If You Like Time Travel Films, Watch These Often-Overlooked Classics
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Who doesn’t like to go to the movies for some pure escapism? Let’s face it, sometimes you need to get away from your real-life troubles, and film provides a safe haven for many of us. But, as so often happens, the characters in our chosen flick sometimes need to escape as well – and sometimes this comes in the form of time travel! This concept has been around for centuries, and even esteemed scientists such as Einstein tried to figure out how it would work. Luckily, with movie magic, this has been perfected, and our imaginations have been able to take us to points past, future, and to a better present with these iconic movies.
**SPOILERS FOR EACH OF THE MOVIES MENTIONED BELOW!**
5. Primer (2004)
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This year marks the 20th anniversary of this independent film. It is the debut film of Shane Carruth, who wrote, directed, produced, edited, came up with the score, and co-starred with David Sullivan. Its premise is that two guys have a side hustle, working on side projects in their garage, when they realize that one of their projects affects time travel when an object’s weight is electromagnetically reduced. The two partners, named Abe and Aaron (biblical intentions?), experiment on themselves. Ultimately, this leads to their physical and emotional breakdown and the ruin of their relationship. Carruth says that he wanted the theme of this movie to be the breakdown of the characters’ relationship because of their inability to make ethical decisions:
“First thing, I saw these guys as scientifically accomplished but ethically, morons. They never had any reasons before to have ethical questions. So, when they’re hit with this device they’re blindsided by it. The first thing they do is make money with it. They’re not talking about the ethics of altering your former self.”
Carruth’s background is in math and engineering, and this film is noted for not dumbing down to its audience. It won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.
4. The Butterfly Effect (2004)
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This movie came out the same year as the film mentioned above, but I do remember it getting more publicity - probably because of its more famous star, Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher made a comedic name for himself starring on television in That 70s Show and making the jump to movies such as Dude, Where’s My Car?, so when it was announced that he was heading this project, there were some doubts as to whether he could handle more dramatic fare. But, to those who have seen this movie, the answer is a definite “yes”! Unlike the aforementioned characters, Kutcher uses his time travel ability to go back in time to make other people’s lives better – or does he? Every time he attempts to do so, something goes wrong, but he keeps trying. He sees the effects from his endeavors played out on the people that he knows and loves, seeing his girlfriend go from sorority coed, to waitress, to prostitute, realizing that the small changes can have huge consequences, as meteorologist Edward Lorenz discovered when he coined the phrase “butterfly effect” in the 1960s.
3. 12 Monkeys (1995)
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Directed by Terry Gilliam, another person made famous by comedy (Monty Python) and taking the creative leap to drama, this film, starring Bruce Willis and Madeleine Stowe, shows us the futility of time travel, as nothing can be done to help anybody, a theme mentioned throughout the film. In this film, Willis plays convict Cole, who is sent from 2035 back to the 1990s to stop a mad doctor from unleashing a deadly virus with the intent to wipe out humanity. This film hits pretty close to home, as we have lived through COVID-19 and remember how our world was thrown upside down from a virus, and 2035 is only a decade away. However, one of the takeaways from this film is that we need to find joy in the little things; Cole realizes that he can take nothing for granted, even listening to the radio:
“I love the music of the 20th century! I love this air! Love to breathe this air!” It’s the little things that need to keep us going, and hopefully it doesn’t take worldwide catastrophes for us to be able to appreciate them.
2. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
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Going from the grim drama of dystopia to the “excellent” utopia that could await us in 2688, this film features the pre-John Wick Keanu Reeves. Happily going along for the ride in this classic are Alex Winter and George Carlin, playing Bill and Rufus respectively (Reeves is Ted). In a not-too-complicated plot, Bill and Ted are visited from representatives from the future they helped create through their music, telling them that they need to pass their high school history final or the world will not end up a happy place (Bill’s father will send him to a military school in Alaska, and the duo will not fulfill their destiny). Bill and Ted take the time-travelling phone booth (no reference to the TARDIS was intended) back in time and kidnap Napoleon, Billy the Kid, Socrates, Freud, Joan of Arc, and Beethoven, among others, to use in their presentation. Hijinks ensue, along with the (waterpark) Battle of Waterloo. Of course, everything turns out fine, and we know a delightful future awaits! This classic left us with the credo of “Be excellent to each other” – true words to live by in any day and age. There are two sequels.
1. Back to the Future (1985)
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Hard to believe that this classic will celebrate 40 years next year! Though the world already knew Michael J. Fox through his role of Alex Keaton in Family Ties, Fox was thrust into superstardom when he took on the role of Marty McFly in this beloved film. Although Back to the Future may be the most well-known on the list, it is possible that this may have been overlooked by audiences as it hasn’t come out recently in theaters, and people may pass it by on TV. To recap, Back to the Future is about a high school guy who is friends with a scientist who has made a time machine out of a DeLorean, with a bit of help from unsuspecting Libyan terrorists. When the terrorists track down the scientist (Doc Brown), Marty is forced from present-day October 21, 1985 to October 21, 1955, the era of his parents’ youth. Unfortunately, the chances of his parents getting to know each other and fall in love seem highly unlikely unless Marty intervenes, insuring he and his siblings will exist in their present-day. Unlike The Butterfly Effect, this lighthearted film shows how changing events through time travel can indeed set things right in the future: after Marty pays his (future) father a midnight visit, George McFly confides to Marty that “Last night, Darth Vader came down from Planet Vulcan and told me that if I didn't take Lorraine out, that he'd melt my brain.” When Marty plays music at the dance where his parents fall in love, another musician gets on the phone and tells the person on the other end, “Chuck, it’s Marvin. Your cousin, Marvin Berry. You know that new sound you’re looking for? Well, listen to this!" And history is made! With a well-timed lightning strike, Marty makes it back to the future.
And there we have it: five iconic time-travel movies. Always fun to watch, and, you never know: someone out there might finally figure out the secret and bring time travel to our reality.
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Sources: Screenrant, APS, Wikipedia, Vulture, CinemaBlend, Wikipedia
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