The 12 Most Amazing Time Travel Movies Ever

      Here are the 12 most remarkable time travel films of all time.

      The film industry’s fascination with time travel is easily understood, as movies may be the closest many of us will ever experience it: filmmakers of the past narrate stories for future audiences. As the distance between creation and reception increases, every film's significance as a reflection of its era becomes more pronounced.

      As individuals and places fade away, films can serve as some of our best means to remember them, allowing us to participate in experiences from times we might only vaguely recall.

      In a sense, all films involve time travel. However, the following titles specifically feature characters who move from one time period to another.

      It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

      Starring Donna Reed, Jimmy Stewart, and Karolyn Grimes, It’s a Wonderful Life raises the question: how can it not be considered a time travel movie? This dark holiday classic from Frank Capra follows George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart in his prime) as he revisits his past—or rather an alternate reality where he never existed.

      Instead of altering his past, George must face the present, ultimately shaping his future, just as we all do daily.

      While the multiverse idea is popular today, it’s interesting to note that It’s a Wonderful Life explored it long ago, thanks to Capra, co-writers Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, and Philip Van Doren Stern, who authored the story that inspired the film.

      The Time Machine (1960)

      You can’t discuss time travel without acknowledging H.G. Wells’ 1895 novel The Time Machine, a seminal work in the genre.

      George Pal’s adaptation introduces a future divided into two classes: Eloi and Morlocks. The seemingly carefree, plant-eating Eloi live a comfortable life above ground. Yet, they are essentially prey for the Morlocks, the vengeful subterranean beings who emerge to feast on their unsuspecting cousins.

      The Time Machine is not only a notable time travel film that influenced many others on this list but also offers a thought-provoking, socially relevant commentary.

      La Jetée (1962)

      Chris Marker’s La Jetée introduces itself as “the story of a man marked by an image of his childhood” — a traumatic image he witnessed “sometime before World War III began.”

      He comes to grasp it through repeated experiences in a time loop, represented almost entirely by still photographs. His connection to the past involves a memory of a woman (Hélène Châtelain) he met at Paris’ Orly Airport observation platform.

      With its careful repetition, monochrome visuals, and eerie atmosphere — portraying a past vision of what could be our future — La Jetée is captivating.

      Time After Time (1979)

      Nicholas Meyer’s Time After Time boasts one of the strongest setups in film. Taking inspiration from The Time Machine, it opens in Victorian London, where the infamous Jack the Ripper (played by David Warner) has committed another murder.

      He attends a gathering at his friend H.G. Wells' (Malcolm McDowell) home, where Wells reveals a time machine he is hesitant to utilize.

      As the police close in, Stevenson flees into the future using the time machine — and H.G. follows him. They land in 1979 San Francisco, where the out-of-place Stevenson adapts to the modern era’s violence while the more reserved H.G. attempts to thwart his murderous ways.

      He receives help from bank employee Amy (Mary Steenburgen), who becomes Stevenson’s next target. Though the climax may be underwhelming, the thoughtful and enjoyable journey makes it easy to overlook.

      In a delightful postscript, Steenburgen and McDowell fell in love and remained married for ten years.

      The Terminator (1984)

      When the low-budget Terminator premiered in 1984, some dismissed it as a simplistic, violent film about a killer robot.

      While it is indeed one of the most memorable killer robot films, it presents an intriguing concept of how time travel operates.

      In The Terminator's universe, time travel is depicted as an unavoidable loop that transcends years: Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) is sent back to save Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) so she can give birth to her son John, the future savior of humanity in a bleak world overrun by machines. Ironically, he becomes John’s father, who in turn sends him back in time.

      Brilliant.

      Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

      We must include a second Terminator film, as the intricate loop concept escalates when we discover that the arrival of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 in the first installment triggers the Judgment Day that leads to the A.I. uprising.

      Briefly, the remnants of the technology used in the T-800's ultimate confrontation with Sarah and John are crucial for Cyberdyne, the corporation that creates SkyNet, which complicates matters for