20 Movies About Time Travel That Will Make You Question Everything

20 Movies About Time Travel That Will Make You Question Everything

Speculating on futuristic ideas, sci-fi movies have transported us through concepts from biomedicine to artificial intelligence and space exploration. But perhaps no sci-fi premise captures our imaginations more than time travel and the tantalizing possibilities of moving through the space-time continuum.

The intrigue of revisiting history or catching a glimpse of the future endlessly fascinates all. Of course, most time travel tales come with their own internal rules, from the perils of disrupting the timeline to avoiding encounters with your past or future self.

While it is easy to see these rules as hindrances, the truth is they add to the intrigue and fascination. While not all films stick to these restrictions, half the fun comes from seeing filmmakers find clever loopholes or simply throw consistency to the wind in favor of unexpected twists!

This list will explore science fiction films that explore time travel. From the mind-bending paradoxes of Predestination to the lighthearted adventures of Back to the Future, these films will not only entertain you but leave you questioning a whole lot.

1.12 Monkeys (1995)

The twisty 1995 sci-fi thriller 12 Monkeys, directed by Terry Gilliam, is a mind-bending meditation on time travel and fate. Bruce Willis stars as a time traveler sent back from a post-apocalyptic future to the 1990s to stop a devastating viral outbreak.

Madeleine Stowe plays the psychiatrist trying to unravel the mystery of Willis’ character, while Brad Pitt gives a manic, unhinged performance as an animal rights activist.

12 Monkeys forces viewers to consider if our actions truly change the course of events or if the present is just an inevitable result of the past.

In 2015, a television series based on 12 Monkeys premiered on Syfy. The series follows the same basic premise as the film, but it takes many creative liberties and expands on the mythology of the original story. The series ran for four seasons and was critically acclaimed.

2. Predestination (2014)

One lesser-known but ingeniously twisted time travel movie is 2014’s Predestination, starring Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook. Based on a short story by Robert Heinlein, the plot focuses on a temporal agent who must travel back in time to stop a terrorist attack.

In the process, he encounters a mysterious bartender played by Snook, and discovers an incredible paradox that calls into question ideas of identity, destiny, and free will.

Without revealing all the surprises, Predestination forces the audience to ponder the ethical implications of altering the past to change the future, and whether some events are fated to happen no matter what.

Predestination has an unconventional narrative structure that keeps the plot a mystery to the very end.

3. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

1989’s Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure offers a far more lighthearted take on time travel than most movies on this list do. Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves star as the titular slackers who must pass their high school history report to avoid failing and altering the future.

To do so, they used a time machine to assemble historical figures like Abraham Lincoln, Genghis Khan, and Napoleon for their presentation. Yes, I know, you’re already thinking of all the consequences this would have.

However, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure is a comedy film and to some extent, these sorts of liberties are allowed in this kind of film.

4. Project Almanac (2015)

Okay, picture this, teenage you finds instructions from your father on how to build a time machine. Using these instructions, you and your friends successfully build one.

What would you do and where or rather when would you go? Well, that’s Project Almanac in so few words!

Starring a group of young up-and-coming actors including Sofia Black-D’Elia and Sam Lerner, the film uses the popular “found footage” style to tell the story of teenagers who build a time machine.

At first using it innocently enough to ace tests, attend missed concerts, and win the lottery, things spiral out of control as they realize the unintended consequences of altering the past.

The “documentary” feel adds a sense of immediacy, and the likable young cast makes the moral dilemmas especially poignant.

Overall, Project Almanac puts an inventive spin on time travel movies while making audiences think twice about what they might do if given the chance to rewrite their own history.

5. Back to the Future Trilogy (1985, 1989, and 1990)

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Over 35 years since the original film’s release, the Back to the Future trilogy remains the undisputed king of time travel movies.

Starring Michael J. Fox as teen Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as eccentric scientist Doc Brown, the films follow Marty’s adventures across the space-time continuum using Doc’s souped-up DeLorean. Blending science fiction, action, romance, and comedy, the trilogy fires on all cylinders.

Beyond the thrilling storytelling, Back to the Future explores serious questions about how our actions can impact the past, present, and future. Marty grapples with avoiding altering the future while still improving his circumstances in the process.

While the third film (Back to the Future Part III) is considered a Western that many say is way less imaginative, the first two are almost bulletproof.

One of the best things about the Back to the Future films is how simple they make the complexities of time travel. Well, that and the good music, cool outfits, and a million catchphrases.

6. Interstellar (2014)

When it comes to mind-bending films that make audiences question reality, few directors can match Christopher Nolan. Perhaps his magnum opus in the genre is 2014’s Interstellar.

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, and Jessica Chastain, Interstellar is a space epic that doubles as a mediation on time and relativity. Without giving away any major spoilers, the film follows a group of astronauts who travel through a wormhole to find new habitable planets as Earth suffers an ecological collapse.

