Time Travel in the Movies, Part 2

As promised, here is another look at time exploration in the movies - curiously I am writing this in the year 2020, and will email this to my younger self in 2013. The Tokyo Olympics are really heating up...

7) Twelve Monkeys (1995)

Terry Gillian's intriguing thriller is still fresh today and asks for repeated viewings. Bruce Willis travels back from an apocalyptic future to get a sample of the deadly virus and create a lifesaving antidote. Unfortunately for him he ends up at the wrong time, although he does bump into some intriguing and potentially world changing individuals. 

The ending is great, creating a spiralling circle in the hero’s story, while simultaneously leaving a sense of possible closure. 

8) Meet The Robinsons (2007)

One of the more interesting CGI Disney flicks. In a modern day orphanage, a budding child inventor feels unwanted and a failure, until a boy from the future arrives in a time machine to show how great (and eccentric) things will become. The film suffers from too many characters, most of which seem rather insane, as apparently we will all be in the future. 

As a feel-good family film, it has a positive message showing that we can all accomplish great things in life - tissues at the ready.

9) The Terminator Series (1984, 1991, 2003, 2006)

An iconic quadrilogy, recently announced to soon become an (overstretched) heptalogy. The films include grandfather effects, paradoxes and too many plot-holes to mention. 

Despite the action and effects brilliant to behold, the story juggles more and more confusing threads with each film, sinking the overall story deeper into head-scratching chaos. Let’s hope the next trilogy will somehow tie things together.

10) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

A frustrating time paradox saves Harry from death. Harry is saved by a spell cast by a mysterious stranger, then he travels back via a magical trinket, and upon seeing his previous self, knowingly creates the very spell that saved him before. 

Various trials in the film are solved like this, in a way that feels frustratingly lazy and nonsensical. Ultimately in the Harry Potter series, anything can happen, and the key word is 'magic'.

11) Source Code (2011)

Jake Gyllenhaal unwillingly repeats the same 8 minutes over and over again to investigate the location of a train bomb. The process and technology allowing him to do this is barely explained, except with quantum-physical jargon, but it is exciting seeing the many possibilities arising from a small span of time, similar to Run Baby Run or Grounddog Day. 

The story takes some great turns, with Gyllenhaal changing his focus from his mission and trying to escape, as well as amending for past mistakes.

12) Doctor Who (1963-Present)

Sorry, not exactly a 'movie' as such, but the world's longest running science fiction show (50 years in November), a number of TV movies and spin offs (and books, radio plays, and oh you get it...). It seems that every aspect of time travel has been explored brilliantly. Perhaps part of the series’ longevity is in the Doctor's ability to go to any time and place, meaning the scenario possibilities are endless. 

In the past few series, producer Steven Moffat has written some particularly mind-bending episodes: All of time happens at once. Stone angels kill by sending people back to the past, wiping their existence. The Doctor, awaiting his imminent death, sends a message to his previous selves to warn and prepare.

It will be interesting to see how Peter Capaldi tackles the role next year.

Any more suggestions for time travel in the movies? Post your suggestions here...