15 Best Time Travel Movies

If you’ve ever wished you could turn back time or take a peek into the future, you’re not alone. The idea of exploring another era is so alluring that it’s been the subject of movies across several genres, from action, to drama, romantic comedies, and more. Not to be confused with historical movies or period pieces, time travel movies follow characters with the fantastical ability to journey backwards and forwards through different points during their lives and beyond. The results run the gamut from thrilling adventures, to terrifying revelations, and poignant messages about how anyone can make the most of the time period they’re currently living in.

As The Atlantic explains, time travel movies didn’t become mainstream until the 1980s because of how difficult these films are to write. With so many rules and the potential for plot holes, these stories can easily fall apart. The film industry’s solution to this was big blockbuster hits, such as The Terminator (1984) and Back To The Future (1985), which were such juggernauts that those details didn’t seem to matter. Both of these films spawned sequels, and paved the way for the wide swath of time hopping films we have at our disposal today.

Because there’s so much variety within this category of movie, there’s truly a film for everyone who wants to dabble in a different day and age. We’ve gathered our favorite time-bending tales, from earlier classics all the way to recently released hits. That means for your next movie night, the question isn’t where do you want to go, but when?