15 best time travel movies

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

From the thrilling Back to the Future to the romantic Time Traveler's Wife.

1. Back to the future

• USA, 1985.
• Science fiction, comedy, adventure.
• Duration: 116 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 5.

An ordinary teenager, together with an eccentric inventor, travels 30 years back in time. There he meets his parents, a professor friend and many others - very young.

Despite the richness of events familiar to director Robert Zemeckis, the film raises important philosophical topics. In particular, we will never know what our parents really were like when they were young.

It is also worth noting the play of Christopher Lloyd, Leah Thompson and Michael J. Fox - the last jury of the Saturn Award even recognized the best actor. And also "Back to the Future" received an Oscar statuette for the best sound editing.

As a result, the film turned into a whole trilogy. In the second part, the heroes find themselves in an alternative future, and in the third they find themselves in the Wild West in 1885.

2. Bill and Ted's Incredible Adventures

• USA, 1989.
• Science fiction, comedy, adventure.
• Duration: 90 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 9.

Fate brings two schoolchildren together with a man from the future who travels in a time machine in the form of a telephone booth. The couple just need to make a report on the topic "The modern world through the eyes of a famous historical figure." To this end, they go into the past and carry a number of outstanding people from there.

The film is a surprisingly inventive blend of science fiction and youth comedy. Everything that happens on the screen looks incredibly silly, but Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter got used to the role of teenage losers so well that it is impossible not to fall in love with them. In addition, the film is full of great jokes, including those about historical figures.

Interestingly, according to the original idea, the time machine was made in the form of a car. But the authors got scared of too strong a resemblance to Back to the Future and turned it into a phone booth. Although it resembles the TARDIS from the legendary Doctor Who.

3. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

• USA, France, 1991.
• Science fiction, action, thriller.
• Duration: 137 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 5.

From the future, in which the world was enslaved by machines, in our time comes the almost invulnerable T-1000 terminator. He intends to kill John Connor so that he does not lead humanity to victory over the cyborgs. But another terminator comes to the boy's aid - not so strong, but still capable of fighting back.

James Cameron's second film turned out to be completely different from the first. The director has skillfully woven elements of comedy and family drama into the sci-fi thriller. And this did not prevent the picture from remaining very dynamic and spectacular.

Doomsday won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects and Makeup, Sound and Editing. At the Saturn Awards, the action movie won five nominations: Best Sci-Fi Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Young Actor, and Best Special Effects.

The British Film Academy also honored Terminator 2 for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects.

After the second part in the series, many more films were released, in many of which history was rewritten. But the “Doomsday” is considered to be the standard - everything that was filmed after it is not necessary to watch.

4.12 monkeys

• USA, 1995.
• Science fiction, thriller, detective.
• Duration: 129 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

In 2035, an incurable virus destroyed almost the entire population of the planet, and the survivors have to live underground. Prisoner James Cole volunteers to travel back in time in a time machine to find the source of the epidemic.

Terry Gilliam's painting is one of the most memorable in the genre. This is a phantasmagoric dystopia that forever wedges itself into memory. Moreover, not only due to its unforgettable atmosphere, but also thanks to the amazing play of Bruce Willis, who appears in the role of the above-mentioned criminal. The mental hospital patient performed by Brad Pitt is also excellent.

For his work in 12 Monkeys, Pitt received a Golden Globe and Saturn. Also on the list of film awards is the Berliner Morgenpost prize at the Berlin Film Festival.

5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

• UK, USA, 2004.
• Fantasy, detective, adventure.
• Duration: 142 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

The third part of a series of films about a boy who survived. This time, Harry, Ron and Hermione will have to uncover the secret of a dangerous criminal who escaped from the Azkaban prison guarded by creepy Dementors. After all, now that he is free, Harry is in mortal danger.

"Prisoner of Azkaban", unlike the first two parts, was shot not by Chris Columbus, but by Alfonso Cuaron - the author of the Oscar-winning "Gravity".

The consequence of the change of director was a sharp transition from a slightly naive fairytale atmosphere to a much darker one, as well as a completely different presentation of the plot. In particular, Cuarón masterfully managed to weave the flywheel of time into the narrative, because of which the film got on this list.

It is worth noting that the film was nominated for an Oscar in the nominations for Best Visual Effects and Best Soundtrack, and also received the Audience Award from the British Film Academy.

6. Detonator

• USA, 2004.
• Science fiction, thriller, drama.
• Duration: 77 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 9.

An indie drama about two engineers who accidentally discover a way to travel through time. Gradually, they discover that their experiment, which at first glance is completely successful, has a dangerous side effect.

Director Shane Carrut is a mathematician by training, also savvy in physics. Therefore, everything that happens in "Detonator" can be fully explained from a scientific point of view.

At the same time, the picture can by no means be called boring: it keeps you in suspense until the very end. This is confirmed by a number of awards, which were awarded to the film - in particular, the Grand Prix of the largest independent film festival "Sundance".

7. Idiocracy

• USA, 2006.
• Science fiction, comedy, adventure.
• Duration: 84 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

An American corporal is frozen as part of a secret experiment. He spends 500 years in hibernation and finds himself in a world where people have become much more stupid than they once were. This is how the hero becomes the smartest person on Earth.

At the time of release, the film looked like a ridiculous fiction, but today it reflects reality surprisingly accurately. Writers Mike Judge and Ethan Cohen seemed to have foreseen what would become of America a decade after the release of Idiocracy.

