15 Best Time Loop Movies That You Should Watching Update 04/2024

Best Time Loop Movies

There are a wide variety of storylines and genres that can be explored in time loop movies. According to IMDb, these are some of the greatest.

This time travel movie premise is known as a “time loop.” Reliving the same day or experience over and over again can be described as a form of hallucination, in which a character must figure out what they need to do in order to get out of it.

This theme has been employed in a variety of genres by Hollywood with varied degrees of success. There has been a resurgence in sci-fi movie use of the time loop since the success of the hit TV show Russian Doll.

Mark Birrell updated this page on June 25, 2021:

If you’re a fan of any of these genres, you’ll have no problem finding a good time-loop plot to recommend. IMDb’s top-rated time-loop movies show just how varied the concept is, with a lot of action and horror as well as theoretical science and metaphorical drama. Some of the best time-travel movies can be found on some of the world’s most popular streaming platforms, regardless of whether they’re old or new.

1. Christmas Every Day (1996) – 6.4

Christmas Every Day (1996)

Shortly after the release of Groundhog Day, a short tale written in 1892 about a girl who wishes for Christmas every day was reworked into a film. A selfish teenager, Billy, is compelled to relive Christmas every day until he discovers its true meaning in Christmas Every Day.

As a result of its initial airing on The Family Channel in 1996, the movie has become a cult classic, rerunning every Christmas since then on Fox Family, ABC Family, and now Freeform. However, access to the video via streaming is inconsistent.

2. Before I Fall (2017) – 6.5

For the film adaptation of Before I Fall, Zoey Deutch stars as a popular high school student who begins repeating the same day over and again after a car accident. After been harassed as a child, she now attempts to modify her ways and help out a girl she used to harass.

Critics panned the film’s ending at the Sundance Film Festival, although Zoey Deutch’s performance was widely praised in theaters after its release. A number of Teen Choice Awards were also nominated for the film, and it took home one of them.

3. The Endless (2017) – 6.5

The Endless (2017)

Director Justin Benson, producer Aaron Moorhead, and lead actors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead expand on time loop concepts from their previous film, The Endless. Benson and Moorhead both wrote and directed the picture, which lends the plot a unique flavor (Benson also served as the film’s writer, while Moorhead also served as the film’s cinematographer).

Two brothers return to a cult commune that they formerly belonged to as children, and while the setting for all the horrific truths that the two uncover is quite clear-cut, this film is still engagingly shocking and creative throughout.

4. The Final Girls (2015) – 6.6

It’s an original take on the time-loop genre and a spoof of the slasher genre at the same time in The Final Girls. It takes a group of high school students back to the 1980s and places them in a slasher movie where they must relive the movie’s 92-minute running time over and over again.

South by Southwest Film Festival audiences commended The Final Girls for its innovative take on the genre, as well as the ingenious use of the time-loop premise, when it premiered in March 2013.

5.  Happy Death Day (2017) – 6.6

Happy Death Day (2017)

Happy Death Day tells the story of a college girl who is haunted by the day a serial killer brutally killed her.

To save herself, she has to figure out who is killing her in a time loop.

The film made $125 million worldwide at a budget of just $4.8 million. Happy Death Day 2U, the sequel to Happy Death Day, earned largely excellent reviews for its time-loop twist on the slasher genre.

6.  Boss Level (2021) – 6.9

Boss Level, as the name suggests, is a tribute to the joyous destruction of video games, particularly old shoot ’em ups. This action-packed film centers on Frank Grillo’s gruff and down on his luck character as they battle through an endless day of assassins aiming to assassinate him, and it exploits practically every opportunity for an action scene in the process.

But it’s not all vehicle chases and blasts. During the carnage, Grillo’s husband/absent father takes the time to reflect on his own life, which is in line with the film’s basic belief in self-improvement via repetition.

7. Triangle (2009) – 6.9

Slasher movie fanatics will enjoy Triangle, which features shipwrecked pals who find sanctuary on an old, abandoned cruise ship that’s home to a mysterious masked killer.

