While time travel is a science-fiction concept, the idea has been adapted into various genres over the years, from romantic dramas and comedies to comic book movies. When a film can find a new and exciting way to explore this idea, it is a real thrill to watch.
Looper (2012) - 7.4
Before Rian Johnson stepped into the world of Star Wars, he made a much smaller science-fiction film called Looper. Set in the not-too-distant future, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a hitman who takes out targets sent back in time from the future. However, things get complicated when one of those targets ends up being his future self (Bruce Willis).
Johnson once again shows his impressive skills at crafting a clever and sharp script. It's a thrill watching the pieces of this puzzle gradually come into place in a truly captivating way.
Source Code (2011) - 7.5
Combining the time travel genre with a time loop concept, Source Code makes for a very interesting mystery film. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a soldier who is sent back in time where he inhabits the body of a man killed during a train bombing. As the soldier relives the minutes before the attack over and over, he must discover who is responsible.
The trippy premise is used to make a genuinely fun popcorn film. Gyllenhaal makes for a likable hero and the movie keeps you guessing right up until the end.
Predestination (2014) - 7.5
Predestination is a more obscure film in the genre, but it is worth seeking out for any sci-fi fan. Ethan Hawke plays a special agent who uses time travel to stop crime before it happens. On his final mission, he seeks to capture the one target who has always alluded him.
The movie finds its own unique way into the time travel genre. It makes for a tense, exhilarating, and entertaining mystery from beginning to end.
Deadpool 2 (2018) - 7.7
The vulgar, fourth-wall-breaking mutant superhero Deadpool returned for this even wilder sequel. In Deadpool 2, Wade Wilson must protect a young mutant who is the target of a time-traveling assassin named Cable (Josh Brolin).
Just like the first film, the sequel has a ball poking fun at the superhero genre, and Ryan Reynolds continues to prove this is the role he was born to play. And while the time-travel premise is nothing new, it is used for some great jokes during the credits.
Midnight In Paris (2011) - 7.7
The romantic-comedy Midnight in Paris proves that time-travel movies don't need to be huge blockbuster adventures. Owen Wilson stars in this film as a struggling writer who, while visiting Paris, is transported back to the 1920s each night at the stroke of midnight.
The movie has a lot of fun with some of the prominent figures of the era's Lost Generation, such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Salvador Dali. Midnight in Paris is a charming and funny tale of how we are always looking back.
About Time (2013) - 7.8
Another romantic movie that effectively used the time-travel formula is About Time. In the film, a young man named Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) discovers he can travel through time. He uses the new gift to get the woman of his dreams (Rachel McAdams) but finds that things are more complicated than he thought.
The movie is a funny and clever take on the time-travel concept. It also packs a surprising emotional punch as it explores what we lose over time and how you sometimes have to say goodbye.
Edge Of Tomorrow (2014) - 7.9
Like Source Code, Edge of Tomorrow is a time loop story told on a large scale. Tom Cruise plays a self-centered officer who is forced into the frontlines as aliens attack Earth. After dying in the initial battle, he is sent back in time to relive the day over and over.
The movie is a hugely entertaining sci-fi action film as Cruise's hero keeps learning more and more each time he dies. Emily Blunt also shows her action star talent as the badass hero who teams with Cruise.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014) - 7.9
The X-Men franchise has always had a really confusing continuity. But the two major timelines of the series are brought together in X-Men: Days of Future Past. With humans close to extinction in the future, Wolverine is sent back in time to convince young Professor X and Magneto to stop this from happening.
Though there are still plenty of plot holes, it's a lot of fun seeing these two casts come together so effectively. It's a shame the franchise didn't choose to end there as it would have been a fitting finale.
Avengers: Endgame (2019) - 8.4
Another iconic superhero group got to have their fun with the time-travel concept in Avengers: Endgame. After the events of Avengers: Infinity War, the remaining heroes attempt to go back in time to undo Thanos' evil plan.
Endgame was the culmination of the entire MCU franchise that came before it. Despite the huge expectations, it somehow pulls off a fun, thrilling, and emotional ending to this chapter of the franchise. It is also a lot of fun seeing the heroes revisiting some of the most famous moments from the MCU.
Interstellar (2014) 8.6
While Christopher Nolan's Tenet plays with time in a more direct sense, his previous sci-fi epic Interstellar uses time travel in a unique way as well. Matthew McConaughey stars as an engineer who must leave his family behind to go on a space mission to seek out a new planet suitable for humans to live on.
As McConaughey tries to survive his space mission, Jessica Chastain plays his daughter back on Earth who struggles with being abandoned. It is not until the end of the film when the pieces begin falling into place that we see how Nolan used time travel in a thought-provoking way.