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Science fiction offers so many areas to explore. So many ideas. And one of the most interesting and pervasive themes, often rich in creativity and anxiety, is time travel. It’s a topic we can only understand in theory, but it’s spawned some great science fiction movies. They chase us down rabbit holes that stretch the boundaries of imagination and are often very cool.
Whether it’s the story of an assassin cyborg sent in time to take down a future rebel leader, the story of some poor soul forced to relive the same day over and over again in a time loop, or a detective story to solve a mystery, this unique sci-fi terrain is always fruitful. Here are the 15 best time travel movies of all time!
15. Palm Springs (2020)
Where to watch: All
From 2020, we kick things off with a fun and playful “time loop” flick starring Andy Samberg and Kristin Miliotti. Palm Springs stars a leading couple as guests at a California desert wedding who get stuck on a date they can’t escape. It’s a fun and fresh spin on two characters who deal with emotions and experiences that involve being able to live forever, but can’t move forward in time. JK Simmons stars.
check out IGN’s review of Palm Springs.
14. Precondition (2014)
Where to watch: Roku Channel (w/ads), or renters on most platforms
Ethan Hawke joins Sarah Snook and Preacher’s Noah Taylor in this mind-bending thriller from The Spierig Brothers (Daybreakers, Jigsaw). This refers to the final time travel of a temporal agent (Hawk) to prevent an unknown criminal from starting. An Attack That Kills Thousands: Predestination is a twisty, twisty treat that will keep you guessing until the end.
check out IGN preview review.
13. Loper (2012)
Where to watch: Hulu, Peacock, Fubo, or rent on most platforms
Rian Johnson’s Looper stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis as the same character at different times. As Young Joe, Gordon-Levitt kills victims sent back in time, while Willis’ Joe is Old Joe, a killer who fulfills the “Looper’s” contract and is sent back. He was killed when he was young. But Old Joe, as he’s come before, has other things on his mind—namely, keeping the future from being destroyed by an entity called the Rainmaker. Looper is a very fun, attractive ride. Starring Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels and Paul Dano.
check out IGN’s review of Looper.
12. Happy Death Day (2017)
Where to watch: Available on most platforms
Day of the Happy Death takes the concept of the “time loop” and takes a sinister turn into slasher-horror when Jessica Rote finds a tree repeatedly murdered by the same masked maniac. Once she realizes she only has a few “deaths” left in her, she takes matters into her own hands and tries to figure out who’s behind the mask. Happy Death Day is dark and funny…as well as its sequel, Happy Death Day 2U, which dives into sci-fi!
check out IGN’s review of Day of the Good Dead.
11. The Time Machine (1960)
Where to watch: Available on most platforms
The classic 1960 film adaptation of HG Wells’ landmark 1865 novella tells the story of a Victorian inventor, here named H. George Wells (and played by Rod Taylor) who uses a machine of his own design to travel. Far into the future, humanity discovers that it is now two new species – the radiant Eloi and the terrifying, underground Moloch. The Time Machine is a wonderful, family-friendly piece of pioneering imagination.
10. Source Code (2011)
Where to watch: Available on most platforms
A Sleeper Hits Source Code, featuring a unique spin on “Time Loop,” starring Duncan Jones, a U.S. Army captain played by Jake Gyllenhaal who sends a real-life train wreck into digital entertainment over and over again. The mission is to find out who is the perpetrator of the terrorist attack. It’s a smart, sly mystery starring Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright.
check out IGN’s review of the source code.
9. After Time (1979)
Where to watch: Available on most platforms
After Time Bonkers — Malcolm McDowell’s HG Wells uses his time machine to track a fugitive Jack the Ripper (the late David Warner) to 1979 San Francisco — makes for a genuinely entertaining and often emotional film. This playfulness with sci-fi and true history forms an exciting, irresistible thread that has to be seen to be believed. The Wrath of Khan directed by Nicholas Meyer and co-stars Mary Steenbergen.
8. The Terminator (1984)
Where to watch: It can be rented on Prime Video, Fubo, Showtime, AMC+, or most other platforms.
This entry is a bit of a cheat since we’re also adding T2: Judgment Day into the mix. Hey, same sequel, same director! That being said, James Cameron’s gritty, great sci-fi bloodbath, The Terminator mostly featured going back and killing people to change the status quo (along with big, dystopian concepts of a world-ending AI rebellion). Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 and Michael Biehn’s haunted future Freedom Fighter use the present day (okay, 1984) as a battlefield in this sci-fi storm.