As they journey further from Earth, time passes differently for them relative to those left behind. Nolan explores the emotional and ethical dilemmas that arise when these astronauts must decide between potential new homes for humanity and the family they left behind, now years older due to the time dilation.

7. About Time (2013)

The romantic comedy About Time puts a heartwarming spin on time travel quandaries. When Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) learns the men in his family can travel in time, he initially uses it to improve his love life by manipulating encounters with the woman of his dreams (Rachel McAdams).

However, he soon realizes even the most noble intentions can backfire and time cannot heal all wounds. Directed by Richard Curtis and featuring endearing performances from its cast, About Time explores universal questions about making the most of the time we are given.

Should we try to fix past regrets or focus on being present in each moment?

8. Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)

While not usually listed among the most profound time travel movies, Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) deserves a spot on this list for its unique blend of hilarious absurdity and surprisingly poignant moments.

This quirky comedy follows a group of friends – Adam (John Cusack), Nick (Craig Robinson), Lou (Rob Corddry), and Jacob (Clark Duke) – who find themselves transported back to their teenage years after a drunken incident in a hot tub turned time machine.

Thrust back to 1986, they have a chance to relive their youths and make different choices, but with hilarious and unexpected consequences.

9. The Terminator Franchise

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The Terminator franchise is one of the most popular and enduring science fiction franchises of all time. It follows the story of Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), a young woman who is targeted by a cyborg assassin from the future known as the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger).

The Terminator is sent back in time by Skynet, a rogue artificial intelligence that has taken over the world, to eliminate Sarah before she can give birth to her son, John Connor, who is destined to lead humanity in the war against machines.

The first film in the franchise, The Terminator (1984), is a classic action film that is considered to be one of the most influential science fiction films of all time.

It was followed by five sequels: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Terminator Salvation (2009), Terminator Genisys (2015), and Terminator: Dark Fate (2019).

10. Source Code (2011)

Source Code (2011) is a science fiction action thriller film directed by Duncan Jones and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, and Michael Arden.

The film follows Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal), a US Army captain who is part of a government program that allows him to relive the last eight minutes of another person’s life before they die.

He is sent on a mission to find the bomber of a commuter train in Chicago, but he soon discovers that he is not just a passive observer in the past. He can interact with the people he encounters and try to prevent the bombing from happening.

Source Code is a well-made and suspenseful film that raises interesting questions about the nature of time and free will. The time loop premise is used to explore themes of predestination, choice, and consequence.

11. Looper (2012)

As far as time travel science fiction movies go, Looper (2012) stands out as a mind-bending exploration of predestination and the consequences of our actions.

Directed by Rian Johnson, the film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Joe, a hitman in the year 2044 who executes crime bosses sent back in time from 30 years in the future.

When Joe’s older self (Bruce Willis) suddenly appears, he is forced to confront a future he desperately tries to escape. As Joe and his past self race against time to alter their destinies, they become entangled in a web of causality and self-discovery.

One of the most memorable scenes in Looper involves Paul Dano’s character, Kid Blue, being tortured simultaneously by his younger and older selves.

Unlike most time travel films, Looper does not explain the intricacies of time travel. Instead, director Rian Johnson gives a masterclass in “Show, don’t Tell”.

12. Idiocracy (2006)

Picture this, you wake up a few years into the future and you’re the smartest person in the world by a lot! How do you think this would play out?

Idiocracy (2006) is a satirical science fiction comedy film written and directed by Mike Judge. The film stars Luke Wilson as Joe Bauers, an average man who is chosen for a top-secret military experiment that involves being sent 500 years into the future by being cryogenically frozen.

When Joe wakes up, he finds himself in a world where intelligence is no longer present or valued and stupidity reigns supreme. He is by far the smartest person in the world and he’s able to save the world.

13. Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Avengers: Endgame (2019) stands as a monumental achievement, not only for its box office success but also for its intricate and mind-bending exploration of the complexities of time travel.

Set in the aftermath of the devastating snap that decimated half of all life in the universe, the film follows the surviving Avengers as they desperately seek a way to undo Thanos’ actions and restore balance to the cosmos.

Their quest leads them down a path of time travel, utilizing the Quantum Realm to journey to specific moments in the past to retrieve the Infinity Stones.

Stark’s time-traveling device, while seemingly plausible within the context of the film’s established scientific framework, stretches the boundaries of conventional time travel theories, introducing elements of parallel timelines and the concept of “branching realities.” This unconventional approach to time travel adds to the film’s intrigue and complexity.

14. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Edge of Tomorrow provides a thrilling twist on time travel by combining it with alien invasion action. Tom Cruise stars as a soldier who acquires the ability to reset time every time he dies during a battle against invading extraterrestrial forces.

