5 underrated time travel movies

 

Today is the 40th anniversary of one of my favorite movies ever, Back To The Future. I can't say enough good things about the first film and the franchise. 

While I get ready to pop my popcorn and watch the film like I've never seen it. And the concept of time travel, here are 5 underrated time travel films. While some of these are considered well liked films, they just do not get the credit they deserve. Away we go!

Totally Killer

This 2023 Amazon original, produced by the modern day horror guru in Jason Blum. Follows a young lady named Jamie, when her mom is murdered by a figure very similar to a mass murderer in town 30 plus years ago. In the process she has access to a newly built home made time machine, and accidentally sends herself back to 1987.

There, she works to change the events of the past to save her future. It's campy almost B-movie quality, and 100 % 80's culture and horror inspired. It's also a mindless good time.

Frequency 

This 2000 film starring Dennis Quaid and Jim Cavaziel, follows the two as a father and son Frank and John Sullivan communicating across time. That's right through the power of a ham radio, the two communicate in 1969 and 1999 respectively. When John helps his father prevent a mishap in the original timeline.

The butterfly effect comes into play, and other things that were supposed to happen did not. The two then must collaborate across time to fix some of those mistakes, while making sure everyone is happy without giving too much away.

The Adam Project

This 2022 Netflix film stars Ryan Reynolds as a fighter pilot in the year 2050. He uses time travel with the intention of heading to 2018, but crash lands in 2022. There he meets his 12 year old self who is going through a rough time in his life.

Together the two team together to heal and thrawt an assassination attempt on his future wife. The movie pays homage to several 80's films and has some good action, but can be clunky at times and was given a bad rap.

Men In Black 3

After 2002's absymal Men In Black 2 all seemed lost for the franchise. 10 years though they righted the ship of Men In Black. This 2012 film follows Will Smith's Agent J traveling back in time, to save Agent K from an assassination.

Traveling to 1969 he interacts with a younger Agent K, played by Josh Brolin. Brolin does a perfect dead pan impersonation of Tommy Lee Jones. The film has some emotional moments to go along with the laughs, and action scenes. It's use of time travel makes sense as well, and doesnt over complicate it.

See You Yesterday 

Released in 2019 and produced by Spike Lee, See You Yesterday was timely and dare I say ahead of it's time. The film follows a teen science prodigy who invents a time machine via a backpack (damn good time travel device by the way).

When her brother is killed by overzealous police, she uses the device to go back in time to save him. Always ending up in a endless loop that changes the situation. She learns the harsh lesson of messing with time and fate in the process.

Read More

Five Of The Best Time Travel Devices

This week mark's 40 years of the first Back To The Future movie, featuring one of the most beloved time travel devices in film ever. The 1980's "cool" car a DeLorean with the gullwing doors, transformed into a time machine by one Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). In honor of the 40th anniversary I started thinking about other practical and cool time travel devices, I present to you all 5 of the best time travel devices in film entertainment. 

Photo Booth-When We First Met

Cameras of any type, disposal, instant, 360 cameras and more all capture a moment in time. So it is both brilliant and make's sense that a photo booth would be a time machine. That's exactly what one became in the 2018 Netflix film When We First Met. Starring Adam Devine (Pitch Perfect, The Righteous Gemstones), one of those "oh him" actors and Alexandra Daddrio (Baywatch, San Andreas). Devine plays a young man who meets the girl of his friends, falls into the friend zone, and through the magic power of the photo booth. Relives the same day until he get's out of the friend zone.

Turnstile-Tenet

                                       

Another brilliant time travel device that actually makes sense. Tenet is a 2020 mind bending film directed by Christopher Nolan (2000's Batman films, Inception). As such it's concept of time travel and how it works can be convoluted and confusing, but one thing they got right in my opinion is the turnstile. Starring John David Washington and Robert Pattison, Tenent deal's with time travel in the concept of time inversion. Meaning traveling subjects can only go back in time, there's a purpose behind it but it's a windy road to get there. 

The idea of a turnstile being your entry point into time travel is a freaking genius idea to me. 

Rocket Pod-Time Cop

1994's Timecop is one of Jean Claude Van Damme's better films during his 90's action hero run. While all time travel movies can become convoluted and confusing, the rules of time travel in this one are fairly straight forward. In this film time travel is possible and governed by a federal agency, time travel agents use little pod's with rocket jet power to flow through time. And once those pod's kicked off, the occupant was in another period of time in a matter of seconds. 

Now the only thing that never made sense was that once they entered the time period they traveled to. The pod was no more and they would appear out of thin air on foot. Very, very confusing but the pod as a travel device was cool as hell.

Hot Tub-Hot Tub Time Machine

Probably the funniest thing to be used as a time travel device because it's so far out there. The hot tub in 2010's Hot Tub Time Machine is one of my favorite time travel devices. Which make's it even more out there, is that the time machine only worked, because the group of friends accidentally doused it with some energy drink. Allowing them to wake up in 1986, as their younger selves to everyone else but still remembering the 20 plus years of their life in the future. They set out to stay on the right track but make some changes for the better.

Phone Booth-Bill & Ted

The Bill & Ted Franchise is probably my second favorite time travel franchise next to Back To The Future. To be honest they maybe neck and neck, because I love both film series for different reasons and can watch them over and over. The phone booth in the Bill and Ted film's is a very smart time travel device. When the film came out in 1989, phone booth's were everywhere so the device is practical, convenient and could hide in plain sight. There was a complete system in place on how to dial the keypad to get to the right period in time.

Now as the first film displayed 2 people in there could be one too many people, let alone more than 3. Now I know some Doctor Who fans would say Tardis is a better time machine, but damnit I'm sticking with the good ol phone booth with this one.

Read More