Is there anything more mind-bending than the concept of time travel?
It's a sci-fi staple that goes hand-in-hand with so many complex theories and possibilities that it's something of a double-edged sword in movies: the fictional possibilities are endless, but then so are those of plot holes.
Despite this, there are plenty of films that have got it right — from the colossal timeline bending of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to Christopher Nolan's meticulous wormhole odyssey — and we've driven a Delorean time machine back through recent decades to track them down for you.
Below are some of the best films about time travel — or that involve some element of time travel — that you can watch on your screens this very minute (or at some time in the future, if you prefer)...
1. Primer
What's it about?
After two friends accidentally discover a way of travelling back through time, they attempt to use their invention to make money on the stock market. But their plan goes badly wrong.
Why should you watch it?
OK, fair warning: Primer might be the most ambitious and intelligent movie about time travel ever made, but it's also brain-meltingly complex. When I first saw this 2004 film, I finished it without the faintest idea of what I'd just watched, and it was only after viewing a 23-minute animated YouTube explainer that I came even close to understanding how it all worked.
All of which is to say that the film might not be for everyone. It's pretty uncompromising. Writer/director Shane Carruth refuses to simplify things or offer any neatly wrapped-up explanations, leaving us to piece together events ourselves as best we can.
Still, if you like your time travel movies realistic and thought-provoking, this is the one to go for. — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor
Primer is available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the UK and the U.S.
2. Donnie Darko
What's it about?
After a jet engine crashes through the ceiling of his house, a high school teenager is plagued by nightmarish visions.
Why should you watch it?
Where do I start? I'll attempt to write this section without lapsing into embarrassing over-excitement, but it won't be easy. The thing is, Donnie Darko isn't just one of my favourite time travel films — it's also one of my all-time favourite films, full-stop. The movie has that unique combination of mystery, humour, coming-of-age angst, and Jake Gyllenhaal that all combine to make what is essentially a perfect viewing experience.
The possibility of time travel hangs over the film like a shadow — an extension to the mystery of Donnie's visions — before coming to the forefront at the very end. The result isn't quite up there with Primer levels of confusion, but it's still a film that cries out for a rewatch. — SH
Donnie Darko is available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the UK and the U.S.
3. Avengers: Endgame
What's it about?
After 10 years and 20-something films, the very last instalment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Avengers series, Endgame, is exactly that — the final play for our heroes. After the genocidal Thanos clicks out half the planet by channeling the power of the coveted Infinity Stones, our pals Captain America, Iron Man and co. need to pull themselves together and restore balance (and half of their friends) — and they'll need time on their side for that...
Why should you watch it?
Aside from the fact that it was one of the biggest film events of 2019, Endgame pulls pretty much every thread of the previous films together in one colossal ride of smug fan service, compelling character arcs, and yes, time travel!
Fans of the MCU were slightly worried that time travel could wreak havoc on the final instalment of the series, but thankfully, Endgame brought the time-bending goods — or rather threw glitter at us while we puzzled over how it was all working out. Thankfully, Mashable’s Ali Foreman broke down exactly how time works in Endgame if you’re confused. And yes, while some (hello) might puzzle themselves into oblivion figuring out their "wait a minute, what about ____"s, as Mashable's Angie Han put it, "Who's stressing about the logistics of this twist or that one, when everyone around you is screaming with joy over the big reveal?" If you want more Marvel time travel business, hit up Doctor Strange. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor
Avengers: Endgame is available to stream on Disney+.
4. See You Yesterday
What's it about?
Teen science whizzes and BFFs C.J. and Sebastian create backpacks that enable time travel — and they'll use them to try and reverse a tragic, violent event.
Why should you watch it?
There are plenty of things we'd each use the ability of time travelling for, and this one hits hard amid the Black Lives Matter movement against systemic racism and police violence. Director Stefon Bristol and producer Spike Lee have created a truly original and timely sci-fi film in See You Yesterday
See You Yesterday is now streaming on Netflix.
5. Palm Springs
What's it about?
Why should you watch it?
4. The Butterfly Effect
What's it about?
A man discovers he can travel back in time by reading passages from his childhood journal.
Why should you watch it?
2004 (apparently a big year for time travel movies) saw the release of both Primer and The Butterfly Effect. But unlike Primer, The Butterfly Effect got absolutely hammered by the critics, racking up a memorably terrible 33 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. So why has it made this list?
Well, because those critics were wrong. The Butterfly Effect may not be as realistic as other time travel movies, but it's fun, dammit (it's also worth noting that audiences rated the film a much better 81 percent, and five years after it came out the Guardian even published a piece arguing that it "fell victim to snobbery" at the time). In my opinion it's an eminently watchable film, which uses its time travel element to build tension by gradually revealing the dark childhood memories the main character has been repressing — then opening up the question of what might happen in the present and future if he were able to change them (as you probably guessed, this turns out not to be such a great idea after all).
If you're looking for a movie that makes you think, go with Primer. But if you're looking for escapism, you could do a lot worse than The Butterfly Effect. — SH
The Butterfly Effect is available to stream on Amazon Prime in the UK, or on Hulu in the U.S.
