ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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We all love time travel movies. And we all have our favorite versions.

But it's difficult to say which one is the "best" and which one is the a "worst". That's because each movie has its own special flavor, its own unique personality. Some of them have a more intelligent script, and others have a more exciting story.

Some have flawless special effects and impressive set designs, while others are flawed by dated cinematic efforts which don't impress us as much today.

That said, here are sixteen time travel movies which I really enjoy — several of which I own on DVDs. The list below is not arranged alphabetically, or from best-to-worst, so don't assume that I consider the first to be better than the last.

Doing that would be like comparing a rib eye steak to Häagen-Dazs ice cream!

The purpose of this post is to point out what special qualities each movie has which makes it enjoyable.

Many of them include the concept of the "Butterfly Effect" — the idea that changes in the time line create a ripple effect that extends from the past into the future.

That said, here's what I love most about each of these great movies.
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~ The Time Machine (1960)

The granddaddy of the genre. It's quaint, without being hokey. It's complex, without being confusing. It sets a high standard which stayed with us our whole lives, shaping our minds and our character. We became fans of sci-fi the moment we left the theater.





~ The Time Machine (2002)

Frankly, I think this movie stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the 1960 version.

It honors the concept and dazzles the audience with a time machine vehicle that's is a work of art. Guy Pearce's hyper-intelligent scientist is drastically different from Rod Taylor's macho version, and they both work perfectly in their respective movies.

The morlocks in this version are frightening — especially when we learn that Jeremy Iron's "uber-morlock" controls them. It's a brilliant concept, and he's terrific character.





~ Back to the Future (1985)

How the hell did Robert Zemeckis manage to blend rib-tickling humor with mind-blowing concepts in a movie that addressed time travel so effectively?

This wonderful movie succeeds in providing "visual aids" for the audience to help them understand travel (like Marty's photograph) without insulting the more knowledgeable members who don't need much help.

This one is the "cool" time travel movie. It's truly heavy!





~ Back to the Future II (1990)

Zemeckis gave us a "step up" from the previous movie, story wise — although some viewers didn't care for it as much because it challenged the audience's understanding of "temporal displacement".

That's not surprising, because the story actually propels us forward from 1985 to 2015 — then back to 1985 — and back then to 1955 again so our heroes can fix the present after "future Biff" allows "past Biff" to become a wealthy and evil "present Biiff". He totally wrecks Hill Valley and all it's inhabitants!

And this incredible story leaves us with a cliffhanger in which Doc Brown is stranded in 1885 when his Delorean is hit by lighting! Marty is forced to run back to Hill Valley and convince "past Doc Brown" to help him rescue "present Doc Brown" from being murdered by "Biff Tannen's ancestor" in the Old West! ?:

(Gee, I can't imagine why anybody would be confused by this story . . . )





~ Back to the Future III (1990)

Well now, it's time to relax in the 1800s and enjoy a much simpler story than the one in the previous movie.

The only challenge our heroes face is finding a way to propel the Delorean up to 88 mph before Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen guns them both down in cold blood.

Gee. Piece a cake, eh?

Meanwhile, Doc Brown is worried that Malcolm McDowell (playing H.G. Wells) will show up in his own time machine and demand that Mary Steenburgen stop canoodling with Emit, because she became Malcolm’s honey bun after she traveled with him back to 1893 in Time After Time!

Wow . . . the road to true love seems to be filled with temporal potholes.





~ Time After Time (1979)

Here's the short and simple version of this story. Malcolm McDowell plays H.G. Wells, who invents a time machine which is stolen by his good friend Jack the Ripper. Jack takes it to present day San Francisco where he dismembers young women for the pure fun of it, and he eventual goes after Miss Mary Steenburgen, who seems to have the hots for inventors of time machines.

I should mention that Miss Steenburgen met Malcomb while filming this movie, and they got married in 1980.

That means that her blatant canoodling with Doc Brown in 1984 was (in a way) marital infidelity, rather than the noble "true love" portrayed in Back to the Future III.

Boy, you just can't trust women, eh?





~ Timeline (2003)

This movie presents us with a time machine which bears no resemblance to most of the others we've seen. Rather then carrying the time traveler backward or forward in time, it remains in the present sends them back. It also causes horrible physical changes in the user's body, eventually causing their deaths!

But the story is terrific, and it presents a wonderful romance which spans the centuries!


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~ Frequency (2000)

What a unique story! A "time travel tale” that involves no physical movement through time. However, the exchange of information over a thirty-year period between 1969 and 1999 has a shocking effect on the present!

This movie invokes powerful emotions every time I watch it. It's one of the most moving cinematic experiences I’ve ever had.





~ Timecop (1994)

If you're in the mood for an action-adventure sci-fi movie with an intelligent plot about time travel . . . this one will do the job!

