Why do we love time travel movies so much? Could it be that we long to have a firsthand account of history or wish to see our future?
Well, as many classic sci-fi movies have proven, the actual act of traveling through time would probably be very frightening and could lead to catastrophic circumstances. Thus we will settle for just watching some of the best time travel movies ever made, which we have compiled (with a tip on how to watch them) here.
The Back To The Future Movies (1985-1990)
An average teen (played by Michael J. Fox) goes on a series of extraordinary adventures in a sports car repurposed into a time machine by his scientist friend (played by Christopher Lloyd).
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: Arguably, the all-time best movies about time travel (or, at least, the most enduringly popular) are the Back to the Future movies – an exciting, funny, and inventive trilogy from director Robert Zemeckis and executive producer Steven Spielberg.
Stream the Back to the Future Movies on Netflix.
Rent or buy the Back to the Future Movies on Amazon.
Buy the Back to the Future Movies on Blu-ray on Amazon.
The Terminator And Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1984, 1991)
A cyborg that resembles a human (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sent back to the ‘80s to kill the mother of humanity’s savior (played by Linda Hamilton), but another version is later programmed to protect him as a teen (played by Edward Furlong) in the late ‘90s.
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: When it comes to the best Terminator movies, most fans would agree that James Cameron’s scary original and its first sequel (one of the best action movies of all time) are the cream of the crop.
Stream The Terminator on Pluto TV.
Rent or buy The Terminator on Amazon.
Buy The Terminator on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Stream Terminator 2: Judgment Day on Paramount+.
Rent or buy Terminator 2: Judgment Day on Amazon.
Buy Terminator 2: Judgment Day on Blu-ray on Amazon.
The Philadelphia Experiment (1984)
Two World War II-era sailors from the United States Navy are accidentally sent decades into the future.
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: A time travel movie from the ‘80s you might have forgotten about is The Philadelphia Experiment, which is absolutely worth revisiting for its intriguing concept and suspenseful plot.
Stream The Philadelphia Experiment on Plex.
Buy The Philadelphia Experiment on Amazon.
Buy The Philadelphia Experiment on DVD on Amazon.
12 Monkeys (1996)
A convict (played by Bruce Willis) from 2035 is sent to the 1990s to prevent the spread of a deadly, catastrophic virus.
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: One of Bruce Willis’ best movies involving time travel is director Terry Gilliam’s bleak mind-bender 12 Monkeys, which also features an Oscar-nominated performance by Brad Pitt
Rent or buy 12 Monkeys on Amazon.
Buy 12 Monkeys on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
Three journalists (played by Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson, and Karan Soni) try to learn the truth behind a man (played by Mark Duplass) who put out a classified newspaper ad seeking a time travel companion.
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: While not your typical time travel movie, Safety Not Guaranteed is a clever dramedy from director Colin Trevorrow that has the power to thrill like any traditional sci-fi movie.
Rent or buy Safety Not Guaranteed on Amazon.
Buy Safety Not Guaranteed on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Time Bandits (1981)
A young boy becomes embroiled in a quest to steal artifacts from various points in history.
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: Years before making 12 Monkeys, Terry Gilliam helmed the far lighter Time Bandits – a quirky, surreal adventure featuring some of Gilliam’s fellow Monty Python members and Sean Connery.
Stream Time Bandits on Max.
Buy Time Bandits on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Synchronic (2020)
An EMT (played by Anthony Mackie) discovers the key to finding his best friend’s (played by Jamie Dornan) missing teenage daughter lies in a new club drug that takes the user on a truly mind-bending (and extremely dangerous) trip.
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: After making one of the best time loop movies with 2017’s The Endless, directorial duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead released their own version of a more straightforward time travel story called Synchronic.
Stream Synchronic on Tubi.
Rent or buy Synchronic on Amazon.
Buy Synchronic on Blu-ray on Amazon.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014)
Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is sent back to the early 1970s to prevent a dystopian future overrun by mutant-hunting robots.
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: While the X-Men movies have often been criticized for fiddling with the franchises’ continuity, X-Men: Days of Future Past – known for a breathtaking jailbreak sequence featuring Evan Peters’ Quicksilver – gets a pass, because changing the timeline is the point of it.
Stream X-Men: Days of Future Past on Disney+.
Rent or buy X-Men: Days of Future Past on Amazon.
