Time travel is a hard concept to nail in any movie. It’s really complex to depict without losing the interest of audiences, yet a simplistic execution of the mechanics is extremely unsatisfactory. As a result, time travel movies are either incredibly satisfying or completely forgettable, with most movies rarely landing in between these extremes.
RELATED:Sci-Fi Series To Watch If You Loved Severance
Thankfully, most popular movies that dabble in time travel are extremely successful. Given the nature of this concept, it’s only a given thatmovies in the sci-fi genreuse this idea the most, with some absolutely excelling in the area of depicting what time travel is all about. Keeping this in mind, here are some of the best sci-fi movies that execute time travel perfectly
10Tenet
Christopher Nolan is a master of his craft, and his brilliant cinematic mind is on full display inTenet. The movie deals with an incredibly complicated concept of time inversion, and depicts it in a typical Nolan-esque manner.
Tenetmight seem complicated just for the sake of being complex, but there’s no denying the fact that the movie is still a blast. It might not be Nolan’s finest work, but it’s still a riveting watch in its own right.
9Interstellar
Speaking of Nolan’s movies that involve time travel, another movie that needs to be mentioned isInterstellar. The film features masterful performances from both Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway, making for an enduring highlight of the overall experience.
The movie is definitely complex, but still features a great and gripping story that will tug at anyone’s emotional heartstrings. It’s another feather in Nolan’s distinguished cap of cinematic masterpieces.
8Back To The Future Part 2
The entireBack to the Futuretrilogy could definitely bag a spot on this list. However, if fans had to choose one movie out of these three to represent, thenBack to the Future Part 2is certainly a great choice, as it portrays the potential consequences of messing around with the timeline.
RELATED:The Best Sci-Fi Series On HBO Max
The adventures of Marty McFly and Doc Brown never fail to excite audiences to this day. Even after all the years have passed, there’s just something irresistible about the enduring charm of this movie that makes it so watchable.
7Edge Of Tomorrow
The writing was on the wall forEdge of Tomorrowto be nothing more than a forgettable action flick that would fade into obscurity over time. However, the movie took everyone by surprise with a time loop mechanic that is fascinating from the get-go.
Tom Cruise’s magnetic performance is supplemented by a strong script and great direction. The impressive scope ofEdge of Tomorrowmight be betrayed slightly by its cliché ending, but that’s just a small issue in an otherwise brilliant experience.
6Terminator 2: Judgment Day
It would be impossible to talk about sci-fi movies with time travel without mentioningtheTerminatorseries. The classic movies in this trilogy are simply amazing, and make it clear as to why these films are still beloved to this day.
While the firstTerminatormovie was pretty great in its own right,Terminator 2took everything established in the first movie and cranked it up a notch. The end result is a wild ride that feels absolutely epic in every way.
5Star Trek (2009)
J.J. Abrams spearheaded the reboot of theStar Trekfilms, with the end result being nothing short of amazing. The movie serves as a bridge from the old to the new, with the late great Leonard Nimoy reprising his role as the iconic Spock to great effect.
The movie deals with alternate timelines andcomplicated sci-fi conceptsin a way that makes them surprisingly engaging and understandable. Fans were elated to find out that the reboot, which they dreaded would be a failure, was nothing short of a runaway success.
4Donnie Darko
Movie buffs who want to check out one of the most unique cinematic experiences around should look no further thanDonnie Darko.This brilliant sci-fi mysterydeals with numerous concepts, with time travel being a fairly minor part of the overall experience.
However, it’s the manner in whichDonnie Darkoweaves time travel in its narrative that makes for one of the greatest endings to any movie. It helps that Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance is also captivating in its own right.
3Palm Springs
Palm Springsis one of the most charming, energetic movies that heavily focuses on time travel. After getting stuck in a time loop, an unfortunate chain of events leads to Nyles getting Sarah stuck in this loop as well.
RELATED:Underrated Sci-Fi Movies From The 1980s & Where To Stream Them
A comedic chain of events follows, butPalm Springsdoesn’t shy away from dealing with certain heavy-handed themes as well, despite its overall lightheartedness. All of this culminates in a nice ending, makingPalm Springsone of the most feel-good sci-fi films out there.
2Source Code
Another sci-fi moviestarring Jake Gyllenhaal,Source Codeis another movie that came out of nowhere and wowed audiences with its riveting plot. As is the case with many films on this list,Source Codealso deals with the concept of a time loop.
However, it’s the nature of this time loop itself that is easily one of the most chilling parts of the entire experience. The plot of the movie starts out with something relatively simple — stopping a bomb blast — but quickly devolves into something truly engaging.
1Looper
Most people know director Rian Johnson for his work on the newStar Warstrilogy, but this established director has played around withthe sci-fi genrebefore inLooper. The concept of time travel in this movie is executed with absolute brilliance.
The idea of a man meeting his younger self is something that many people have thought of, butLoopertakes this concept and runs with it. The idea of time-traveling assassins is also pretty engaging in its own right.
MORE:Sci-Fi Shows To Watch If You Loved Netflix’s Lost In Space
