Last Updated on March 8, 2023 by Dexter Roona
Today we bring you our 20 Best Time Travel Movies of All Time!
Time travel has been a fascinating concept for decades, with movies exploring the possibilities and implications of traveling through time.
From thrilling action-packed adventures to mind-bending paradoxes, the genre of time travel has produced some of the most beloved and iconic movies in cinema history.
In this article, we will explore the 20 best time-travel movies of all time.
20 Best Time Travel Movies of All Time
Here are our AFGeek picks!
Back to the Future (1985)
Back to the Future is the quintessential time travel movie.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the movie follows the story of Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) as he travels back in time to the 1950s to ensure that his parents fall in love and prevent his own erasure from existence.
This movie has become a pop culture icon and has spawned two sequels.
The Terminator (1984)
The Terminator, directed by James Cameron, is a classic action-packed time travel movie.
It follows the story of a cyborg assassin (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who travels back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the mother of the leader of the human resistance against machines in a post-apocalyptic future.
Groundhog Day (1993)
Groundhog Day, directed by Harold Ramis, is a comedic time loop movie that has become a cultural phenomenon.
It follows the story of Phil Connors (Bill Murray), a cynical weatherman who finds himself reliving the same day over and over again until he learns the value of selflessness and personal growth.
Interstellar (2014)
Interstellar is a fabulous sci-fi time travel movie, directed by Christopher Nolan, that explores the infinite possibilities of space-time travel. The story follows a small group of astronauts who travel through a wormhole in the hope of finding a new home for humanity to escape the impending environmental disaster that earth is facing.
It is a storyline that doesn’t seem that far from reality considering global warming.
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, directed by Stephen Herek, is a comedic time travel movie that follows the story of two high school buddies/students who travel through time to gather historical figures for their school history presentation.
This movie has become a cult classic and has spawned a sequel.
12 Monkeys (1995)
12 Monkeys, directed by Terry Gilliam, is a time travel movie that follows the story of a prisoner named James Cole played by Bruce Willis. Cole travels back in time to prevent the emergence of a super virus that wipes out most of humanity in the not-too-distant future.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
The Star Trek franchise gets in on the time travel theme with 1986’s Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, directed by Spock himself Leonard Nimoy.
Star Trek IV sees the crew of the USS Enterprise traveling back in time to the 20th century to save the Earth from a destructive alien probe.
It’s a movie that quickly became a fan favorite among Star Trek fans.
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Edge of Tomorrow, directed by Doug Liman, is a cool movie that really is action-packed. It’s a clever time loop movie that follows the story of a soldier played by Tom Cruise who finds himself having to relive the same day over and over again as he battles against seemingly impossible odds against an alien invasion.
It is a movie that rightly became a critical and commercial success and one that we recommend here at AFG.
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
Hot Tub Time Machine, directed by Steve Pink, brings comedy to the time travel theme and follows the story of a group of friends who travel back in time to the 1980s in you guessed it, a hot tub time machine. It is a movie that has become a cult classic among fans of 80s nostalgia.
Donnie Darko (2001)
Donnie Darko, directed by Richard Kelly, is a dark psychological time travel movie that explores themes of fate, and mental illness. The story centers around a very troubled teenager played by at the time a young Jake Gyllenhaal who receives a warning from a mysterious figure in a rabbit costume that the world is going to end in 28 days.
Donnie Darko was a critically acclaimed movie and proved to be Jake Gyllenhaal’s breakout film.
Primer (2004)
Primer, directed by Shane Carruth, was a relatively low-budget science-fiction movie that explores the complexities of time travel following the story of a group of engineers who accidentally discover a way to travel through time and are faced with the ethical and moral implications of their invention.
Timecrimes (2007)
2007’s Timecrimes, directed by Nacho Vigalondo, is a Spanish thriller that explores the meaningful consequences of time travel.
The story centers around a man who accidentally travels back in time and finds himself caught in a time loop, trying to prevent the events that led to his arrival in the past.
About Time (2013)
2013’s About Time, directed by Richard Curtis, is a heartwarming rom-com that explores the possibilities offered by time travel.
It follows the story of Tim who discovers that the men in his family all have the unique ability to travel through time. Tim uses this gift to improve and better his relationships and find true love.
The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)
The Time Traveler’s Wife, is a great movie directed by Robert Schwentke. The romantic drama follows the story of a man named Eric played by Eric Bana who involuntarily time travels and the impact it has on his relationship with his wife.
This movie explores themes of love, loss, and the far-reaching complexities of time travel.
Source Code (2011)
The next movie on this list is Source Code, directed by Duncan Jones. Source Code is a science-fiction thriller that deals with the subject of time travel, following a U.S. Army Captain named Colter Stevens who finds himself in an experimental program that allows him to relive the last 8 minutes of a train explosion tasked with finding the terrorist responsible for the explosion.
Time After Time (1979)
Time After Time, directed by Nicholas Meyer, is a science-fiction romance that sees H.G. Wells played by Malcolm McDowell travel through time to 20th-century San Francisco to stop Jack the Ripper played by David Warner from continuing his killing spree.
Predestination (2014)
Predestination, is the next movie on our time travel list and is directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig. The science-fiction thriller explores the concept of predestination paradoxes.
The story follows a temporal agent who travels through time to prevent a terrorist attack, only to discover a dark shocking truth about his own identity.
Time Bandits (1981)
Terry Gillians Time Bandits is a comedy time-travel movie that follows the story of an 11-year-old boy named Kevin played by Craig Warnock who joins a group of time-traveling thieves on a dangerous quest to plunder treasure from some of history’s greatest figures.
His quest begins when an armored knight on a horse bursts out of his bedroom wardrobe when Kevin is sleeping.
Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009)
Gareth Carrivick’s Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel, is another comedic time travel movie on our list. The movie is set in a pub and follows three friends having a quiet drink who meet a time traveler and subsequently find themselves traveling through time as they navigate the intricacies of paradoxes and alternate timelines.
Looper (2012)
2012’s Looper, directed by Rian Johnson, is a sci-fi action movie that follows the story of a hitman named Joe who works for a criminal organization. In the future of 2074, it is almost impossible to dispose of dead bodies undetected so criminal organizations send their targets back in time where it is much easier to cover up the crime to be killed by assassins called “loopers”.
Now we would like to hear from you.
Are there any other time travel movies that should be on this list?
Let us know what they are and why they are so good and we will add them to our AFG Best Time Travel Movies of All Time list.
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