Time Travel: 66

Terminator Genisys (2015), the American science fiction action film, is the fifth installment in the Terminator franchise. Acting as a reboot, it takes a different direction from the original film and disregards events depicted in previous sequels. In 2029, Human Resistance leader John Connor leads a final offensive against Skynet, an artificial general intelligence system set on destroying humanity. However, just before victory is within their grasp, Skynet activates a time machine and sends a T-800/Model 101 Terminator back to 1984 to eliminate John’s mother, Sarah. To protect her, John’s loyal companion Kyle Reese volunteers to go back in time. ...

The film Winter’s Tale (2014), adapted from Mark Helprin’s novel of the same name, tells the story of a young immigrant couple in 1895. Unfortunately, they are denied entry into Manhattan due to their consumption (Tuberculosis). Unable to bring their infant son with them, they are forced to return to their ship, City of Justice. In a desperate act, they place their baby inside a model of the ship and watch him float to shore in New York City. Twenty-one years later, the boy has been raised as a thief by a supernatural demon posing as a gangster named Pearly Soames. When Peter decides to leave Pearly’s ...

The Flash (2014–2023) is an American superhero television series created by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, and Geoff Johns for The CW. It centers around the DC Comics character Barry Allen, who possesses incredible speed and uses it to combat crime. The show takes place in the same fictional universe as Arrow, known as the Arrowverse. After premiering on October 7, 2014, on The CW, it ran for nine seasons until May 24, 2023. Grant Gustin stars as Barry ...

Edge of Tomorrow (2014) is an American science fiction action film directed by Doug Liman and written by Christopher McQuarrie and the writing team of Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, adapted from Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s Japanese novel All You Need Is Kill. The story takes place in a world where an alien race known as ‘Mimics’ have invaded and conquered much of Europe, resulting in the formation of the ...

Directed and co-produced by Bryan Singer and written by Simon Kinberg, X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) is a superhero film based on the Marvel Comics team. The fifth installment in the X-Men series, it serves as both a sequel to 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand and 2011’s X-Men: First Class, as well as a follow-up to 2013’s The Wolverine. Set in a dystopian version of 2023, the film follows robot Sentinels who hunt and kill those with mutant potential or those who protect them. In Moscow, this results in an attack on ...

An animated superhero film, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013), was directed by Jay Oliva and written by Jim Krieg. Based on the 2011 comic book crossover Flashpoint by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert, it follows the story of Barry Allen (aka the Flash). While visiting his mother’s grave, he is interrupted by a break-in at the Flash Museum. Involved in a battle with his enemies – Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, Heat Wave, Mirror Master, and Top ...

About Time (2013), a romantic science fiction comedy-drama film written and directed by Richard Curtis, follows Tim Lake as he grows up in Cornwall. He lives with his father James, mother Mary, absent-minded uncle Desmond, and free-spirited younger sister Katherine (‘Kit Kat’) in a house by the sea. On his 21st birthday, Tim discovers that the men in his family can travel back in time to relive past moments. Although James warns him against using his gift for personal gain, Tim decides to use it to improve his love life. During the summer, Charlotte, Kit Kat’s friend, comes to visit. Tim falls for her ...

Cloud Atlas (2012) is an epic science fiction film helmed by the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer. Adapted from David Mitchell’s 2004 novel, it tells a complex story with multiple plots taking place across six different time periods. As the narrative jumps between these eras, spanning centuries, each storyline gradually reaches a resolution. Interestingly, we see characters from previous eras appear in future ones through their writings. These recurring characters often have changed relationships with one another, with ...

Looper (2012) is an American sci-fi action-thriller film written and directed by Rian Johnson, with production by Ram Bergman and James D. Stern. In 2044, 25-year-old Joe works as a ‘looper’ for a Kansas City crime syndicate, assassinating their enemies who are sent back in time from the future of 2074. This is due to tracking systems that make disposing of bodies undetected nearly impossible. Abe, a man from the future, manages the loopers who kill and dispose of victims with concealed faces in exchange for ...

Source Code (2011), the U.S. science fiction action thriller film directed by Duncan Jones and written by Ben Ripley, follows the story of U.S. Army pilot Captain Colter Stevens as he wakes up on a Metra commuter train headed to Chicago. Confused and disoriented, his last memory was of flying a mission in Afghanistan. However, to those around him, including his friend Christina Warren, he appears to be Sean Fentress, a school teacher. As he shares his confusion with Christina, the train suddenly explodes while passing another train, resulting in the death of all ...

