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Our fascination with time travel, with undoing the past, certainly says something about the human psyche. I think we all have skeletons in the closet, especially the skeletons of things we wish we’d never done. The time travel story ark has to be one of my favorite science-fiction plots out there, so here are a few of my personal favorites if you should find the time to watch any.
10. “The Time Machine” (1960)
First on our list is George Pal’s version of H.G. Wells’ 1895 novel “The Time Machine.” Set far in the future, it follows a time-traveling inventor in Victorian London who travels millions of years into the future to find that humanity has evolved into two distinct species, one of which is passive and kind, the other violent and savage. This one is a film feature of one of my favorite books, and while the book is always better than the movie, the sets and physical designs never fail to impress me for a film of its age.
9. “The Final Countdown” (1980)
Second is Don Taylor’s “The Final Countdown,” a 1980 science fiction film following a modern-day (for that era, at least) nuclear aircraft carrier pulled backward in time to the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, the Bombing of Pearl Harbor. I think that this one’s interesting because it follows a group of Navy sailors rather than the average Joe; the story of authority being faced with such a problem while struggling to maintain official order is something I’ve always found interesting and something I think there’s far too little on.
8. “Time Bandits” (1981)
“Time Bandits” is a 1981 film by Terry Gilliam and follows the story of a young English boy taken from his suburban home by a group of time-traveling thieves who steal valuables from various points in history. This was one of the first movies I really fell in love with. Something about it just spoke to me: the time travel, the historical aspects, the sets and even more; it remains as one of my all-time favorites. It’s full of wonderful little characters and sprinkled with celebrity faces, featuring the likes of Shelly Duvall and Sean Connery, put in peculiar situations in an unordinary story.
7. “Star Trek 4” (1986)
The fourth installment in the “Star Trek” media franchise, “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” follows the crew of the USS Enterprise as they attempt to deal with a mysterious alien probe unintentionally destroying Earth. This is another one of my favorites; call me old-fashioned, but I grew up with “Star Trek” and the films truly changed my life. This one especially. Seeing the classic cast being taken from deep space in the 23rd century to the streets of urban San Francisco in the year 1986 was an incredible experience.
6. “Planet of the Apes” (1968)
The screen adaptation of the 1963 Pierre Boulle novel of the same name, “Planet of the Apes” is the first installment of the “Planet of the Apes” franchise and holds a continuing legacy to this day. It follows a group of astronauts who crash-land on an unidentified alien planet where apes rule society and humans are mute, feral creatures. “Planet of the Apes” was the first movie I remember to really scared me. The closing scene (I won’t give it away, on the small hope you’ll actually go watch it) left me in a sort of trance, and I was instantly curious to learn more about the world Franklin Schaffner’s cast had put together. This, I suspect, is what led it to grow into such a large media franchise.
5. “The Terminator” (1984)
“The Terminator,” the first installment of the franchise, follows a Terminator, a highly advanced cybernetic assassin, as he is sent to 1984 from 2029 to kill Sarah Conner. Conner’s unborn child would become the leader of a rebellion against SkyNet, a malevolent artificial intelligence in a post-apocalyptic future. This is another film that really piqued my interest- I was immediately interested in the story behind this world, one of destruction and a war against a post-apocalyptic future.
4. “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991)
The second film of the “Terminator” franchise, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” follows the young John Conner after hostile artificial intelligence Skynet sends a Terminator, an advanced killing machine, to kill him and prevent him from becoming the leader of a rebellion in a post-apocalyptic future. This movie particularly engaged me simply because it expanded on the universe established in “The Terminator” from 1984.
3. “Groundhog Day” (1993)
“Groundhog Day” is a 1993 film by director Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray, amongst others. It follows the story of cynical Pittsburgh weatherman Phil Conners who becomes trapped in a time loop while reporting on the Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. This movie is the first that really got me interested in reporting and I find the story unique and memorable. It confronts a universally rude, selfish, self-centered character with such a unique situation that it fundamentally changes his entire character.
2. “Back to the Future” (1985)
“Back to the Future” needs no introduction; the series is generally accepted as one of the defining movies of the 20th century. It follows the teenage Marty McFly after he is accidentally sent back in time from 1985 to 1955 in a modified Delorean built by eccentric scientist Emmett Brown. It would be an understatement to say that I love this movie. It’s a classic, the entire franchise is. It combines elements of science fiction, suspense and a little bit of romance to create a timeless story that remains just as relevant today as it was in the 1980’s.
1. “12 Monkeys” (1994)
At the top of our list, born from the twisted mind of director Terry Gilliam, “12 Monkeys” is a psychological thriller set in a post-apocalyptic future ravaged by disease. It follows James Cole, a prisoner in an underground compound beneath Philadelphia, who is selected to be sent back in time to find the source of the virus and allow for the development of a potential cure. One of my absolute favorites. I love science fiction, I love the post-apocalypse, I love the idea of society being forced to abandon the major cities of the Earth and flee underground. The story is engaging, memorable, confusing, twisted and mind-bending and takes several viewings to fully understand. It finishes on a major cliffhanger, leaving the fundamental question of “Are we succeeding“ unanswered.
