Time travel movies are a dime a dozen these days.
But bring a time loop into the equation, and things get far more interesting.
Groundhog Day made the genre famous in 1993, and it can work for comedies, romances, sci-fi,
horror and more.
We thought we’d loop you in on our favorite time loop movies, and where to stream them.
About Time uses time travel and the time loop itself for a romantic drama.
Tim learns that he and others in his family can travel back in time and change certain
events.
He uses the power to fix his love life, sometimes reliving the same day many times over to perfect
the outcome.
But as Tim discovers, these changes have other unintended consequences.
How can you plan for the ethics of time travel when you find it by mistake?
Primer tells the story of two friends who accidentally discover the secret to time travel
while tinkering in their garage.
It’s a grounded change of pace from standard sci-fi, and trades flashy effects for intense
character drama.
It’s about normal people dealing with unimaginable power.
We can’t tell you more without spoilers, but there’s a reason Primer is widely considered
among the best time-travel movies ever.
An engineer steals his own invention from his employer, which traps him and his ex in
a time loop.
They’re forced to encounter a rebel invasion over and over, and become increasingly wrapped
up in the conspiracies surrounding them.
Also, the memory wipe at the end of each loop isn’t helping matters.
ARQ is a great sci-fi thriller that speaks to our relationship with technology and the
dwindling resources that power it.
While Doctor Strange was more concerned with interdimensional travel, the film’s climax
hinges on a time loop of Stephen Strange’s own making.
“This is how things are now.
You and me.
Trapped in this moment.
Endlessly.”
We don’t know how long the loop lasts, but eventually, Strange and his nemesis come to
an understanding.
There’s a reason why—despite the many films and shows that have tackled time loops
since—Groundhog Day is the quintessential version.
A cynical local weatherman played by Bill Murray is forced to relive Feb. 2 (the titular
U.S. holiday) over and over until he finds a way out.
Murray’s performance and the supporting cast made it an instant classic.
No time loop list is complete without it.
Timecrimes is a chance to impress your friends with your excellent taste in foreign films.
While it’s not Spanish director Nacho Vigalondo’s most popular movie, it remains his best.
It’s a low-budget time travel thriller that is heady without being pretentious, and twisty
without being confounding.
The end result is pure magic.
In Happy Death Day, a college student is murdered on her birthday, but she wakes up as if the
day never happened.
Once she realizes the loop, she uses the repeated day to gather clues about who is so hellbent
on killing her.
Mystery and suspense combine for a great time loop slasher.
The time loop introduced in Happy Death Day is explained with science in the sequel, but
the basic premise remains the same: A student is killed as the day resets, but trying to
rectify that pushes our hero into another dimension where she’s reliving the events
of the first film—but someone else is the murderer.
In Horse Girl, Sarah (played by Alison Brie) experiences a series of dreams and occurrences
she can’t explain.
But filling the gaps in her memory leads her to deeper questions about her own identity,
and whether she’s been visited by beings beyond comprehension.
These troubles land her in a mental institution, where more clues point to a possible time
loop.
It’s a deeply unsettling look at mental illness, driven by an outstanding performance
from Brie.
In Edge of Tomorrow, future soldiers face an invincible alien invasion.
When William Cage (played by Tom Cruise) is hit with alien blood and killed, he’s thrust
into a time loop.
Although a brutal death hits every time, he improves his ability to fight with every loop,
under the training of Sergeant Rita Vrataski (played by Emily Blunt).
Their teamwork is humanity’s best shot at breaking the loop and defeating the invaders.
Drawing from Japanese anime for its big mech suit battles and resurrection loop storyline,
Edge of Tomorrow is a brilliant spectacle for anyone bored by cliche Hollywood action
movies.
In Source Code, an army captain (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) is placed in a simulation.
He inhabits the body of another person in the minutes before a bomb explodes on a train,
killing everyone onboard.
While that explosion already happened in real life, he’s racing to discover the bomber’s
identity in the simulation so a second attack can be prevented.
Turns out, the simulation may not be what it seems.
By the time we get to the 2020 film Palm Springs, the time loop concept is so cliche that Nyles
(played by Andy Samberg) can explain it in one sentence:
It’s “one of those infinite time loop situations you might have heard about.”
But for Nyles and his wedding date, the time loop is only the beginning.
While Palm Springs does borrow from the Groundhog Day playbook, it cleverly addresses themes
of isolation in a really fun rom-com package.
Those are our favorite time loop movies, but if you’re enjoying a loop of your own, be
sure to share what you’re binging in the comments section below.
And if you’re still not sure what to binge tonight, check out our other streaming guides
linked right here for the best movies, shows, animation, and documentaries across all streaming
platforms.
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in the future.
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