Terminator Salvation (2009) is an American military science fiction action film and the fourth installment of the popular Terminator franchise. It serves as a sequel to Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), while also functioning as a soft reboot. In that same year, Dr. Serena Kogan, of Cyberdyne Systems, persuades death row inmate Marcus Wright to donate his body for medical research after his execution. Later on, Skynet – a highly advanced automated system – becomes self-aware and perceives humans as a threat to its existence, triggering a nuclear holocaust known as ‘Judgment Day’. In 2018, John Connor leads an assault ...

The American science fiction action film, Star Trek (2009), was directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Serving as the 11th installment in the Star Trek franchise, it marks a reboot featuring a new cast portraying the main characters from the original television series. In the year 2233, while investigating a mysterious ‘lightning storm’ in space, the Federation starship USS Kelvin is unexpectedly attacked by a Romulan ship called Narada. The commanding officer of Narada, ...

Released by Walt Disney Pictures, Meet the Robinsons (2007) is an animated science-fiction comedy film. The story follows Lewis, a 12-year-old aspiring inventor who resides in an orphanage. His youthful exuberance, quirky personality, and faulty creations have discouraged potential adoptive parents. In order to find his birth mother who left him at the orphanage as a baby, Lewis constructs a memory-scanning machine. While en route to his school’s science fair with the machine, he encounters Wilbur Robinson, a mysterious 13-year-old claiming to be from the future. Wilbur explains that he needs help retrieving a stolen time machine from a man sporting a bowler ...

Déjà Vu (2006) is a American thriller film directed by Tony Scott, written by Bill Marsilii and Terry Rossio, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. In New Orleans, a ferry carrying U.S. Navy sailors and their families during Mardi Gras explodes, resulting in the death of 543 individuals. Doug Carlin, an ATF Special Agent, uncovers proof of a bomb planted by a domestic terrorist while examining the body of Claire Kuchever. Although she was believed to have died in the explosion, ...

The film The Lake House (2006) is a fantasy romance directed by Alejandro Agresti, with David Auburn as the writer. That same year, Kate Forster, a doctor, leaves her rental lake house near Chicago and begins working at a downtown hospital. In order to make sure her mail gets forwarded, she leaves a note in the mailbox. She also mentions the pawprints on the front walkway and a box in the attic that were there when she moved in. Two years prior, architect Alex Wyler moves into the same lake house and discovers Kate’s letter. Confused, he realizes there are no pawprints ...

The Jacket (2005), an American science-fiction psychological thriller film directed by John Maybury, begins with Jack Starks as an active soldier in the Gulf War. Through his voice-over, we learn that he was 27 when he died for the first time. While on duty, he is ambushed and shot in the head by a young boy. One year later, Jack is portrayed as a solitary figure, hitch-hiking along a snowy road. He comes across a broken-down pick up truck occupied by Jean Price, an intoxicated mother, and her daughter who appears to be around eight or ten years old. Despite Jean’s erratic behavior and vomiting episodes, the girl ...

The Butterfly Effect (2004) is an American sci-fi thriller written and directed by Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber. Growing up, Evan Treborn and his friends, Lenny Kagan and Kayleigh Miller, along with Kayleigh’s brother Tommy, experienced numerous psychological traumas that often left Evan with amnesia. These events included being coerced into participating in George Miller’s abusive behavior towards his children, being nearly strangled by his institutionalized father Jason Treborn (who is then killed by guards), accidentally causing the death of a mother and ...

If Only (2004) is a romantic fantasy drama film directed by Gil Junger and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Paaul Nicholls. Ian Wyndham is a British businessman living in London with his American musician girlfriend, Samantha Andrews. The movie follows them throughout a day filled with various mishaps – from Samantha getting burned on a kettle, to Ian’s watch breaking, to Coca-Cola staining Samantha’s clothes, and Ian struggling to focus during an important work meeting due to interruptions from Samantha. ...

Lost (2004–2010) is an American sci-fi adventure drama series developed by Jeffrey Lieber, J. J. Abrams, and Damon Lindelof for ABC, running from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010 for six seasons and a total of 121 episodes. The show incorporates supernatural elements and chronicles the lives of the survivors of a commercial flight from Sydney to Los Angeles that crashes on an enigmatic island in the South Pacific Ocean. Each episode delves into a main storyline on the island while also featuring flashbacks or ...

The fantasy film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), was directed by Alfonso Cuarón, with a screenplay by Steve Kloves. It is based on the 1999 novel of the same name written by J.K. Rowling. Once again, Harry Potter endures a disappointing summer with his relatives, the Dursleys. However, things take a turn for the worse on his thirteenth birthday when Vernon’s sister Marge insults Harry’s parents in a cruel manner. Enraged, Harry causes her to inflate and float away. Believing he will be punished ...