Mike Judge begs us to think about a future where Britney and the K-Fed (Britney Spears and Kevin Earl Federline, former spouses) are like the new Adam and Eve.

Joshua Rich author of Entertainment Weekly

8. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

• Japan, 2006.
• Science fiction, drama, melodrama.
• Duration: 98 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

Seventeen-year-old Makoto Konno leads a measured life: she plays baseball in the evenings and is always late for school in the morning. At the same time, she has absolutely no idea who she wants to become in the future. But once in the life of a girl, a strange event happens, after which she gets the opportunity to travel in time.

After that, the viewer, and then Makoto herself, the question arises: how to dispose of such an ability? Use it for your own benefit or do good deeds for the welfare of others? The picture asks a lot of such questions.

Anime skillfully plays with the emotions of the viewer: it shows the light nature of the story, then it makes you almost cry. And the main character is so disposed to herself that very soon you begin to perceive her as your own.

9. The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife

• USA, 2009.
• Science fiction, fantasy, drama.
• Duration: 107 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

Henry has a rare disease - chronic insufficiency. Because of him, the hero has to unwittingly travel in time. 20-year-old Claire meets 28-year-old Henry in the library, and he does not recognize her, while she has known him for most of her life.

The main driver of this story is the relationship between Henry and Claire, played by the talented Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. They meet in the past and the future, time plays with them cruelly, but love still wins. The plot of the film is incredibly romantic: it intrigues, makes you cry and laugh.

10. Star Trek

• USA, Germany, 2009.
• Science fiction, action, adventure.
• Duration: 127 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

The captain of a mining ship comes from the future to avenge the destruction of his home planet. Competitors Kirk and Spock have to join forces to prevent the aggressor from destroying everything they hold dear.

The director of the restart, Jay Jay Abrams, managed to make a film about young heroes without rewriting the history of the famous franchise. And games over time allow the picture of 2009 to exist in the same universe as the previous parts.

At the same time, the future in the film is not predetermined, so the director was able to afford a number of liberties. It is partly because of them that Star Trek is so exciting.

11. Time loop

• USA, China, 2012.
• Science fiction, action, thriller.
• Duration: 118 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

In 2074, the state gained total control over the inhabitants. For representatives of the world of crime, this becomes a real problem: it is now impossible to hide corpses.

As a result, the mafia gains access to the time machine and begins to send unwanted people into the past. The goal of those on the other side is to accept the unfortunate and immediately kill them.

The film was written by Ryan Johnson, director of the indie noir "Brick" and the eighth episode of "Star Wars". But it was "Time Loop" that became his first work in the genre of science fiction, and he coped with his task perfectly. The film is full of tense action scenes and asks a lot of morally difficult questions.

12. Boyfriend from the future

• UK, 2013.
• Science fiction, fantasy, drama.
• Duration: 123 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

After another not very pleasant New Year, 21-year-old Tim learns from his father that every man in his family knew how to move in time. It turns out that the main character is also not without this ability. And he intends to use her to change his life.

Future Boyfriend is a highly emotional drama by Richard Curtis, author of Love Actually and Rock Wave. The film well reveals the theme of death and repentance, as well as the relationship between father and son. However, there was also a place for romance in it.

13. Time patrol

• Australia, 2014.
• Science fiction, thriller, drama.
• Duration: 98 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

In the future, scientists have created a time machine, thanks to which it became possible to correct the mistakes of the past and thereby make the present better. The main character is a policeman of the time, who prevents numerous crimes, traveling through different years. However, New York is in real danger, which the protagonist is unable to stop.

Time Patrol is not a traditional action movie at all, as one might think, but rather a drama with elements of fantasy. The central part of the film is occupied by the story of one character, supplemented by an action-packed detective component. The plot revolves around more than an interesting paradox, which the authors managed to place in a solid environment.

It is especially worth noting the game of Ethan Hawke, who played the aforementioned special agent, and especially Sarah Snook, who got two very difficult roles at once. For her work, the actress has received awards from the Australian Film Academy and the Australian Society of Film Critics.

14. X-Men: Days of Future Past

• USA, UK, Canada, 2014.
• Science fiction, action, thriller.
• Duration: 131 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

In the near future, mutants are about to be destroyed by especially dangerous guards. Kitty Pryde transfers Wolverine's consciousness into his youthful body in 1973 to prevent the creation of hunting robots. But a whole series of obstacles prevents the hero from coping with his task.

The picture is full of space-time collisions that will appeal to all fans of the theme of time travel. Another big plus of the film is the cast: in addition to the usual Hugh Jackman, here you have James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence, and Ellen Page, and many others.

Thanks to the abundance of interesting characters, good humor and spectacular action, "Days of Future Past" looks in one go. By the way, the film was even nominated for an Oscar for its special effects.

15. Interstellar

• USA, UK, 2014.
• Science fiction, drama, adventure.
• Duration: 169 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 6.

Due to the drought, humanity is facing a food crisis. Scientists decide that people need to be relocated to another planet. To do this, they send a team of researchers on a space journey through a "wormhole," which supposedly connects different parts of space and time across vast distances.

Christopher Nolan's Interstellar is a movie that simply requires the viewer to be actively involved in the brain. The science fiction here is as scientific as possible, although there is something to complain about. Nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that, first of all, this work of art is extremely spectacular, tense and often emotional.

The Oscars and the British Film Academy jury awarded the film for the best visual effects. At the Saturn Awards, the film won six nominations at once - Best Sci-Fi Film, Best Young Actor / Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Music, Best Special Effects and Best Set.