Christopher Nolan's Tenet recently reminded us just how much we love mind-bending concepts, especially time travel. Manipulating time is a theme that lends itself to countless iconic movies of various genres, ranging from action movies such as Predestination to romantic comedies à la About Time. Science fiction fans, too, typically love the time-traveling trope. Questions of causality, the grandfather paradox and personal freedom always manage to make us scratch our heads and take our breaths away.

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There are several time-travel-themed movies that are heavily underrated and have gone unnoticed as a consequence. Since we live in the golden age of information, we can dig them up and enjoy them now. They might deal with the complex passage of time, but they remain timeless nonetheless.

Timecrimes (2007)

A masked figure in a forest in 2007's Timecrimes

This unsettling Spanish time-travel thriller by Nacho Vigalondo is one of the most underrated time travel movies. It opens up with Hector spotting an assaulted woman in the forest. When he tries to help, he is stopped by a mysterious attacker, a man covered in band-aids. Afterwards, he stumbles upon a scientific facility. He ends up traveling back in time, seeing the whole situation yet again from another perspective. He observes another version of himself from afar.

Past selves are typically burdened with a responsibility towards the future self: one wrong step and both get annihilated. How many times will Hector go through the time machine to fix the "Timecrimes" he started committing?

Primer (2004)

Aaron and Abe prepare to time travel

Primer is entirely Shane Carruth's project. He wrote it, directed it, scored it, and even starred in it alongside David Sullivan. Despite its obviously low budget, it is a pure time travel masterpiece. Rather than leaving things unexplained, it relies heavily on science and philosophy to explain this complex concept that filmmakers have tried to master for decades.

Two scientists discover time travel by sheer coincidence. Those who enjoy time travel movies for their special effects and action won't get what they want from Primer. But the brainiacs who love to scratch their heads will love it. The theory adds up, but it's hard to follow just what exactly is going on at times.

Edge Of Tomorrow (2014)

Edge Of Tomorrow: Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise

Many science fiction fans skip Edge Of Tomorrow AKA Live Die Repeat thinking it's yet another no-brainer of an action movie starring Tom Cruise. Major William Cage (played by the heroic Tom Cruise himself) joins forces with Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) to save humanity from an alien invasion. The time travel theme plays out in a form of continuous loops. Major Cage can die over and over again, only to be revived unscathed. Sci-fi lovers won't only enjoy the concept of time loops, but also the scary alien species that have invaded the European continent.

Edge Of Tomorrow is supposed to get a sequel in 2020, with both Cruise and Blunt returning.

Triangle (2009)

Jess looking at the ocean in Triangle (2009)

Giving away that Triangle has something to do with time traveling is a little bit of a spoiler. This British-Australian movie is first and foremost a psychological horror movie - and it's really underrated. After their boat capsizes, a group of friends seeks refuge on an ocean liner. It is completely empty, but obviously not deserted. It isn't long before they realize someone is watching them. The main character is Jess, a struggling single mother of an autistic son.

Prepare for a sci-fi bloodbath, filled with déjà vus, but no obvious answers. This time travel movie gives zero explanation as to what is going on: it leaves the interpretation to the viewers.

Time Bandits (1981)

Time Bandits

Many sci-fi fans forget to look further back in time when looking for a quick time travel fix. Terry Gilliam's 1981 movie Time Bandits is strictly speaking not really sci-fi, but it's fantastical and compensated with a glorious cast. Lovers of Monty Python will be delighted to know that Michael Palin helped co-write the screenplay. An 11-year old with a vivid imagination travels back in time and meets important historic figures, such as Agamemmnon (Sean Connery), Napoleon (Ian Holm) and Robin Hood (John Cleese).

Time Bandits is a wholesome adventurous movie that can be enjoyed both by children and adults.

Déjà Vu (2006)

Denzel Washington driving a truck in Déjà Vu

This action film doesn't make the cut to be among the top 10 Denzel Washington movies, but it's still well worth a watch if you're craving stories with time traveling. Special Agent Douglas Carlin joins from AFT joins the FBI in attempts to find out who is the culprit behind a local terrorist attack that killed over 500 innocent citizens. They do so by using "Snow White", a program that allows them to look back into the past.

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Agent Carlin takes it a step forward despite being advised against it: he sends his past-self a note, warning him of the attack. As is always the case in time travel movies, the tampering with time only brought additional complications to the mission. Will they be able to stop the terrorist or did he just make things worse?  Maybe he even triggered the event by sending clues back in time.

Time Lapse (2014)

Three friends discover a time-traveling camera in Time Lapse (2014)

Time Lapse is an indie sci-fi thriller with an original premise: a group of friends discovered a machine that can take pictures of things that are yet to happen 24 hours from now. One of them is an uninspired painter who uses the Polaroids to get over his artistic block. It's frustrating to watch what happens next as the characters should see it coming for themselves: don't use supernatural photos for personal gain or there will be consequences. Sometimes, it's best not to know what the future holds.

Those who get spooked out easily might classify Time Lapse as a full-blown indie horror movie.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Makoto Konno is a 17-year-old girl who escapes death by an unexpected time leap. Once she figures out that she now has this curious new superpower, she abuses it for seemingly innocent things: for running late, having fun and avoiding awkward confrontations. It takes a while before she realizes she only has a limited number of leaps to use. But will there be enough left to do right by everyone?

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This Japanese animated movie isn't only delightful because it explores the theme of time traveling in a refreshing way, but also because the characters are well-rounded and surprisingly complex. It was inspired by a 1967 Japanese novel with the same name.

The Time Machine (1960)

The Time Machine

The mastermind behind countless sci-fi stories, H. G. Wells, wrote The Time Machine in 1895. In 1960, it was adapted for the screen and it still holds up as a decent sci-fi movie, despite lacking the CGI and special effects of contemporary films. When a scientist travels to the future, he finds a world that looks nothing like his reality: there are two types of species: the subterranean Morlocks who feed on the immature humanoids called Eloi.

The 1960s produced several other striking sci-fi movies, but The Time Machine's take on time travel makes it one of the best of its time.

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

Bill And Ted’s Bogus Journey – Rat

Let's finish this list with a 1989 sci-fi comedy that proves that not all time travel movies need to be scary, action-packed, and a matter of life and death. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is a hilarious story about two teenagers who are struggling to finish a history paper. They are sent help all the way from 2688: if they fail, they will never form a band and thus change the course of history forever.

The mission was entrusted to Rufus and he takes the two dum-dums back in time, so they can see history for themselves. They meet several historic figures, including Queen Elizabeth I and Napoleon, saying some really funny things as they go. Not convinced? You might change your mind once you find out about the cast: Keanu Reaves and Alex Winter play the teenagers and George Carlin is their history teacher/time travel manager Rufus.

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