Sometimes, the only way to solve a problem is through time travel. While there are understandable consequences — as demonstrated in many time travel movies — it’s hard to resist the idea of going back into the past or surging forward into the future to make a change.
Netflix has a collection of the best time travel movies available to stream. Whether you want a comedic take on the familiar trope or an action-packed thriller, we’ve selected the ones you don’t want to miss. These movies will have you fantasizing about all the fun — or disaster — that could be had if only our version of reality included time travel.
‘Looper’
It makes complete sense that if time travel ever becomes available, it would only be possible for the wealthy or corrupt to take advantage. Its capabilities are technically outlawed in Rian Johnson’s mind-bending “Looper,” but that doesn’t stop the mafia from using it. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as young Joe, a Looper who hides evidence of the mafia sending people into the past to take them out. He knows one day he will have to kill the older version of himself, played by Bruce Willis, to hide he ever worked for them.
The battle of self goes to the next level in this movie, especially as both young and old Joe fight against the other to survive. It’s hard to know who to root for, and it’s no surprise this movie received numerous awards, including the Critics’ Choice Movie Award in 2013 for Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie.
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‘Mirage’
Directed by Oriol Paulo, “Mirage” takes us on a journey during a storm set 25 years apart. In 1989, the same day as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the life of a little boy, Nico, is cut short when he runs into the road and dies after being hit by a car. More than two decades later, a couple, Vera (Adriana Ugarte) and David (Álvaro Morte) have moved into Nico’s house. Vera has a chance to save Nico’s life but finds that solving the problems of the past tends to mess with the future.
This film has a fascinating blend of time travel, murder mystery and parallel universes. While the film tends to get complicated, especially as Vera tries to undo her actions and make things right again, it’s intense and thrilling every step of the way.
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‘Hot Tub Time Machine’
If you can’t take the premise of time travel too seriously for long, you’ll want to watch “Hot Tub Time Machine.” John Cusack and director Steve Pink (co-writer on “High Fidelity” and “Gross Pointe Blank”) reunite to explore the hilarious possibilities of time traveling. Adam (John Cusack), Lou (Rob Corddry), and Nick (Craig Robinson) all reconnect after Lou is hospitalized following a suicide attempt. They decide to get together, along with Adam’s nephew Jacob (Clark Duke), at a ski resort they visited in the past. When they overload the hot tub machine with an energy drink, they discover that it takes them back to 1986.
Even though a repairman (Chevy Chase) warns them not to mess with things from the past, they can’t help themselves. Of course, hilarity ensues. There are plenty of literal laugh-out-loud moments throughout, and this film has a healthy dose of cool ’80s vibes. You’re sure to love it.
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‘Time Trap’
Going on field trips has always been a fun part of going to school. However, if your teacher happens to go missing, that can complicate matters. In the film “Time Trap,” several graduate students go on a field trip with their professor to hidden caves that are somehow connected to a group of missing hippies. The professor returns to the town with the students and dismisses them. However, only a brief amount of time passes before they realize the next day that their professor has yet to return.
The students return, of course, and embark on an unusual adventure inside the caves, in which they discover that the whole space and time thing has gotten messed up. While this may be a classic science fiction B-movie, you will surely enjoy the imaginative story.
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‘ArQ’
This movie takes the premise of living the same day repeatedly (hello, “Groundhog Day”) and gives it an exciting, science-fiction twist. “ArQ” focuses on a couple fighting to protect a unique energy that could restore an unlimited supply to the Earth and stop the wars that have erupted worldwide. However, this power comes at a cost as they battle against men trying to break into their home and steal it from them. Something about the technology, though, is forcing them to relive the same day.
Director Tony Elliott is the mind behind this complex film. You may have to suspend disbelief more than usual, but the action and plot will hold your attention throughout.
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