To be perfectly honest, the idea of time travel terrifies me because of what catastrophic circumstances I could cause by even the slightest alteration to the timeline. In fact, if I was ever given the chance to travel to the past, it would only be to prevent myself from watching the best time travel movies and be able to experience them for the first time with a fresh memory over and over again.
I do not see myself receiving that kind of opportunity any time soon but that is fine by me. Reliving the classic sci-fi movies below is still fun no matter how many times I have seen them.
The Back To The Future Movies (1985-1990)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd
What they are about: An average teen goes on a series of extraordinary adventures in a sports car repurposed into a time machine by his scientist friend.
Why they are some 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 Robert Zemeckis, and executive produced by Steven Spielberg.
How to watch the Back to the Future movies
- Stream Back to the Future on Starz
- Rent or buy Back to the Future on Amazon
- Stream Back to the Future Part II on Starz
- Rent or buy Back to the Future Part II on Amazon
- Stream Back to the Future Part III on Starz
- Rent or buy Back to the Future Part III on Amazon
- Buy the Back to the Future movies on Blu-ray on Amazon
Caddo Lake (2024)
Director: Celine Held, Logan George
Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Eliza Scanlen
What it’s about: A grieving young man and an anxious teen make a startling discovery about a lake in their Louisiana hometown.
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: Without giving away any more about this Max subscription-exclusive than I am by including it on this list, Caddo Lake (despite one missed opportunity) is a cleverly crafted and deeply moving thriller from producer M. Night Shyamalan.
How to watch Caddo Lake
The Terminator And Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1984, 1991)
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Edward Furlong
What they are about: A cyborg that resembles a human is sent back to the ‘80s to kill the mother of humanity’s savior, John Connor. In the sequel, another version of him is programmed to protect John as a teen in the late ‘90s.
Why they are some 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.
How to watch The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day
- Rent or buy The Terminator on Amazon
- Buy The Terminator on Blu-ray on Amazon
- Stream Terminator 2: Judgment Day on Paramount+
- Rent Terminator 2: Judgment Day on Amazon
- Buy Terminator 2: Judgment Day on Blu-ray on Amazon
The Philadelphia Experiment (1984)
Director: Stewart Raffill
Starring: Michael Paré, Nancy Allen, Eric Christmas
What it’s about: 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.
How to watch The Philadelphia Experiment
- Stream The Philadelphia Experiment on Plex
- Buy The Philadelphia Experiment on Amazon
- Buy The Philadelphia Experiment on DVD on Amazon
12 Monkeys (1996)
Director: Terry Gilliam
Starring: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt
What it’s about: A convict 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 the bleak mind-bender 12 Monkeys, which also features an Oscar-nominated performance by Brad Pitt.
How to watch 12 Monkeys
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, Karan Soni
What it’s about: Three journalists try to learn the truth behind a man 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 (one of the best Aubrey Plaza movies) is a clever dramedy that has the power to thrill like any traditional sci-fi movie.
How to watch Safety Not Guaranteed
Time Bandits (1981)
Director: Terry Gilliam
Starring: Sean Connery, John Cleese, Shelley Duvall
What it’s about: 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 that is also one of Shelley Duvall’s best movies.
How to watch Time Bandits
Synchronic (2020)
Director: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorehead
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Jamie Dornan
What it’s about: An EMT discovers the key to finding his best friend’s 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, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead released their own version of a more straightforward time travel story with the conceptually unique and fascinating Synchronic.
How to watch Synchronic
- Stream Synchronic on Peacock
- Stream Synchronic on Tubi
- Rent or buy Synchronic on Amazon
- Buy Synchronic on Blu-ray on Amazon
X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014)
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy
What it’s about: Wolverine 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.
How to watch X-Men: Days of Future Past
- 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)
Director: Rian Johnson
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt
What it’s about: A mafia assassin 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.
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.
How to watch Looper
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
Director: Stephen Herek
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter
What it’s about: Two dim-witted California slackers 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.
How to watch Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
- 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)
Director: Richard Kelly
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone
What it’s about: The lives of a troubled teen 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 Donnie Darko’s ending, the unique, bizarre, and complex elements of this cult favorite earn it a spot among the best high school movies of its time.
How to watch Donnie Darko
- Stream Donnie Darko on Amazon Prime
- Stream Donnie Darko on Hulu
- Stream Donnie Darko on Tubi
- Buy Donnie Darko on Blu-ray on Amazon
About Time (2013)
Director: Richard Curtis
Starring: Domnhall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams
What it’s about: When Tim discovers 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 mistakes.
Why it is one of the best time travel movies: About Time is an irresistible, fantastic twist on the romantic-comedy movie genre and also marks Rachel McAdams’ second time playing a time traveler’s love interest (more on that later).
How to watch About Time
Primer (2004)
Director: Shane Carruth
Starring: Shane Carruth, David Sullivan
What it’s about: A pair of engineers 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 Shane Carruth broke into filmmaking with Primer – a time travel film that treats the laws of theoretical physics as a priority and is now cited as one of the brainiest sci-fi films of all time.
How to watch Primer
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
Director: Steve Pink
Starring: John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke
What it’s about: Three aging pals, joined by the nephew of one, 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: 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.
How to watch Hot Tub Time Machine
- Stream Hot Tub Time Machine on Amazon Prime
- Stream Hot Tub Time Machine on Tubi
- Buy Hot Tub Time Machine on Blu-ray on Amazon
The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
Director: Robert Schwentke
Starring: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams
What it’s about: A man’s involuntary ability to travel through time causes a strain on his marriage to the woman he loves.
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.
How to watch The Time Traveler’s Wife
- 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)
Director: Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber
Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart
What it’s about: A young man 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.
How to watch The Butterfly Effect
- Stream The Butterfly Effect on Netflix
- Rent or buy The Butterfly Effect on Amazon
- Buy The Butterfly Effect on Blu-ray on Amazon
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Director: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin
What it’s about: Years after Thanos eradicated half of the universe’s population, the surviving vigilantes 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.
How to watch Avengers: Endgame
- Stream Avengers: Endgame on Disney+
- Rent or buy Avengers: Endgame on Amazon
- Buy Avengers: Endgame on Blu-ray on Amazon
So, did I cover all of your favorite time travel movies, or should I go back and try again?