Buy X-Men: Days of Future Past on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Looper (2012)
A mafia assassin (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) hired to take out and dispose of targets sent from the future discovers that his career will soon be over when his next assignment is his older self (played by Bruce Willis).
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: Before he turned the whodunit genre and the Star Wars franchise on their heads, Rian Johnson dazzled audiences with Looper – an instant classic film noir movie that brilliantly fuses sci-fi elements into the mix.
Stream Looper on Netflix.
Rent or buy Looper on Amazon.
Buy Looper on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
Dim-witted California slackers Ted “Theodore” Logan (Keanu Reeves) and Bill S. Preston Esquire (Alex Winter) are given a time-traveling phone booth so they can put together an A-worthy history project and their rock band can eventually inspire world peace.
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: Any other time travel movie shows why such an ability should not be given to just anyone, but Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure – which spawned two non-non-non-heinous sequels – throws caution to the wind, resulting in a joyful and truly excellent crossbreed of science fiction and comedy.
Stream Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure on Max.
Rent or buy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure on Amazon.
Buy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Donnie Darko (2001)
The lives of a troubled teen (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) and those around him begin to unravel after he sees visions of a man in a creepy rabbit suit professing an imminent armageddon.
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: While its time travel element becomes most prevalent during the Donnie Darko ending, the unique, bizarre, and complex aspects of writer and director Richard Kelly’s cult favorite earn it a spot among the best high school movies of its time.
Stream Donnie Darko on Tubi.
Rent or buy Donnie Darko on Amazon.
Buy Donnie Darko on Blu-ray on Amazon.
About Time (2013)
When Tim (Domnhall Gleeson) discovers that the ability to go back in time runs in his family, he decides to use it to finally improve his luck with the ladies, but not without making a few easily repairable mistakes.
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: From writer and director Richard Curtis, About Time is an irresistible, fantasy twist on the romantic-comedy movie genre that also stars Rachel McAdams in only her second time playing the love interest of a time traveler (more on that later).
Rent or buy About Time on Amazon.
Buy About Time on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Primer (2004)
A pair of engineers (played by Shane Carruth and David Sullivan) create a revolutionary device that proves to be more of a burden than a blessing
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: Former software engineer Carruth broke into filmmaking with Primer – a time travel film that treats the laws of theoretical physics as a priority and, thus, is still cited as one of the brainiest sci-fi films of all time.
Rent or buy Primer on Amazon.
Buy Primer on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
Three aging pals (played by John Cusack, Rob Corddry, and Craig Robinson), joined by the nephew of one (played by Clark Duke), get to relive the prime of their youth thanks to the titular device, which they find at a popular ski resort.
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: From Accepted director Steve Pink, Hot Tub Time Machine is a blisteringly hilarious throwback to '80s time travel movies by literally being a time travel movie set primarily in the '80s.
Stream Hot Tub Time Machine on Netflix.
Rent or buy Hot Tub Time Machine on Amazon.
Buy Hot Tub Time Machine on Blu-ray on Amazon.
The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
A man’s (played by Eric Bana) involuntary ability to travel through time causes a strain on his marriage to the woman he loves (played by Rachel McAdams).
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: Based on the book by Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler's Wife is a cleverly imaginative, aspiringly romantic, and heartbreaking drama that convinces you that time travel is not all it is cracked up to be.
Stream The Time Traveler’s Wife on Max.
Rent or buy The Time Traveler’s Wife on Amazon.
Buy The Time Traveler’s Wife on Blu-ray on Amazon.
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
A young man (played by That '70s Show cast member Ashton Kutcher) attempts to improve his and his friends' lives with his newfound ability to travel to the past, but with increasingly horrific results each time.
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: Inspired by chaos theory, The Butterfly Effect posits the idea that changing just one element of your past will affect everything about your future, so you better choose wisely.
Rent or buy The Butterfly Effect on Amazon.
Buy The Butterfly Effect on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Years after Thanos (Josh Brolin) eradicated half of the universe’s population, the costumed vigilantes who failed to stop him figure out how to reverse his “snap.”
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: In addition to being one of the all-time best superhero movies and a grand celebration of the Marvel movies that came before it, Avengers: Endgame boasts a unique theory about time travel that allows it to stand out in the genre.
Stream Avengers: Endgame on Disney+.
Rent or buy Avengers: Endgame on Amazon.
Buy Avengers: Endgame on Blu-ray on Amazon.
So, did we cover all of your favorite time travel movies, or should we go back and try again?
