The best time travel movies ever made are Back to the Future (1985), The Terminator (1984), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), About Time (2013), Predestination (2014) and Looper (2012). Cult picks like Primer, Happy Death Day, Idiocracy and the original Planet of the Apes round off our top 10.
Time travel is one of cinema’s favourite ideas, and also one of the hardest to get right. The rules have to make sense, the paradoxes have to hold, and the story still has to be about people. The films below manage that, each in its own way. As Rust Cohle says in True Detective, “Time is a flat circle.”
Best time travel movies: quick facts
| # | Film | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Back to the Future | 1985 | Robert Zemeckis |
| 2 | The Terminator | 1984 | James Cameron |
| 3 | Edge of Tomorrow | 2014 | Doug Liman |
| 4 | About Time | 2013 | Richard Curtis |
| 5 | Predestination | 2014 | The Spierig Brothers |
| 6 | Looper | 2012 | Rian Johnson |
| 7 | Primer | 2004 | Shane Carruth |
| 8 | Happy Death Day | 2017 | Christopher Landon |
| 9 | Idiocracy | 2006 | Mike Judge |
| 10 | Planet of the Apes | 1968 | Franklin J. Schaffner |
The 10 best time travel movies ever made
1. Back to the Future (1985)
A teenager played by Michael J. Fox is accidentally sent back to 1955 in a DeLorean time machine built by his eccentric scientist friend, played by Christopher Lloyd. There, he has to make sure his future parents fall in love so that he can exist and get back home.
It is funny, warm and tightly written, and at heart it is about understanding your parents. It won an Academy Award, led to two sequels (1989 and 1990) and was later turned into a stage musical.
2. The Terminator (1984)
James Cameron’s film sends a cyborg assassin (Arnold Schwarzenegger) from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose unborn son will lead humanity against Skynet. A soldier (Michael Biehn) travels back to protect her.
Made for about $6.4 million, it is smaller and more grounded than Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), but just as effective. It was added to the US National Film Registry in 2008.
3. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Tom Cruise plays a soldier who dies fighting an alien invasion, then wakes up to live the same day again. Emily Blunt plays the soldier who helps him use the loop to win the war.
Loosely adapted from the Japanese light novel All You Need Is Kill, it is Groundhog Day on a battlefield. A sequel has been discussed for years, and in January 2024 Warner Bros. and Cruise were reported to be in talks, but nothing has been confirmed.
4. About Time (2013)
Richard Curtis’s film stars Domhnall Gleeson as a young man who learns he can travel back in time and first uses the gift to fix his love life with Rachel McAdams’s character. Bill Nighy plays his father.
It looks like a romantic comedy, but the real story is about a father and son, and about regret and making the most of ordinary days. It is the most emotional film on this list.
5. Predestination (2014)
Ethan Hawke plays a time-travelling agent on his final mission, hunting the “Fizzle Bomber,” a bomber who has struck across history. Sarah Snook gives a remarkable performance as the film’s mysterious central figure.
Based on Robert A. Heinlein’s 1959 story “All You Zombies,” it is one of the most mind-bending time paradox films ever made.
6. Looper (2012)
In 2044, hitmen called loopers kill targets sent back in time by future crime syndicates. Each contract ends with the looper killing his own older self. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the young hitman and Bruce Willis plays the older version who escapes.
Rian Johnson’s film works as both a sharp thriller and a story about whether people can change.
7. Primer (2004)
Two engineers accidentally build a time machine in a garage and use it to make quick money, which slowly breaks their friendship. Shane Carruth wrote, directed, produced, edited and scored the film, and also plays Aaron.
Made for just $7,000, it won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2004. It refuses to simplify its time travel logic, so expect to watch it more than once.
8. Happy Death Day (2017)
A college student (Jessica Rothe) is murdered on her birthday, then wakes up to relive the same day until she can work out who her killer is. It is Groundhog Day meets a slasher film.
The premise is thin, but Rothe’s performance and the humour make it fun. A sequel, Happy Death Day 2U, followed in 2019. In March 2026, Rothe said director Christopher Landon has a third film figured out, but no release has been announced.
9. Idiocracy (2006)
Mike Judge’s satire stars Luke Wilson as an ordinary Army librarian who is put into a one-year suspended animation experiment and wakes up about 500 years later, in 2505. He finds a society that has become anti-intellectual and dysfunctional.
Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard and Terry Crews co-star, in a broad, biting comedy about where a dumbed-down society could end up.
10. Planet of the Apes (1968)
Charlton Heston plays astronaut George Taylor, who lands on a planet ruled by intelligent apes. Based on Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel, the film is a sharp social and political satire.
Its ending, when Taylor finds the Statue of Liberty and realises he has been on a future Earth all along, is one of cinema’s most famous twists. The franchise is still going, with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes released in 2024.
How to choose a time travel movie
- For fun with family: Back to the Future, About Time.
- For action: The Terminator, Edge of Tomorrow, Looper.
- For puzzles: Predestination, Primer.
- For laughs and satire: Happy Death Day, Idiocracy.
Looking for more? Browse our Hollywood coverage, more movie recommendations and our listicles.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time travel movie of all time?
Back to the Future (1985) is the most widely loved time travel film, thanks to its humour, tight plot and memorable characters.
What is the most confusing time travel movie?
Primer (2004) is known as the hardest to follow, with Predestination (2014) close behind for its paradoxes.
Is Edge of Tomorrow a time loop movie?
Yes. Tom Cruise’s character relives the same day of battle each time he dies, until he and Emily Blunt’s character find a way to win.
Will there be an Edge of Tomorrow 2?
A sequel has been in development for years, with talks reported in January 2024, but there is no confirmed release date.
Sources: Wikipedia: Back to the Future, Wikipedia: Edge of Tomorrow, Wikipedia: Primer, Wikipedia: Happy Death Day.
