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The Time Machine
D: George Pal (1960) 103m

The socialist overtones of the 1895 H.G. Wells story go missing in this solid, if unspectacular, adaptation of his classic time-travel tale. Rod Taylor heads off into the future, visiting the three World Wars on the way. When he gets to the year 802,701 he falls in love with a pretty vacant member of the Eloi Race (Yvette Mimieux). Unfortunately, the Eloi are food for the nasty Morlocks.

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Planet of the Apes
D: Franklin J. Schaffner (1968) 112m

A space shot goes wrong and the crew is propelled two-thousand years into the future. They end up on a planet where apes are the dominant species and humans are slaves. Rod Serling had a hand in the film and star Charlton Heston shines bright. Roddy McDowall would go on to feature in more films and the TV series. While easy enough to guess, the resolution is nonetheless startling.

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Slaughterhouse-Five
D: George Roy Hill (1972) 104m

Based on the Kurt Vonnegut novel, Billy Pilgrim becomes "unstuck in time" and experiences the events of his life in a seemingly random order, including a period spent on the alien planet of Tralfamadore. Vonnegut was interned in Dresden during World War II and the film focuses on the Allied firebombing of the city. Vonnegut said the film was, "...a flawless translation of my novel".

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12 Monkeys
D: Terry Gilliam (1995) 131m

Arthouse short film La Jetée provided the inspiration for both Gilliam and star Bruce Willis to hit creative peaks in this ingenious apocalyptic time-travel tale. In the not-too-distant future a deadly plague forces humanity underground. A criminal volunteers to go back in time and help find a cure in exchange for wiping his slate clean. Brad Pitt is fabulous as mental patient Jeffrey Goines.

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Frequency
D: Gregory Hoblit (2000) 118m

Enjoyable time travel thriller in which a temporal radio link allows a father and son (Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel) to reunite. A cop who lost his father thirty years ago when he was six uses a rift in time to try and alter the past. The 1969 World Series involving the New York Mets is prominent, as time paradoxes are intelligently explored... although best to suspend any scientific analysis.

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Looper
D: Rian Johnson (2012) 119m

In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent into the past, where a hired gun awaits - someone like Joe - who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by sending back Joe's future self for assassination. The film stars Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt. Intelligent sci-fi flick that made money and won a host of accolades.

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Edge of Tomorrow
D: Doug Liman (2014) 113m

After an alien race called the 'Mimics' invades Earth, an officer who was once killed in combat (Tom Cruise) is thrown into a never-ending time loop. Awakened every morning on the day of his death, he is forced to fight once again. This wonderful learning opportunity sees him continuously improving his fighting skills, while trying to figure out how win the day and defeat the invaders.

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Predestination
D: The Spierig Brothers (2014) 97m

A time travelling agent trying to disarm a bomb receives serious facial burns. Someone approaches and helps him to grasp his time travelling device, which then transports him to a hospital in the future. While the agent is recovering from facial reconstruction, it is revealed that he has been trying to prevent the attack of the so-called "Fizzle Bomber" on New York in 1975.

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Everything Everywhere All at Once
D: Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (2022) 139m

Unusual story about Chinese immigrant Evelyn Quan (Michelle Yeoh) who, in the midst of her family fracturing and troubles with the IRS, is charged with saving existence by entering the 'Alphaverse'... a place of multiverses where her life choices dictate where she will go. The movie has been nominated for Best Picture at the 2023 Academy Awards, which says a lot about how good it is.