Worst2First: My Top Ten Time Travel Movies

Worst2First: My Top Ten Time Travel Movies

Time travel has been a theme used in several movies, and whether you believe in forward time travel, backward time travel, wormhole travel, many-worlds interpretation, quantum entanglement, immutable/mutable timelines, parallel universes or any of the countless other time travel viewpoints, you can find a movie that matches your belief.

After getting into a lengthy discussion about time travel with a fellow co-worker, I decided to produce my personal list of top ten time travel movies, Worst2First.

**There will be no spoilers.**

#10

Triangle

A group of friends on a boating trip in the Atlantic jump to another ship after eerie weather conditions arise, and find themselves facing a killer and also dealing with severe cases of deja vu.  This is an excellent horror/thriller with a highly cerebral storyline starring Melissa George and one of the first films of Liam Hemsworth. 

#9

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

I call this the "father of the stoner films" as it features two slacker high school students (Alex Winter and the first real appearance of Keanu Reeves) who need an A in history class, and enlists the help of a time traveler (performed to perfection by the late great George Carlin) to take them back in time.  Not only was it hilarious then, but it's withstood the tests of time and is still as funny today as it was back then.  If only they could go back in time and totally erase "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" from existence.

#8

It's a Wonderful Life

"It's a Wonderful Life" focuses more on a parallel universe where George Baily never existed, but it's still in the realm of time travel films because of that distinction.  A Christmas classic played every year, because it's an indelible film etched in the memories of many moviegoers for centuries.

#7

Edge of Tomorrow

Tom Cruise stars as a soldier who keeps re-living the last day of his life - in an epic fight against aliens.  He tries to change the outcome every time, but it still results in his death until he's aided by Rita, played by Emily Blunt, who also has the ability to re-live the same events.  Filled with action and dark humor, with a compelling storyline and great effects.

#6

Predestination

Based off the short story "All You Zombies" by Robert A. Heinlein, Ethan Hawke stars as a man who goes back in time to stop a terrorist, but encounters a mysterious man whose story has shocking ties to his own.  This takes more than one viewing to fully understand and appreciate the tell being told, because its as beautiful as it is mysterious. 

#5

Groundhog Day

Phil Connors, played with comedic delight by Bill Murray, is a weatherman who re-lives Groundhog Day over and over again.  As he's conscious of the fact that each day is the same as before, he takes full advantage of it by indulging in every personal need while slowly learning lessons about life and love.  It's a timeless comedy classic that's even included in the National Film Registry.

#4

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Just focusing on the movie (and not the comic it's derived from, which varies in multiple ways), "DOFP" is an action-packed thrill ride where the X-Men send Wolverine back in time to his old body to prevent an assassination and the creation of the mutant-killing Sentinels.  Featuring actors from the original film series and the re-boot "First Class," it's a one-of-a-kind adventure mixing some of today's hottest stars with the actors you know and love, plus the scene where a young Charles Xavier meets with his future self gives me chills to this day.

#3

Interstellar

The Earth is dying, and a group of astronauts travel through a wormhole in order to find a new planet to locate to.  As they travel to different planets, they also encounter time dilations on different planets - one of which where each hour spent there is seven years on Earth.  The story, beautifully woven by Jonathan and Christopher Nolan, is nothing short of exceptional and highly cerebral.

#2

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

You can take any "Terminator" movie as a time-travel movie, but I chose to go with my personal favorite, directed by James Cameron.   In this sequel to the amazing original, Skynet sends a shape-shifting terminator to 1995 to kill 10-year-old John Connor, while Connor himself sends another terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to the same time period to protect him and prevent nuclear war.  The subsequent sequels have tarnished the "Terminator" legend, but this one withstands the test of time.

#1

Back to the Future

Like the "Terminator" series, "Back to the Future" has three exceptional films that could each stand on their own, but for me it's the original that was the best.  It introduced us to Marty McFly, who goes back in time thanks to Dr. Emmett Brown, who invited a time machine inside a DeLorean, to make sure his parents get together so he can exist.  Robert Zemeckis directed a film that, in its own right, has become a phenomena, and a staple by which all other time travel movies model.