I'm always on the look-out for good and different films about time travel. Doesn't matter to me if the mode/traveller of transportation is a time chair (The Time Machine), DeLorean (Back to the Future), old wizard (The Visitors) or cyborg (The Terminator). I also enjoy time travel-romances like Happy Accidents and time-warp (communication) travel flicks like Frequency or Ditto.

So if you like these type films, what are your favorites, your recommendations, especially the lesser known movies?

I think "Donnie Darko" is probably my fave.

A couple others:

"Twelve Monkeys" and "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure"

Don't forget the other Gilliam joint Time Bandits.

Time Bandits. What's not to love?

I give you (and I'm sure you've seen) the terribly overlooked and underappreciated Time After Time, my dear c. David Warner plays Jack the Ripper to Malcolm McDowell's H.G. Wells in a film whose approach to the history of those two figures makes Amadeus look like an exercise in academic integrity.

Oh, but what a marvelous ride. I have so very much affection for that film. In fact, time to go update my Netflix queue. It's been too long.

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Time Travel Movies

1. 12 Monkeys (1995). Among the classics of all science movies in addition to involving time travel, this dark science fiction movie starring Brad Pitt at his best and Bruce Willis attempting to go back in time to save the future from a chemical/biological holocaust.
2. Time After Time (1979). A fun, entertaining version of H.G. Wells attempting to save our contemporary civilizations from Jack the Ripper.
3. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970). A fascinating blend of contemporary, past, and future civilizations in the fight for the world.
4. The Time Machine (1960). H.G. Well's classic movie depiction starring Rod Taylor.
5. The Butterfly Effect (2004). An under-rated sci fi thriller starring Ashton Kutcher who turns in a decent performance in this serious look at the consequences of time travel.
6. Time Bandits (1981). From the chaotic and innovative, creative mind of Monty Python.
7. Back to the Future, Part 2 (1989). A fun comedic look at one possible future.
8. Lost in Space (1998). A good movie episode of the television series involving time travel, a solid time travel plot with heart.
9. The Planet of the Apes (1968). Among the most famous, classic twists in movie history, this science fiction movie classic starring Charleston Heston is powerful in its depiction of the humans in a different alternative universe.
10. Demolition Man (1993). The best use of future talk of any movie. Sandra Bullock's dialogue is so awesome in regards to the use of language in different time periods that the rest of the much more traditional action-thriller, Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes chase and fight scenes pale in comparison.
11. Idaho Transfer (1973). Peter Fonda directorial effort at this low-budget, somber vision of the future using time travel.
12. Peggy Sue Got Married (1986). A romantic comedy hit.
13. Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home (1986). One of the best, most entertaining of the Star Trek movies.
14. Groundhog Day (1993). A classic romantic comedy about Bill Murray repeating the same day until he can find love.
15. Back to the Future (1985). A classic science fiction comedy.
16. Somewhere in Time (1980). Another bittersweet, but luscious and richly made romantic drama with a time travel element.
17. The Terminator (1984). The classic sci fi adventure action thriller.
18. The Thirteenth Floor (1999). An enjoyable juxtaposition of time elements in this serious probing of time travel.
19. The Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).
20. The Iceman (1984). A decent, bittersweet movie about a prehistoric man thawed out back to life and his efforts at coping with the modern world.
21. Forever Young (1992). A heart wrenching Mel Gibson movie about a man who is cryogenically frozen and must cope with having missed most of his past.
22. The Lake House (2006). A little nice romantic drama about two people corresponding two years apart through a mystical mailbox.
23. The Love Letter (1998).
24. The Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003).
25. The Philadelphia Experiment (1984). A solid time travel movie that attempts to speculate about the possibility of time travel involving an scientific experiment gone wrong.
26. The Final Countdown (1980). A compelling time travel movie involving World War II and Pearl Harbor.
27. Millennium (1989). A so, so adaptation of sci-fi writer John Varley's novel that omits much of the intriguing time travel facets of the book.
28. Timecop (1994). A traditional cop movie with a time travel twist.
29. Blast From the Past (1998). A comedy about an out of era teenager attempting to cope with coming out of a fallout shelter.
30. Frequency (2000). A nice straightforward dramatic thriller using communication across time.
31. The Day Time Ended (1980). An old time travel movie with all the cliches but with a hopeful and at the time fascinating look of the future at the end.
32. The Tomorrow Man (2001). A low-budget Corbin Bernsen vehicle with a disturbing end.
33. The Jacket (2005). A slow moving, odd and disconnected time travel movie.
34. Journey to the Center of Time (1967). One of the worst, stereotypical, and poorly made time travel movies, but made with heart and seriousness, with an ending that asks the question, "Why make a film if one doesn't know how to end it?"

quote:

Originally posted by tabuno:

12. Peggy Sue Got Married (1986). A romantic comedy hit.

Great choice!

quote:

Originally posted by tabuno:

16. Somewhere in Time (1980). Another bittersweet, but luscious and richly made romantic drama with a time travel element.