5. Happy Death Day
What's it about?
After a university student is murdered on her birthday, she wakes to relive the same day over and over again.
Why should you watch it?
Time loops count as time travel, right? Sure they do. Admittedly the sci-fi element is more of a background plot device in Happy Death Day — which is essentially a slasher with some black comedy elements — but I couldn't resist including it because it's so much fun. There's the baby mask-wearing, seemingly-everywhere-at-once killer, the central whodunnit (or whokeepsdoingit) mystery, and the journey of watching main character Tree (played brilliantly by Jessica Rothe) go from a fairly unpleasant stereotype to an awesome hero that we all root for.
If you're a fan of '90s slasher movies, Groundhog Day, and films that don't take themselves too seriously, this is the one for you. — SH
Happy Death Day is available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the UK, or buy in the U.S.
6. Interstellar
What's it about?
A team of astronauts travel through a wormhole in an attempt to find a habitable planet.
Why should you watch it?
Worm Holes. Space travel. A giant black hole. That's already every sci-fi nerd's dream, but when you add in the sweet allure of time travel it takes things to a whole new level. And Interstellar does have elements of time travel, although going in to too much detail about them leads us down a slightly spoiler-y rabbit hole I'm keen to avoid. Suffice it to say this one is an absolute Christopher Nolan epic, and if the last couple of decades have taught us anything at all, it's that a) Nolan's twisty films are almost always worth a watch, and 2) he's clearly something of a time travel nerd — one of his earliest releases, Memento, was told backwards, and his 2020 film Tenet delves even deeper into the concept — this time, using time as a weapon. — SH
Interstellar is available to stream on NOWTV or to rent or buy on Prime Video and in the UK and the U.S.
7. The Terminator
What's it about?
A robot sent back in time to kill the mother of humankind's future saviour.
Why should you watch it?
You've probably already seen this classic, but if for some terrible reason you haven't, it's high time that you corrected that error post-haste. Because this film has everything. Robots. Time travel. The terrifyingly-chiselled, expressionless form of Arnold Schwarzenegger, punching his way through walls and humans alike with all the force and emotion of a bulldozer. God, it's good. And it goes without saying, but the minute you finish watching it you should obviously get out there and watch the sequels, too (especially the second, which has the only thing in this world that's better than one time-travelling robot sent from the future: two time-travelling robots). — SH
The Terminator is available to rent on Apple TV or stream on Virgin TV Go in the UK, or stream on Hulu in the U.S.
8. Back to the Future
What's it about?
A teenager and an eccentric scientist travel back in time 30 years using a Delorean time machine.
Why should you watch it?
Another one you may well have seen, but another one that couldn't possibly be omitted from the list. The Back to the Future franchise may well be the most famous time travel movie saga of all time (it's at least up there with Terminator), and there's a good reason for that. The series is wildly entertaining, taking an amusing approach to time travel that sees main character Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) interacting with his teenage parents in order to tweak the present (something The Butterfly Effect teaches us probably isn't the best idea, even though it seems to work out OK for Marty and Doc and in the end). Then you've got Back to the Future Part II (which follows the gang as they travel forwards to the futuristic days of, cough, 2015), before the third and final part of the series has them going all the way back to the Old West. What a ride. — SH
Back to the Future is available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the UK, or stream on Hulu in the U.S.
9. About Time
What's it about?
A family with a bit of a time travel gene — literally. Father and son duo Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) and James (Bill Nighy) share a mysterious ability to travel back in time. Quite handy to have up your sleeve if you have a propensity to muck things up the first time around.
Why should you watch it?
If you're a fan of Notting Hill, Love Actually, or any of Richard Curtis' movies, then you'll probably love this one, too. It's time travel with a romantic twist to it.
Tim starts off using his time travel ability to go back to the start of the summer to inform his sister's friend Charlotte (Margot Robbie) that he has a crush on her. When he realises that timing isn't so much the issue, but rather Charlotte's permanent lack of interest in him, he abandons ship. When he meets Mary (Rachel McAdams), the time travel ability comes in handy again, when he turns into a bumbling fool who fails to act on his (very strong) feelings. Without giving away any spoilers, it's an utterly charming, romantic film that'll make you sob your little heart out. — Rachel Thompson, Senior UK Culture Reporter
About Time is available to stream on NOW TV in the UK, or Netflix in the U.S.
10. 12 Monkeys
What's it about?
A man travels back from 2035 to the '90s in order to try and stop the outbreak of a deadly virus.
Why should you watch it?
This one isn't quite up there on Terminator and Back to the Future levels of fame, but it isn't far off. Directed by former Python Terry Gilliam and starring the likes of Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, 12 Monkeys is one of those rare films that actually manages to pull off its massively ambitious premise. And it is massively ambitious: the movie incorporates the shadow of a future apocalypse, mysterious organisations, and multiple instances of time travel into its two-hour run-time, not to mention more twists than you can shake a dozen primates at.
If you want a fast-paced watch that will leave you thinking at the end, 12 Monkeys might be the one to go for. — SH
12 Monkeys is available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK, or HBO on the U.S.
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