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'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'
Two high school meatheads travel through time in a suped-up phone booth with the hope of passing their history exam. Oh, and the fate of humanity kind of depends on it - no biggie, dude!
Just as fresh as it was nearly 30 years ago, "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" is the definitive time travel comedy: charming, hilarious, highly-quotable, and original as all get-out. Plus, a sequel is on the way in 2020.
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'Frequency'
A half-decade before taking on the role of that much better known J.C., Jim Caviezel starred as a 1990s fellow who strikes up a ham radio conversation with a man named Frank. Who inexplicably turns out to be his late father circa 1969.
Does our pal Jim tempt fate to alter the past - especially with dear ol' dad's life being at stake? Big questions for sure; fortunately, the ending is emotionally satisfying. Well, with the exception of 1969 dad being advised to eventually invest in Yahoo - that's kinda hilarious now.
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'Peggy Sue Got Married'
Peggy Sue (Kathleen Turner) attends her high school reunion in 1985, only to be magically transported back to her actual high school senior year, some 25 years earlier.
Does Peggy Sue take advantage of this second kick at the can? You bet she does, 'cause hey, haven>t we all wished we could go back and change a thing or two? And speaking of time, Kathleen Turner's co-stars sure graduated to a bright future of their own: Nicolas Cage, Jim Carrey, Helen Hunt, Joan Allen, and Sofia Coppola.
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'Time Bandits'
Kevin has some pretty apathetic parents. Fortunately, he's kidnapped by dwarves and transported through time, where he rubs elbows with everyone from Napoleon to Robin Hood. Pretty much every kid's dream (well, minus the kidnapping part - we'd all have willingly accompanied those dwarves). This is director Terry Gilliam at his weird, wonderful best.
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'The Philadelphia Experiment'
Based on a so-called '"true story" (read: widely debunked story), "The Philadelphia Experiment" serves up a rather compelling premise. A WWII cloaking device experiment sends a pair of navy men forty years into the future. And as you'd might expect, things get a touch complicated from there.
Gripping, dramatic storytelling, with special effects much stronger than they have any business being for 1984.
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"The Terminator"
The iconic film that started the even more iconic franchise. The Terminator" sees freedom fighter Kyle Reese travel from the future to prevent an evil Cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger) from killing the mother of his resistance movement's leader. Sure, it looks VERY 1980s now -- which isn't a good thing -- and the stop-motion effects are a touch laughable. But what remains is a chilling tale of a post-apocalyptic future encroaching on our supposedly safe present day.
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'Primer'
Any time travel film shot for seven million dollars would be considered low budget. "Primer" was shot for seven THOUSAND. And yet it's become one of the genre's most powerful, thought-provoking entries. It all boils down to intelligent storytelling - something most audiences would prefer to flashy CGI any day of the week. Give "Primer" a look and prepare to have your mind BLOWN.
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'Donne Darko'
We're not gonna lie to you: "Donnie Darko" is dark, challenging, and even confusing at times. And our title character doesn't venture back to the stone age or centuries into the future; we're talking a few days, max. But as light on the sci-fi as this film may be, the payoff is heavy stuff indeed. Especially with the fate of Donnie's loved ones - and possibly the world itself - resting on his shoulders.
Note: the director's cut is the better option - less ambiguity and yep, more time travel biz.
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'Back To The Future Part II'
Okay yes, the original "Back To The Future" is a better film than its two sequels - in fact, it's one of the all-time greats, period. But pound for pound, "Back to the Future Part II" is the trilogy's best time travel movie. The gist: young Marty McFly ping-pongs between 2015, 1955, "present-day" 1985, and a dystopian alternate timeline 1985. It's a two-hour temporal roller coaster ride, and you'll be exhausted by the time those closing credits crawl up the screen. In the best possible way, of course.
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'12 Monkeys'
Time travel nut Terry Gilliam does it again! A convict (Bruce Willis) is transported from the year 2035 back to the 1990s with the hope of saving the planet from a nasty virus. It's equal parts action, drama, sci-fi, with a whole lotta humanity thrown in for good measure. Yep, it just might make ya cry. A career best for Bruce Willis, plus a well-deserved Oscar nom for Brad Pitt. Brilliant in every possible way.
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