Time travel in Science fiction the genre has thrilled audiences for decades. It has been used for comedic and dramatic purposes, giving heroes and villains the chance to change their fate. From iconic machines to mind-bending paradoxes, the best time travel movies and television shows explore ideas and themes that may not be possible with a conventional timeline.
The plot lends itself to many genres, from tragedy to time travel romantic comedies. It’s a classic movie convention and has also appeared on several TV shows. With your reflections on the human condition and our relationship with the past and future, time travel is also a staple of science fiction films. Here are the best examples of time travel sequences in film and television.
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Scene from 88 Miles Per Hour Back to the Future
One of the most iconic examples of time travel in cinema is the DeLorean scene in Back to the future. Created by Doc Brown, the modified DeLorean needs to reach 140 kilometers per hour to travel through time. This gives Back to the futureTime travel is a physical connection to real-world culture and technology.
Some viewers speculated that “88 miles per hour” It resembles the infinity symbol. However, according to behind-the-scenes comments, the number just looked cool on the monitor. Anyway, the real DeLorean only went up to 85 MPG. The producers added a boost of 16 km/h to a sticker on the dashboard.
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The TARDIS in Doctor Who
The TARDIS is synonymous with time travel on television. Outside, Doctor WhoThe city’s obsolete police box has remained the same for more than 60 years. However, the changes to the interiors are an example of how Doctor Who has evolved since the 1960s.
One of the best TARDIS scenes in Doctor Who is during Matt Smith’s tenure. In “The Snowmen”, Clara and the Doctor climb a spiral staircase into the machine. The TARDIS reveal in “The Snowmen” is particularly grandgiving the machine a wonderful blend of utility and beauty. The Doctor’s smugness combined with Clara’s astonishment is also a brilliant dynamic, giving the show a bit of cheeky personality.
8
Bill and Ted philosophizing with Socrates
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure plays with tropes in other time travel media. The extreme nature of time travel via a phone booth lends a comedic edge to Bill and Ted’s interactions with historical figures. One of the best scenes takes place in 410 BC, in Greece, when the duo meets Socrates.
Historical figures in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure |
Cast |
Napoleon Bonaparte |
Terry Camilleri |
Billy the boy |
Dan Shor |
Socrates |
Tony Steedman |
Sigmund Freud |
Rod Loomis |
Genghis Khan |
Al Leong |
Joan of Arc |
Jane Wiedlin |
Abraham Lincoln |
Roberto V. Barron |
Ludwig van Beethoven |
Clifford David |
Hilariously, Bill already knows how to pronounce Socrates correctly, but Ted tells him to look him up “under sewn boxes”. The real joy comes from watching Socrates gape at the duo, even when the audience knows they’re not exactly the smartest. Attending the boys try to engage with Socratic philosophy is a comedy that has stood the test of time.
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Frank the Rabbit showing Donnie Darko the “Portal”
There are many cool scenes in Richard Kelly’s masterpiece Donnie Darko count, but the most memorable and referenced is certainly the movie scene. Frank and Donnie talk while Gretchen sleeps during The Evil Dead. Frank opens a portal on the screenrevealing how his powers apparently work.
The clock ticking on the cinema screen as the portal opens gives the feeling of judgment day.
The chiaroscuro used, along with Michael Andrews’ chilling score, contribute to the haunting, almost spiritual quality of the scene. The clock ticking on the cinema screen as the portal opens gives the feeling of judgment day. This, along with the cryptic dialogue, contributes to the religion versus science debate surrounding the film.
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The scientist moving through time in the time machine
“Thousands of years of building and rebuilding, creating and recreating so you can let it turn to dust.”
A time travel sequence far ahead of its time was in the 1960 film The Time Machine, based on the book by HG Wells. Next, the narrator poetically describes how a fast-paced day passes. It features beautiful, colorful time-lapses before he pushes his ambition to travel across several decades.
Written in 1895, HG Wells’ The Time Machine is considered the progenitor of the modern concept of “time machine”.
Particularly effective is the way time travel in years is visualized. While the passage of a day is represented by natural images, more time travel is socially represented. The clothes of “never gets old” change of mannequin. The time machine itself is very retro-futuristic and cool, but it’s these external factors that make the scene so memorable.
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Phil waking up yesterday again on Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day’and The temporal comedy’s narrative is among the best of its genre. One of the best scenes Groundhog Day it’s Phil waking up yesterday again. The scene follows him from the moment he wakes up to the radio alarm, until it once again covers the Groundhog Day celebrations.
Bill Murray is at his best in this scene, seriously trying to convince those around him that something is wrong. The scene became a pop culture landmarkhighlighting how disheartening and comical time travel can be. It is so iconic that the phrase “Groundhog Day” has become synonymous with repetition and stagnation.
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Evan trying to save Kayleigh in Butterfly Effect
A film that isn’t afraid to use time travel to explore heavy themes is The butterfly effect. One of his best scenes is when Evan uses a diary to travel back to a traumatic event in Kayleigh’s life. Evan tries to change the past by telling Mr. Miller the impact of his actions, with reality shuddering at his attempts.
The shaking and warping of the room in the time travel sequence is simple but effective. The highlight, however, is Logan Lerman’s performance in the scene. Lerman does a great job of using older Evan’s mature dialogue to intimidate Mr. Miller by highlighting how subtle touches can make time travel more impressive.
