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

Movies About Time Loops

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.

“Time loop” is a common plot device in time travel films. 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 idea has been employed in a variety of ways by Hollywood, with differing 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 made the following update on June 25th, 2021:

From family comedies to experimental science-fiction, there are no shortages of time-loop narratives that can be recommended to aficionados of various genres. Most of the finest time loop movies on IMDb show how adaptable the concept is, with plenty of action and horror as well as theoretical science and metaphorical drama. Some of the best time loop movies, old and new, are delighting moviegoers around the world and can be found on several of the most popular streaming platforms.

15 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. Every day Billy has to go back in time and experience Christmas again, until he finally gets what it is all about.

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 services is spotty at best.

14 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 repeatedly after a car accident. Stuck in the past, she sets out to make up for the bullying she had done to a young woman.

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.

13 The Endless (2017) – 6.5

The Endless (2017)

A previous film by filmmakers, producers, and stars Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead explored the idea of a time loop. Sci-fi horror mixed with an indie dramedy and the film’s hand-crafted quality (Benson wrote and Moorhead shot) give the plot a distinct identity.

The story revolves around two brothers who return to a cult community that they formerly belonged to as children, and while the setup for all the horrific truths that the two uncover is rather evident, the movie is still engagingly shocking and creative throughout the entire running time.

12 The Final Girls (2015) – 6.6

The Final Girls is a spoof of the slasher genre and a time-loop film in one. Rewatching the movie’s 92-minute running period, the group of high school students are forced to suffer its horrors and murders again and again.

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

11 Happy Death Day (2017) – 6.6

Happy Death Day tells the story of a college girl who is haunted by the day a serial murderer brutally murdered her in the middle of the night.

She’s stuck in a never-ending loop of trying to figure out who’s murdering her.

The film made $125 million worldwide at a budget of just $4.8 million. A sequel, Happy Death Day 2U, followed in 2019 after the first film, which earned mainly excellent reviews for its time loop slasher twist.

10 Boss Level (2021) – 6.9

Boss Level (2021)

“Boss Level,” as the name implies, is a tribute to the joyous devastation 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 interminable day of assassins aiming to assassinate him, and it exploits practically every opportunity for an action scene to be had.

However, the action is not limited to vehicle chases and explosions. Self-improvement through repetition is a prominent theme in this film, with Grillo’s bad husband/absent father using the carnage to reflect on his own life.

9 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, characters begin to observe incidents repeating itself, and the identity and motivation of the killer change as the plot progresses. This is where the time loop angle comes into play. Those who enjoy twists in horror films will have a blast with this brilliant cerebral thriller.

8 Primer (2004) – 6.9

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

Two aspiring innovators accidently discover time travel, but the actual nature of the theoretical science applied leads to some very serious concerns as well, even if that sounds like a setup for comedic escapades. This is a must-see for lovers of the genre, and it may be the closest thing to a factually accurate depiction of time travel ever produced.

7 Timcrimes (2007) – 7.2

Timcrimes (2007)

He is attacked in the woods by a strange maskedassailant, leading him to an isolated scientific research facility where he discovers that his actions are already decided, although he has no idea what they are or why they are predetermined.

Despite the fact that the genres of science fiction and horror have been overused in the past, the movie’s clever storyline and down-to-earth tone breathe new life into them.

6 Palm Springs (2020) – 7.4

A bridesmaid (Cristin Milioti) finds herself trapped in a time loop on the day of her sister’s wedding, when another guest (Andy Samberg) has been reliving the day for a very long time in Palm Springs, a romantic comedy that uses the time loop premise. They fall in love while stuck in a rut. Sarah, on the other hand, is looking for a way out, while Nyles is content to stay here.

For its performances and its use of the time loop concept as a metaphor for relationships and marriage, the film received high marks from critics.

5 Looper (2012) – 7.4

Vulnerable people are sent back in time to a more horrific future when they will be slaughtered there. The “Loopers,” as they are referred as in the film, are hitmen who know they will one day be sent back in time to be killed and forgotten forever in this sophisticated system of mob execution.

Rian Johnson, the writer and director of this sci-fi thriller about a Looper who loses his older self in the past and must find them, has created an excitingly original plot. Even on a theoretical level, this is a film that plainly cares more about the story’s emotional impact than it does about factual correctness. That’s never a problem for sci-fi lovers, who immediately embraced it.

4 Predestination (2014) – 7.5

Predestination (2014)

This low-budget Australian sci-fi film, based on Robert Heinlein’s complicated short tale “–All You Zombies–,” wasn’t a major hit when it was released in theaters in Australia. Despite this, it immediately gained a loyal following and is now considered one of the biggest time loop hits of all time.

Because of its focus on the theoretical issues at the basis of the time loop theory and its depiction of a time-traveling agent caught in a paradoxical game of cat and mouse with a bomber, Predestination is a significantly more cerebral sci-fi movie than others.

3 Source Code (2011) – 7.5

It’s the narrative of an army pilot (Jake Gyllenhaal) transferred into the body of a deceased train passenger, who must replay the eight minutes before a bomb detonates and destroys the train. Directed by Duncan Jones, Source Code.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this tense thriller because the protagonist has no idea how he got himself into this situation in the first place. The 8-minute frame keeps the plot rolling like a locomotive, which is an appropriate metaphor for the time loop.

2 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. Critics praised the film, however the box receipts was viewed as lackluster.

The movie’s tagline “Live. Die. Repeat.” was rebranded as the film’s title when it was released on home media, which caused some confusion. The film’s title, on the other hand, remains unchanged. A sequel has been discussed for years despite the film’s underwhelming box office performance.

1 Groundhog Day (1993) – 8.0

Groundhog Day (1993)

Phil Connors, a weatherman who keeps reliving Groundhog Day, is played by Bill Murray. As he repeats the same day, he improves as a person.

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. the only way to get out of Phil’s temporal loop is to embrace selflessness. No matter what the creators had in mind,Groundhog Daywill be a perennial favorite among moviegoers for years to come.