With Emily Blunt playing a legendary warrior who once had the same power, Edge of Tomorrow delivers heart-pounding action as Cruise’s character repeatedly lives the same day on a loop to change the battle’s outcome.

Directed by Doug Liman with characteristic visual flair, Edge of Tomorrow questions fate and free will as the time loop allows Cruise to evolve from cowardly to courageous in the heat of combat.

15. Planet of the Apes (1968)

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In the realm of science fiction cinema, few films have captured the imagination of audiences quite like Planet of the Apes (1968). This groundbreaking film, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and based on the novel by Pierre Boulle, takes viewers on a mind-bending journey through time and space.

Charlton Heston stars as astronaut George Taylor, who crashes his spaceship on a seemingly desolate planet.

However, he soon discovers that this planet is far from deserted: it is inhabited by a race of intelligent apes who have evolved into the dominant species, while humans have been reduced to primitive creatures.

As Taylor struggles to survive in this hostile environment, he uncovers the truth behind the planet’s history and the shocking revelation that he is not where he thought he was.

The inclusion of Planet of the Apes in this article may be considered a spoiler in itself, as it discreetly reveals the film’s time travel element. So, apologies for that!

16. The Adam Project (2022)

A recent time travel entry that puts a family-friendly spin on the genre is The Adam Project. Ryan Reynolds stars as a time pilot who travels back to 2022 on a mission to locate his 12-year-old self, played endearingly by Walker Scobell.

This Adam gets help from his future self and Jennifer Garner as his widowed mother to confront their shared trauma and reconnect.

Directed by Shawn Levy, The Adam Project blends science fiction spectacle with emotional sincerity as present Adam must make peace with his past to forge a better future.

Thanks to quick-witted humor and a moving story of loss and reconciliation, The Adam Project thoughtfully explores how while we can’t change the past, we can grow from it.

17. The Tomorrow War (2021)

The Tomorrow War puts an action-packed spin on time travel by sending soldiers to the future to fight a war against alien invaders. Chris Pratt stars as a high school teacher drafted into the future conflict 30 years in the future, leaving behind his wife and daughter.

Directed by Chris McKay, The Tomorrow War delivers thrilling battle sequences as Pratt joins forces with his estranged father (played by J.K. Simmons) to fend off the extraterrestrial threat before it can reach their era.

While light on character development, the film raises thought-provoking questions about duty to family versus duty to the greater good.

18. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

The Austin Powers series put a comedic spin on time travel in the 1999 sequel The Spy Who Shagged Me.

Mike Myers returns as 1960s swingin’ spy Austin Powers, who must travel back to the ’70s to stop his nemesis Dr. Evil (also played by Myers) from destroying the world.

By partnering with CIA agent Felicity Shagwell (Heather Graham), Austin hysterically grapples with culture shock while embracing 70s fashion and sensibilities.

The Spy Who Shagged Me parodies time travel clichés like meeting your past self while poking fun at the outdated mores of bygone eras. With Myers at his versatile best playing dual roles, the tongue-in-cheek humor examines how society and morality evolve over time.

19. Time After Time (1979)

The 1979 sci-fi drama Time After Time takes a more fanciful approach to time travel. Malcolm McDowell stars as H.G. Wells, who uses a time machine to transport from the 19th century to 1970s San Francisco in pursuit of Jack the Ripper (David Warner).

Directed by Nicholas Meyer, Time After Time eschews hard science fiction in favor of using its premise as a vehicle to examine culture clash. Wells navigates the modern world while trying to stop Warner’s anachronistic Ripper from continuing his murderous ways.

Despite its whimsical liberties with time travel logic, Time After Time succeeds on the strength of its charismatic leads and thoughtful exploration of how far society has progressed morally since Victorian times.

20. Cavegirl (1985)

The campy 80s comedy Cavegirl utilizes time travel to send its protagonist back to the stone age. Daniel Roebuck stars as Rex, a high school nerd who gets transported to the year 1,000,000 BC after a freak accident in science class.

There he meets Cavegirl (Cynthia Thompson), a beautiful but primitive teen girl living among dinosaurs and Neanderthals. What follows is a silly fish-out-of-water tale as Rex uses his modern know-how to impress Cavegirl and her tribe while trying to get back to the present.

With its low-budget effects and goofy humor, Cavegirl isn’t likely to spur deep philosophical debate about the space-time continuum.

However, it’s an amusing relic of its era that uses time travel conventions purely for lightweight laughs and romance.

The idea of being able to journey through time, revisit the past, or glimpse the future is a fascinating one even for those who are not fans of the science fiction genre. These films, therefore, and many more that did not make the list, present some endless possibilities to this fascination.

They delve into the philosophical questions surrounding causality, destiny, and the nature of reality, challenging our perceptions and forcing us to question our understanding of the world around us.