Top 8 Time Travel Movies

by Helen Earnshaw | 9 June 2015

Time travel movies have been a staple of the big screen for decades - there is nothing like travelling backwards and forward in time and seeing what you discover there.

Project Almanac

Project Almanac is the latest film in this great genre it will be released on DVD & Blu-Ray on 15th June - and brings together a talented young cast including Jonny Weston, Sofia Black-D'Elia, Sam Lerner, Allen Evangelista, and Virginia Gardner.

Project Almanac joins a long line of great time travel movies and we take a closer look at some of the best.

- The Terminator

Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known for his role as The Terminator and it was back in 1985 when the first film hit the big screen and those immortal words 'I'll be back' were uttered.

Directed by James Cameron, The Terminator followed a human looking cyborg that is sent in time from 2029 to 1984. His mission is to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) whose future son will one day become a saviour against machines in a post-apocalyptic future.

Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) is sent back at the same time to protect her from The Terminator and declares his love for Sarah in the process.

The Terminator is one of the most iconic sci-fi films of all time and kicked of a film franchise that is still going well today. This is a well-written and fast-paced movie that is as exciting today as it was when it first hit the big screen.

- Back to the Future

If you were a lover of time travel and science fiction movies then 1985 was a great year as it saw Back to the Future hit the big screen for the first time.

This was the first of three hugely successful movies with Robert Zemeckis in the director's chair and Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd in the central roles of Marty McFly and Doc Brown.

McFly is a teenager who is sent back in time to 1955 accidentally becoming his mother's romantic interest. With the help of Dr. Emmett 'Doc' Brown, he must undo the damage, ensure his parents fall in love, and find his way back to 1985.

Back to the Future is a smart, funny, and innovative movie that was the most successful film of the year at the box office and has gone on to gain cult status - it really is as loved today as it was back in 1985. Two sequels followed and it remains one of the best science fiction franchises of all time.

- Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter teamed up in 1989 to take on the roles of Ted 'Theodore' Logan and Bill S. Preston in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.

The movie follows two slackers who travel through time to assemble a menagerie of historical figures for their high school history presentation.

In the steady hands of director Stephen Herek, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure went on to be a big commercial success and is now regarded as a cult classic.

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey followed two years later and there is currently a lot of talk about a new film being in the pipeline with Reeves and Winter returning to these much-loved characters.

- Groundhog Day

Bill Murray has been in some great movies and played some great characters over the years... but Groundhog Day remains one of his most famous.

Released in 1993, Groundhog Day saw Murray reunite with his Ghostbusters pal Harold Ramis who was back in the director's chair for the comedy/romance.

Phil Connors, played by Bill Murray, is an arrogant TV weatherman sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in Pennsylvania.

There he finds a love interest in Rita Hanson, played by Andie MacDowell but that's not all he finds as he discovers he is stuck on a time loop repeating Groundhog Day again and again.

Of course, Groundhog Day is best known as a comedy but this is a movie that also allows Murray to shine as a dramatic actor - it really is a terrific performance and one of the best collaborations between the actor and Ramis.

- Pleasantville

Pleasantville stars Tobey Maguire as introverted David and Reese Witherspoon as extrovert Jennifer, a twin brother and sister who have very different high-school social lives.

As they argue over what to watch on TV, they are transported into the very black-and-white show David wanted to watch. With no other option, they pretend to be the children of the Pleasantville family continuing the shows plot as Bud and Mary Sue. The townspeople are none the wiser until some big changes start to happen.

Pleasantville marked the feature film directorial debut for Ross - who went on to reunite with Maguire on Seabiscuit but is best known for his work on The Hunger Games.

As well as being a funny and witty movie, Pleasantville was also a great social commentary that explored and poked fun at some of the ideals of the 1950s.

- Looper

Looper was one of my favourite movies of 2012 and saw Rian Johnson on writing duties and back in the director's chair for the first time since The Brothers Bloom back in 2008.

Set in 2074, the film tells the story of a criminal organisation that gets rid of people by sending them back to the past, to a spot where a hired gunman awaits to kill them.

Joe, one of the hired gunmen, learns that the mob intend to 'close the loop' by sending Joe's future self back to be assassinated.

Looper saw Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis play the younger and older version of the same character - some of the film's best moments are when these two characters come face to face.

Looper was a slick and fast-paced movie that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. A thrill a minute ride that really did announce Johnson as a writing and directing talent to keep an eye on.

- The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife hit the big screen back in 2009 and was an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Audrey Niffenegger.

Directed by Robert Schwentke and adapted by Bruce Joel Rubin, The Time Traveler's Wife stars Eric Bana as Henry De Tamble and Rachel McAdams as Clare Abshire. The film tells how Eric tries to build and make a relationship work with his future wife Clare despite his genetic disorder, which causes him to time travel randomly.

What I liked so much about The Time Traveler's Wife was the emotional depth of the story - this is largely thanks to the great central performances from Bana and McAdams. While they are desperately in love with each other, they are constantly pulled apart and forced to live much of their lives apart.

I like the premise along as younger and older versions of Henry visit Clare and different stages of her life - and yet Schwentke has kept the story incredibly romantic to help pull on those heartstrings towards the end.

I have to admit that Woody Allen is a director that I can take or leave... however, Midnight In Paris is my favourite film from all of his back catalogue.

- Midnight in Paris

Released back in 2011, Midnight in Paris saw Allen back on writing duties as well as in the director's chair as he teamed up with Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Michael Sheen, Kathy Bates, and Tom Hiddleston.

Wilson plays Gil Pender a creatively unfulfilled Hollywood screenwriter. As he wanders the back streets of Paris at midnight trying to 'find himself' he gets transported back to the 1920s where he meets the greats of the era, Cole Porter, Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso to name a few.

Not only is Midnight In Paris my favourite Allen movie, it is also one of his best - he won the Best Screenplay Oscar while the movie was also nominated for Best Picture.

Midnight In Paris is a funny and charming movie that really does take on you a ride through the ages. There is a real magic to this movie from start to finish and you cannot help but get swept along in it all.