The 12 Most Awesome Time Travel Films of All Time

      Here are the 12 most fascinating time travel films we've encountered.

      Cinema's fascination with time travel is understandable, as movies may be the closest many of us will ever come to experiencing it: filmmakers of the past crafted stories for future audiences. As the time between creation and reception lengthens, each film gains significance as a relic of its era.

      As individuals and locations fade away, films can serve as our most effective means of remembering them and provide an immersive experience into times we might only vaguely recall, if at all.

      In essence, all films are time travel movies. However, the following films specifically depict characters journeying from one time to another.

      **It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)**

      Donna Reed, Jimmy Stewart, and Karolyn Grimes star in It’s a Wonderful Life. RKO Radio Pictures

      If you believe It’s a Wonderful Life isn’t a time travel film, we’d like to ask: How isn’t it? This dark holiday classic by Frank Capra follows George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart at his finest) as he revisits his past — or more accurately, an alternate reality where he was never born.

      Instead of altering the past, George must endure the present, thereby influencing the future. Just as we all do daily.

      While the idea of the multiverse is currently popular, it’s interesting that It’s a Wonderful Life explored this concept long ago. Credit goes to Capra and co-writers Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, in addition to Philip Van Doren Stern, who authored the story upon which the film is based.

      **The Time Machine (1960)**

      When Morlocks strike: Yvette Mimieaux as Weena in The Time Machine. MGM

      No conversation about time travel is complete without acknowledging H.G. Wells’ 1895 novel The Time Machine, one of the most impactful stories ever.

      George Pal’s film adaptation presents a future divided into two classes where humans have evolved into Eloi and Morlocks. The seemingly content, vegetarian Eloi enjoy a pleasant existence above ground.

      However, it becomes evident that the Eloi (including Yvette Mimieaux as Weena) are essentially prey for the Morlocks, the cunning, bitter subterranean dwellers who emerge from their caves to feed on their pampered counterparts.

      The Time Machine is a quintessential time travel film that inspired many others on this list, sometimes quite explicitly. It also serves as a thought-provoking social commentary that remains relevant.

      **La Jetée (1962)**

      Hélène Châtelain in La Jetée. Argos Films.

      Chris Marker’s La Jetée describes itself as “the story of a man marked by an image from his childhood” — a violent scene he witnessed “sometime before the dawn of World War III.”

      He only grasps its significance through repetitive experiences in a time loop, depicted almost entirely through still images. His connection to the past involves a memory of a woman (played by Hélène Châtelain) he once met on the observation platform, or jetty, of Paris' Orly Airport.

      With its intentional repetition, black-and-white visuals, and eerie atmosphere — we are viewing the past’s interpretation of our potential future, creating a sense of being both antiquated and ahead of its time — La Jetée is captivating.

      **Time After Time (1979)**

      Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen in Time After Time. Warner Bros.

      Nicholas Meyers’ Time After Time boasts one of the most intriguing premises of all films. Directly inspired by The Time Machine, it begins in Victorian London, where Jack the Ripper (Dr. John Leslie Stevenson, played by David Warner) has struck again.

      At a gathering at H.G. Wells’ (Malcolm McDowell) home, Wells reveals a time machine he’s hesitant to use.

      When the police close in, Stevenson escapes to the future using the time machine — and H.G. follows him. They find themselves in 1979 San Francisco, where out-of-place Stevenson adapts surprisingly well to the contemporary violence, while kind-hearted H.G. tries to prevent him from killing again.

      He is assisted by bank worker Amy (Mary Steenburgen), who becomes Jack’s target. Though the climax is somewhat underwhelming, the film is filled with thoughtful moments and enjoyment that make it negligible.

      And in a charming behind-the-scenes turn, Steenburgen and McDowell fell in love and married for a decade.

      **The Terminator (1984)**

      Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn in The Terminator. Orion Pictures.

      When the low-budget The Terminator debuted in 1984, some dismissed it as a mindless, violent shoot-'em-up about a murderous robot.

      While it undeniably ranks as one of the best killer robot movies ever made, it also presents an intriguing interpretation of time travel.

      In The Terminator’s universe,