See our how-to guide Watch the Terminator movies in order.
7. About Time (2013)
Where to watch: Starz add-ons, or can be rented on most platforms.
Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams in this delightful time-tinkering rom-com In Love star, of course, Richard Curtis, as Gleeson plays a young man with time-traveling skills who repeatedly tries to change his past in order to improve his life. And also won the girl of his dreams. Bill Nighy stars in this beautifully candid film with great chemistry and an inherited knack for chasing time, making it a compelling and must-see about Time.
6. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Where to watch: Available on most platforms
The concept of the “time loop” loomed large (from the alien apocalypse flick Tomorrow) (so confused that the Blu-ray box art emphasized the latter in the film’s tagline, “Live, Die Repeat”). Doug Liman of Mr. and Mrs. Smith directs this horror Tom Cruise vehicle, about humanity losing a war against an invading alien army that always seems several steps ahead. Once Cruise’s over-the-top Army public affairs officer gets a taste of their cosmic precognitive power, he finds himself dying repeatedly in battle, unable to escape the day. Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton star in this highly crafted and hilarious alien thriller.
check out IGN’s review of Edge of Tomorrow.
5. Bill and Ted’s Best Adventure (1989)
Where to watch: Prime Video, Cinemax Go, Fubo, Roku Channel (w/ads), Pluto TV (w/ads), Tubi (w/ads) or rentable on most platforms
Two teenage metalheads from San Dimas, California recklessly and hilariously, mosh through time, gathering famous historical figures (okay, mostly kidnapping) for a critical challenge in one of the funniest movies of the 80s, Bill & Ted. A great adventure. Smart and stupid collide in this roller coaster. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter bring these thick-but-sweet wannabe rockers to a “T,” creating a fast-paced comedy duo.
See our guide The best Keanu Reeves movies For more time.
4. Main (2004)
Where to watch: Rented by Amazon, Apple and YouTube
A shoestring budget indie film, Primer, about an accidental discovery of time travel that serves as a useless psychological experiment, is one of the more cerebral takes on temporal disruption. It’s an inspiring, challenging chronicle of two engineers who toil in time travel, testing the limits, discovering the dire consequences and consequences of fourth-order interference. It’s twisty, math-y and full tilt interesting.
check out IGN’s primer review.
3. Groundhog Day (1993)
Where to watch: Prime Video, Fubo, AMC+, or renters on most platforms.
There were certainly “time loop” stories — in film, TV, and literature — before Harold Ramis’ Grudhog Day, but this early ’90s craze popularized the concept so widely that it’s considered the “grandfather” of the subgenre. Relentlessly funny and incredibly endearing, Groundhog Day pushes the format in new directions. All of this is underscored by Bill Murray’s exceptional performance as shallow TV weatherman Phil Connors, who is stuck in a recurring nightmare of February 2 with no real explanation (except maybe the universe forced him to be a better person). Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott and Scooter the Groundhog co-star.
2. 12 Monkeys (1995)
Where to watch: Cinemax Go, or renters on most platforms
Director Terry Gilliam’s crazy, swashbuckling visuals in his creation, starring 12 Monkeys (which, by the way, became a great TV series 20 years later). Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt (who earned an Oscar nomination) star in this twisted, serpentine story about a prisoner from the future who is sent back in time to discover the origins of an epidemic after a wasteland world has been wiped out by a virus. “Science is not an exact science,” Willis Cole is told, piecing together the puzzle by thinking that the disease may have originated from a mental patient, cruel, right and wrong (Pitt) from a wealthy family. 12 Monkeys are fearless, funny and full of wonder.
1. Back to the front
Where to watch: Fubo, AMC+, or rent on most platforms
Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future is not only considered one of the best throwback movies of all time, but it also laid the foundation for time travel in a way that has influenced almost every sci-fi property since. And yes, we’re cheating here again, as we did with Terminator, and including the film’s two sequels in this entry as well (same story, same director!).
The adventures of young Marty McFly as he tries to sort things out for himself and his family (so that he and his siblings don’t get wiped out or his own future) all the elements come together in the right ways for this pivotal pop-culture chapter (Kids Raise Off). Michael J. Foxx and Christopher Lloyd make a team for the ages (the inspiration behind the terrifying Rick and Morty goofs) as Marty and the creator of local horror (every town has one, right?) Doc Brown. Back to the Future is the pinnacle of clever, exciting science fiction.
Matt Fowler is an IGN writer, member and co-host of the Television Critics Association. We are sorry for the struggle.. Follow him on Twitter @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.
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