnellAfter narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.Creepy, atmospheric, awesome. Also, best soundtrack of any time travel film.
Jake Gyllenhall carries this film brilliantly in his breakout performance as Donnie Darko, the accidental time traveler. - DirectorHarold RamisStarsBill MurrayAndie MacDowellChris ElliottA narcissistic, self-centered weatherman finds himself in a time loop on Groundhog Day.Amidst Bill Murray's self-depracating dryness, there are some entertaining time travel ideas and philosophies in this enjoyable little romance.
- DirectorDuncan JonesStarsJake GyllenhaalMichelle MonaghanVera FarmigaA soldier wakes up in someone else's body and discovers he's part of an experimental government program to find the bomber of a commuter train within 8 minutes.Action/thriller time travel which I enjoyed, but probably won't bother watching a third time. I didn't see the twist coming, so that says something...hopefully that the script was smart, not that I'm dull.
- DirectorSteve PinkStarsJohn CusackRob CorddryCraig RobinsonA malfunctioning time machine at a ski resort takes a man back to 1986 with his two friends and nephew, where they must relive a fateful night and not change anything to make sure the nephew is born.An excuse to poke fune at/pay tribute to the 1980s. I liked it, and of course, John Cusack was his dependable self in the comedic role. Not for the hardcore time travel enthusiast geek, just mindless fun.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsKathleen TurnerNicolas CageBarry MillerPeggy Sue faints at a high school reunion. When she wakes up, she finds herself in her own past, just before she finished school.Time travel is given a nod in the plot, which is mainly a wish-fulfillment fantasy that every woman can relate to: what if you could go back in time to your high school self and do it over, including that "mistake" which was your boyfriend.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerLinda HamiltonMichael BiehnA human soldier is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine, sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman whose unborn son is the key to humanity's future salvation.A classic which introduced time travel as a serious SF concept back in the early '80s.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerLinda HamiltonEdward FurlongA cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.Further explores the themes brought up in the first Terminator film -- determinism? Or is our future not written?
Love Linda Hamilton's transformation for this movie! - DirectorJonathan MostowStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerNick StahlKristanna LokenA machine from a post-apocalyptic future travels back in time to protect a man and a woman from an advanced robotic assassin to ensure they both survive a nuclear attack.Satisfying conclusion to the terminator series, showing us John's origins as the badass leader of humanity against the machine dystopia.
- DirectorJaco Van DormaelStarsJared LetoSarah PolleyDiane KrugerA boy stands on a station platform as a train is about to leave. Should he go with his mother or stay with his father? Infinite possibilities arise from this decision. As long as he doesn't choose, anything is possible.Very impressed with this film. Time travel perhaps not, but it explores possible alternate time lines based on the choices of a nine year old kid. A very metaphysical vibe in this one.
- DirectorRichard CurtisStarsDomhnall GleesonRachel McAdamsBill NighyAt the age of 21, Tim discovers he can travel in time and change what happens and has happened in his own life. His decision to make his world a better place by getting a girlfriend turns out not to be as easy as you might think.The poster makes this seem like a rom com, but far from it. The amazing Rachel McAdams plays a teen and a twentysomething with equal authority. This is a humanized story of what comes of our choices and how one time traveler learned from his own mistakes how to get it right.
- DirectorBryan SingerStarsPatrick StewartIan McKellenHugh JackmanThe X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.Best X-men film ever made, and really cool. Time travel figures heavily into the plot, although it's really more about introducing the backstories of characters and explaining how they changed into their "present" selves. Sharp writing, and dare I say, very human.
- DirectorColin TrevorrowStarsAubrey PlazaMark DuplassJake JohnsonThree magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified advertisement seeking a companion for time travel.small-scale time travel, more about how one character tries to cope with his past. A well written little indie film.
- DirectorJoseph KosinskiStarsTom CruiseMorgan FreemanAndrea RiseboroughA veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.Not a bad performance by Cruise, and the writing's tight.
- CreatorTravis FickettTerry MatalasStarsAaron StanfordAmanda SchullNoah BeanFollows the journey of a time traveler from the post-apocalyptic future who appears in present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will nearly destroy the human race.Very loosely based on the plot from the film of the same name, this 12 Monkeys television series takes the concept of alternate timelines to another level, and poses questions about the nature of time itself.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsMatthew McConaugheyAnne HathawayJessica ChastainWhen Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.Visually great, good performances, and solid writing all around.