Totally forgot about this one. Always loved it and that much of it was filmed on Macinac Island, my favorite vacation getaway spot.

I caught another time travel film not long ago, Primer. I liked the premise but the storyline lost me about half-way through.

It was pretty cheesey, but I enjoyed Timerider. Peter Coyote as a motorcyclist who rides through a time warp into the old west.

quote:

ericg75 Posted 24 June 2006 08:18 AM

I think "Donnie Darko" is probably my fave.

I saw Donnie Darko (2001) about two weeks ago for the first time on the advice of an acquaintence. While I don't consider this movie to be strictly or literally a time travel movie, the same can be said of another parallel, alternative universe movie that is quite charming as a romantic drama created in a unique simultanously split, parallel cinematic shot technique: Sliding Doors (1997).

Slaughterhouse Five (1972) movie adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's novel broke new ground when it came out with its tranposition of time elements throughout the movie. It is one of the most surrealistic sci fi movies and remains a classic to this day.

quote:

crazed Posted 29 June 2006 04:09 PM:

I caught another time travel film not long ago, Primer. I liked the premise but the storyline lost me about half-way through.

Primer (2004) the winner of the 2004 Sundance Grand Jury Prize and shot for $7,500 received generally good reviews when it came out. It's difficult for me to really understand what was good about the movie. It seemed to me that the script had about $7,500 worth of comprehension.

quote:

Originally posted by crazed:
I caught another time travel film not long ago, Primer. I liked the premise but the storyline lost me about half-way through.

I forgot about Primer. I thought it was a pretty cool take on time travel, but I too was totally lost at the end.

quote:

Originally posted by crazed:


I caught another time travel film not long ago, Primer. I liked the premise but the storyline lost me about half-way through.

It was pretty cheesey, but I enjoyed Timerider. Peter Coyote as a motorcyclist who rides through a time warp into the old west.

Primer lost me about half way through too. I completely forgot about Timerider! I haven't seen that in years. Great inclusion.

How about the Austin Powers trilogy? Those haven't been mentioned yet.

quote:

Originally posted by tabuno:
Time Travel Movies

13. Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home (1986). One of the best, most entertaining of the Star Trek movies.

Star Trek: First Contact as well.

Army Of Darkness is by far the best Time Travel movie!!!

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PRG Posted 30 June 2006 02:07 PM
quote:
Originally posted by tabuno:
Time Travel Movies

13. Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home (1986). One of the best, most entertaining of the Star Trek movies.

Star Trek: First Contact as well.

Star Trek: Generations (1994) two years earlier also incorporated time travel to enable Captain Kirk to end up in the same time era as The Next Generation characters.

quote:

5. The Butterfly Effect (2004). An under-rated sci fi thriller starring Ashton Kutcher who turns in a decent performance in this serious look at the consequences of time travel.

I wouldn't put that at 5 myself, but that's just me. Ashton Kutcher was decent and I liked the idea of the movie, that Ashton would even go back and never meet that girl if it would give her a good life, but that movie was F'd up. Didn't really do it for me.

Have you checked out the "Butterfly Effect" Director's Cut? Much better ending than the theatrical release. In fact, if I had seen it theatrically, I would never have owned the movie!

After seeing Deja Vu, which I loved since it's represents the correct theoretical version of time traveling (if you mind the TV screen), I've been into the time traveling phase. I heard about the twelve monkeys hype and decided to give it a peep.
Maybe because it's over a decade since the movie I came, but I was very disappointed. The movie had nothing gripping or complexing to show about time travel, but only the pointless cycle of the time travel paradox. The dream of in of the shooting that happened in the past/will happen in the future was predictable, and and the movie didn't probe you to think about it again and again as Donnie Darko.
Maybe it wasn't meant to be thought provoking like DD, maybe I watched it with a wrong mindset.
However, I did like the psychological wreck the movie portrayed about time traveling, although the Jacket does a much deeper, disturbing, mold of insanity and time travel.
I was also disappointed in The Butterfly Effect, not so much for its many flaws, but I just envisioned a much grander scheme of the chaos theory.

I'm sorry I take that back. After doing a second seeing of Twelve Monkeys, I'm impressed with the movie. It's not a pointless time paradox. Bruce does change the future. The ending is very well conceived and the insurance women on the plane is actually someone very important

quote:

Originally posted by nomercy2182:
After seeing Deja Vu, which I loved since it's represents the correct theoretical version of time traveling (if you mind the TV screen), I've been into the time traveling phase.

I picked up Deja Vu after the mention of it here and it was a very nice time travel movie. I won't give away anything more about it here but the action scenes with the goggles was especially fun to watch.

Enjoyed Deja Vu also. It had a serious, quality polish to it along with a decide storyline and emotional chemistry along with decent twists.