Throughout the film, the time loop aspect is introduced, with the identity and motivation of the killer changing as the plot progresses. If you’re a fan of turns in horror films, you’ll love this cerebral thriller.

 8. Primer (2004) – 6.9

Primer (2004)

Shane Carruth’sPrimeris one of the few science-fiction movies that focus as much on science as fiction, and one of an even smaller number that do it successfully.

Despite the fact that this sounds like a setup for a series of comical misadventures, the realistic nature of the theoretical physics applied leads to some very significant difficulties for the two protagonists. It’s a must-see for aficionados of the genre, and it’s the most realistic time travel film ever filmed.

9. Timcrimes (2007) – 7.2

To get out of his current predicament, the man hides out at an isolated scientific research center where he discovers that his actions have already been planned, but he doesn’t know why or how they’ll come to pass or how they’ll affect the world around him.

When it comes to sci-fi/horror hybrids, Timecrimes offers a refreshingly original take on both genres, thanks to the film’s clever narrative and down-to-earth approach.

10. Palm Springs (2020) – 7.4

A bridesmaid, Sarah (Cristin Milioti), finds herself in a time loop on the day of her sister’s wedding, where another guest, Nyles (Andy Samberg), has already been repeating the day for a very long time. In the midst of their stalemate, they begin to develop feelings for each other. Sarah, on the other hand, is looking for a way out, while Nyles is content to stay here.

Critics lauded the film’s performances and its use of the time-loop concept as a metaphor for marriage and relationships.

11. Looper (2012) – 7.4

Looper (2012)

Reincarnated victims are sent back in time from a worse future in order to be used as currency in the past. The “Loopers,” as they are referred to in the film, are the mob’s executioners who know that one day they too will be thrown back in time to be slaughtered and forgotten.

Rian Johnson, the writer and director of this sci-fi thriller about a Looper who loses his older self in the past and has to find them, has created an excitingly original plot. Emotional effect is more important than scientific truth in this film, even at a theoretical level. Sci-fi lovers, on the other hand, were immediately enamored with it.

 12. Predestination (2014) – 7.5

All You Zombies–” is a complicated short tale by Robert Heinlein, and this small-scale Australian science fiction film based on it was not a great box office hit when it was released. Despite this, it immediately gained a loyal following and is now considered one of the biggest time loop hits of all time.

As a time travel agent, Predestination features a paradoxical cat-and-mouse game with a bomber that explores the theoretical principles at the heart of the time loop idea to its utmost extent.

13. Source Code (2011) – 7.5

Source Code (2011)

To recreate the eight minutes that lead up to the detonation of a bomb that kills the train, an army pilot (Jake Gyllenhaal) in Duncan Jones’ Source Code must inhabit the body of a slain railway passenger.

Because the protagonist doesn’t know how he ended up in this scenario in the first place, the film is a suspenseful thriller with many twists and turns. With an 8-minute window to keep the plot rolling like a locomotive, it’s grippingly stylish twist on the time loop idea.

14. Edge Of Tomorrow (2014) – 7.9

A cowardly public relations officer (Tom Cruise) is killed in battle, only to relive the same day and conflict repeatedly. Edge of Tomorrow is based on the Japanese light novel All You Need Is Kill. The film was well-received by critics, but the box receipts took a back seat to expectations.

There was some misunderstanding when the movie’s tagline, “Live. Die. Repeat,” was repurposed as the film’s title for home video release. However, the movie’s title remains the same throughout the film itself. There has been speculation of a sequel for years despite the film’s poor box office performance.

15. Groundhog Day (1993) – 8.0

Groundhog Day (1993)

Groundhog Day is the standard by which all time-loop movies are assessed.

It’s Groundhog Day all over again for Bill Murray’s character, weatherman Phil Connors. He improves as a person as a result of repeating the same day over and over again.

The film’s intellectual and spiritual themes have been discovered by audiences over time. Aside from the five phases of grieving, Buddhism, and many Catholics, the book is notable. Phil’s time loop should be seen as a form of purgatory from which he may only be liberated through total surrender to the will of God. No matter how many times you see Groundhog Day, you’ll never tire of it.