Jean-Claude Van Damme is a tough cop who joins the new government police force who stops bandits from stealing from the past and messing up the present!

The FX which show people leaving one time period and going to another is unique. Watch this movie and see what I mean.





~ The Tomorrow War (2001)

I saw this movie recently, and I was very impressed. It might bear a resemblance to a few previous movies, but it has it's own merits. I especially like the analogy used to explain the “time worm hole” as being like jumping back and forth between two rafts on a river.

One raft is ahead of the other, and that raft represents the future, while the trailing raft is the present. Both rafts are constantly moving forward, so the “time jumps” always cause the people to arrive 29 years ahead-or-behind the moment of departure.

A great movie with a novel approach a time honored concept. (No pun intended.)





~ Live, Die, Repeat aka Edge of Tomorrow (2014))

Tom Cruise nails the role of a man forced to fight in a monumental battle between mankind and alien invaders — without any training whatsoever! Fortunately, every time he dies on the battlefield he finds himself back one day earlier, and the whole experience repeats itself!

But Tom is no dummy, and he pays attention as he slowly learns how to stay alive. The skillful editing of this complex film is awe inspiring.





~ The Terminator (1984)

Linda Hamilton goes from being an attractive waitress to a skilled warrior and the ultimate mother of mankind’s last hope. (Wow, when you get up in the morning you just never know what kind of surprises the day might bring.)





~ Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

Frankly I’ve always been much more impressed by this sequel than the original. It super-charges the characters, ramps up the action, and sends my sock flying across the room with special effects that positively rock!

The longer version that includes a scene in which the Terminator’s learning ability is increased really makes a big difference in the story!





~ Terminator Genesis (2015)

I confess I really like this one, partly because Emilia Clarke is cuter than a basket filled with calico kittens — she can act damn well to boot! "Terminator purest" tend to criticize this movie (and I’ll admit the story is a bit too complex), but for my money it’s a whole lot better than the more recent version which James Cameron himself made.





~ Looper (2012)

Here’s another one with a very challenging story, but the novel concept and the strong characters make it worth the effort. The climax is a genuine “Holy crap!” moment which I admire for its imagination and logic.





~ Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

Just to finish this up on a lighter note, we have William S. Preston Esq. and Ted 'Theodore' Logan, who actually manage to invent a novel application of time travel not seen in any other movie. Whenever they need an object to be in just the right place at just the right time, they simply say, “We’ll have to remember to come later and set that up for ourselves!”

And Presto! The much-needed object is just where they want it to be. Amazingly enough, this concept would totally work, Dude!

The climax involves the on-stage production of their most excellent “history report”, and it’s is a joy to watch. I wish I could find a clip of the entire scene, but the one below was as close as I could get.

_____________ Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Morbius]

Another time travel movie I enjoyed is "In the Shadow of the Moon".


https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8110640/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

[Bud Brewster]

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Wow, I hadn't even heard of this movie!

I read the Wikipedia synopsis of the plot. Once I started I just had to finish, but I probably shouldn't have. However, it's so complex I suspect I would have been thoroughly confused while watching the movie, so maybe I didn't spoil it after all.

Thanks for calling it to my attention. I'll start a thread for it in the near future.

Or perhaps I'll jump into my time traveling 2001 Chevy Lumina with its Sonic Temporal Propulsion System (seen below in the parking lot of the Lone Pine Mall ready for it's first test) and start a thread last week.

Note the license plate. "OUTATIME".



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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel]

There's "World Without End". "The Time Travelers". "Retroactive".

David.

[Bud Brewster]

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World Without End is a favorite classic sci-fi of mine.

The Time Travelers . . . well, let's just say it's not a favorite.

As for Retroactive, I'd forgotten that I have a fine download of that movie, but I've never watched it! YouTube has a fine version also, with the same running time of 1:27:07.

Thanks, David.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel]

Bud, may i ask why you don't like "The Time Travelers"? I realize that why one likes or dislikes a movie is subjective. So no judgement, just curiosity.

While low budget, I found that the movie to be inventive with a good story line, likeable characters and a very memorable ending.

David.

[Bud Brewster]

[Krel]

Bud, I didn't find your comment sarcastic, just that you didn't care for the movie.

I first saw the movie about 7 or 8 years of age. I also have the DVD, so I do like the movie. A fun little fact. The rocket explosion in the movie is the second one they did. For the first one, the camera man thought it was a run through and didn't load film in the camera. They had to rebuild the entire miniature set and redo the whole thing. I bet they double checked that the camera was loaded...with a different camera operator.

Another low-budget, but good movie is "Beyond the Time Barrier" (1960).

David.

[Gord Green]

There's a decent "mini" documentary on THE TIME TRAVELERS on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHJan8f82CM
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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[Bud Brewster]