3
Homer’s Time Travel Toaster in The Simpsons
On a lighter note, an episode of The Simpsons addresses the butterfly effect from a completely comedic angle in Season 6’s Treehouse of Horror V segment, “Time And Punishment.” Homer inadvertently uses a repaired toaster to travel back to prehistoric times. He remembers Abe’s advice not to touch anything as it could change the future. Despite his best efforts, Homer continues to do just that.
The scene satirizes the butterfly effect by having the death of a single mosquito has disastrous consequences for Homer. The best thing about this scene is that Homer narrowly misses a perfect reality where it rains donuts, going back in time before realizing his mistake. This is one of many Treehouse of Terror episodes that prove why the first seven seasons of the series are considered The Simpsons’ golden age.
2
Ben turns the wheel on Lost
Configuring time travel rules in Lost was masterfully written, with the flashbacks of those on the island eventually becoming flash-forwards and flash-sideways. The true mechanics of time travel remained a mystery for several seasons. One of the best time travel scenes in the series came with the reveal of Ben turning the steering wheel.
This helps [Lost‘s version of time travel] stand out among its more futuristic contemporaries.
The concept of an ancient time machine, with a simple dull gear and old prints on the walls, is unconventional in the science fiction genre. This helps stand out among its more futuristic contemporaries. The show also did a great job of conveying that the island had a consciousness of its own, deciding who travels through time and who doesn’t.
1
The arrival of the Terminator in T2: Judgment Day
A large piece of cinematic history that involves a unique form of time travel is the arrival of the Terminator in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The sequel builds on the mechanics of the first film. Schwarzenegger certainly makes an entrance in the scene, complete with lightning and a perfect circle of impact on the ground where he appears.
The scene further solidifies the mechanics of time travel in Terminator franchise, with clothes unable to make the trip with him. This not only allows Arnold Schwarzenegger to showcase his significant bodybuilding efforts, but also paves the way for the immortal line, “I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle.” It’s a clever way to highlight unique ways to travel through time through Science fiction gender.
Source: Screen speech
Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, maverick scientist Doc Brown. In 1955, he met his parents when they were his age and must intervene to ensure they stay together before returning to 1985.
- Director
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Robert Zemeckis
- Release date
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July 3, 1985
- Cast
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Claudia Wells, Christopher Lloyd, James Tolkan, Thomas F. Wilson, Michael J. Fox, Wendie Jo Sperber, Crispin Glover, Marc McClure, Lea Thompson
An alien from the planet Gallifrey travels through time and space to explore, solve problems and fight injustice, all while befriending humans. His ship, called the TARDIS, resembles a police box, but it is much more than it seems.
- Cast
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Jodie Whittaker, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Billie Piper, Karen Gillan, Catherine Tate, Jenna Coleman, Alex Kingston, John Barrowman, Tosin Cole, Arthur Darvill
- Release date
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March 26, 2005
Starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure follows the titular heroes, two high school students in 1980s California who must embark on a journey through time bringing together historical figures to pass a history test and, in doing so, guarantee a utopian life. future in which they play an important role. George Carlin stars alongside Reeves and Winter as Rufus.
- Director
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Stephen Herek
- Cast
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Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin, Terry Camilleri, Dan Shor, Tony Steedman
After troubled teenager Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up on a local golf course after a night of sleepwalking, he has a vision of a man dressed as a rabbit telling him that the world will end in 28 days. Upon returning home, Donnie sees that a jet engine crashed into his room during the night and begins to feel increasingly disconnected from reality. Struggling to make sense of the bizarre and inexplicable events that have altered his life, Donnie finds himself unraveling a tangled web of disaster and fate.
- Director
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Ricardo Kelly
- Release date
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October 26, 2001
- Cast
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Jake Gyllenhaal, Holmes Osborne, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Daveigh Chase, Mary McDonnell, James Duval
In Groundhog Day, arrogant meteorologist Phil Connors (Bill Murray) lives the exact same day over and over for what seems like an eternity. To deal with his curse, he learns a variety of skills in the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and tries to win the heart of his colleague Rita Hanson (Andie MacDowell) while adapting to the time loop.
- Release date
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February 11, 1993
The Butterfly Effect is a science fiction time travel film centered on Evan (Ashton Kutcher), a young man who discovers he has the ability to change events from his past, embodying his younger self. The 2004 film explores the titular concept, which states that any small change in the initial conditions of a system results in wildly different outcomes.
- Director
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J. Mackye Gruber, Eric Bress
- Release date
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January 23, 2004
The Simpsons is a long-running animated TV series created by Matt Groening that satirically follows a working-class family in the misfit town of Springfield. Homer, an idiot who works at a nuclear power plant, is the breadwinner for his family, while his wife, Marge, tries to maintain sanity and reason at home as best she can. Bart is a born troublemaker and Lisa is his super intelligent sister who finds herself surrounded by people who can’t understand her. Finally, Maggie is the mysterious baby who acts as a deus ex machina when the series demands it. The show puts the family in a variety of wild situations while constantly touching on sociopolitical and pop culture topics set in their world, providing an often scathing critique of the subjects covered in each episode. This series premiered in 1989 and has been a staple of Fox programming ever since!
- Release date
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December 17, 1989
- Network
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FOX
Directed by James Cameron, Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a direct sequel to the original Terminator and stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Patrick and Linda Hamilton. In this issue, John Connor is being hunted by an advanced Skynet prototype from the future. Fortunately, he receives help from a reprogrammed T-800 sent back in time by the resistance to protect him.
- Release date
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July 3, 1991