Movies - TV
12 Underrated Time Travel Movies You Need To See
By SIMON BLAND
Primer
“Primer” is the story of two friends who accidentally end up creating a time machine and it’s a film that will fry your brain with the complexities of doubles, loops, and the dangers of dicing with time. It remains one of the most underrated and complex time travel movies, with its gritty, low-fi reality aesthetic adding to its long-lasting allure.
The Butterfly Effect
“The Butterfly Effect” is a sci-fi thriller that looks at the consequences of messing with time and the unexpected and dark outcomes in the present Evan finds himself in because of such tampering. The film uses journals instead of physical time machines for its mode of time travel, making it a psychologically impactful cult classic.
Timecrimes
"Timecrimes" has a simple-yet-devastating story that tells the mind-bending story of a man who after being lured to a mysterious laboratory finds himself stuck in a time loop to the recent past. Each journey is more desperate than the last, with composer Eugenio Mira’s terrific score lending some welcome horror movie vibes.
Safety Not Guaranteed
Charming and filled with mystery until its final minutes, Trevorrow's feature film debut is one of the few underrated time travel movies on this list that also works as a perfect date movie. What's more, the fact that the story's classified advert jumping-off point was based on a real-life event, makes this film one of the rare time travel movies with origins based firmly in reality.
Time Bandits
“Time Bandits” is the story of a young boy who's swept away from his mundane family life and welcomed as a member of a group of time-traveling thieves. It’s a film for audiences of all ages, and features a star-studded ensemble cast of bandits, with the late David Warner performing a dryly comic turn as Evil, the film's larger-than-life baddie.