Time travel is a staple of science fiction, comprising one of the most popular and common subgenres. Stories of time travel satisfy viewers’ yearning for understanding of the past and present, or appeal to one’s desire to expand the limits of science to do the seemingly impossible. However, time travel movies aren’t always so neat and satisfying.

Some movies strive to genuinely explore the science of time travel, while others capitalize on the many complex factors that arise from such a phenomenon, including changes in timelines, paradoxes, and infinite time loops. The result can be both thrilling and overwhelming. Sometimes, viewers won’t want to return to these movies either because the cerebral challenge is so visceral or because the mind-bending twists and turns can only be fully appreciated in their entirety once.

10 In The Butterfly Effect, Small Changes Create Mass Confusion

What Starts as a Drama Turns Into an Ever-Changing Timeline

Close

The Butterfly Effect begins as a drama, exploring the lives of four friends grappling with the lasting effects of a shared trauma. When one member of the group, Evan (Ashton Kutcher), realizes he can travel back in time, he attempts to change their fate, but finds that each change has unexpected and uncontrollable impacts on the future.

In theory, the premise of The Butterfly Effect seems straightforward: every tiny action has greater future ramifications. However, the film becomes confusing because it lacks a clear cause-and-effect relationship. Often, it seems that there is no connection between past actions and the seemingly random outcome in the future. The constantly shifting timeline, random outcomes, and Evan’s vaguely explained abilities make The Butterfly Effect a surreal, confusing ride.

Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 The Butterfly Effect Release Date January 23, 2004 Runtime 113 minutes Cast See All Elden Henson

Ashton Kutcher

Melora Walters

William Lee Scott

9 The Time Loop Never Ends in Triangle

The Film’s Horrifying Events Play Out Again and Again

Image via Icon Productions

Triangle utilizes a time travel premise to paint a disturbing horror story. In the film, Jess (Melissa George), an overwhelmed mother of an autistic son, seeks some time away by embarking on a boat trip with friends. Things take a dark turn when the crew comes across an abandoned but eerily familiar ship.

Related 10 Nearly Perfect Sci-Fi Movies Held Back by 1 Scene The sci-fi genre can be difficult to craft cinematically, where some intricate sci-fi films lose themselves due to a handful of poorly executed scenes

At first, audiences may not even realize that there’s a time travel element to Triangle, which adds to the confusion. As time goes on, they’ll recognize she’s stuck in some hellish, Sisyphean loop. However, the exact cycle of the cruise varies, making it difficult to grasp. Meanwhile, the final reveal of why the loop is happening comes with an emotional punch that can’t be replicated.

Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Triangle Release Date October 16, 2009 Runtime 99 Minutes Cast See All Melissa George

Michael Dorman

Rachael Carpani

Henry Nixon

8 Source Code’s Complexities Are Whittled Down to Eight Minutes

Its Logic Is Hard to Decipher

Image by Summit Entertainment

Source Code’s premise revolves around eight minutes. Eight minutes is all Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) has to enter the consciousness of Sean Fentress (Frédérick De Grandpré) before the man dies in a bomb attack. While his mission is to identify the bomber, he becomes convinced he can stop the attack from occurring.

The film is often confounding, especially when one tries to wrap their mind around how Stevens enters a dead man’s mind for eight minutes and the logic behind this act. Source Code’s ending is also mind-boggling, as viewers only realize after the fact the endless connotations that come with Stevens’ actions, making it a movie that sticks with one well after just one watch.

Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Source Code Release Date April 1, 2011 Runtime 93 Minutes Cast See All Jake Gyllenhaal

Michelle Monaghan

Vera Farmiga

Jeffrey Wright

7 Timecrimes Is Both Clever and Twisted

A Low-Budget Sci-Fi Film With a Mind-Bending Premise

Image via Karbo Vantas Entertainment

Timecrimes is a mind-bending time travel film centered on a man named Hector (Karra Elejalde), who spots a woman in danger in the forest. When he runs to help her, he’s attacked by an assailant in bandages and finds refuge in a time machine. Unwittingly, the time machine results in multiple Hectors with disastrous results.

While Timecrimes is a low-budget sci-fi movie, it’s also a very clever one that delves into causal loops and accidental time travel. Viewers will find it difficult to keep all the Hectors straight and make sense of the loop as Timecrimes is clever, but also often dark, absurd, and filled with bizarre twists and turns.

Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Timecrimes Release Date December 12, 2008 Runtime 92 minutes Cast See All Karra Elejalde

Candela Fernández

Barbara Goenaga

Nacho Vigalondo

6 12 Monkeys Is a Thrilling Dystopian Puzzle

With a Tangled, Convoluted Loop

Close

12 Monkeys combines time travel with a dystopian premise, examining a humanity ravaged by a deadly virus. In 2035, prisoner James Cole (Bruce Willis) is selected to travel back in time and find a cure for the virus, but runs into numerous complications.

Related This 28-Minute Short French Film Inspired a 90s Thriller Classic 12 Monkeys is a well-known 90s classic, but its inspiration is a little-known French film, La Jetée.

The film is confusing because audiences struggle to grasp the concept that one can’t actually go back and change the past, as it has already happened. This concept is known as a closed loop, where a time traveler’s actions in the past are already part of the timeline, resulting in an unchangeable circumstance. Ultimately, viewers who struggle to grasp this concept will find it challenging to understand 12 Monkeys, making the ending feel flat and confusing.

Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 12 Monkeys Release Date January 5, 1996 Runtime 129minutes Cast See All Joseph Melito

Bruce Willis

Jon Seda

Michael Chance

5 One Person Sparks Infinite Paradoxes in Predestination

And a Mind-Blowing Twist Leaves You Rethinking Everything

Image via Stage 6 Films

Predestination is another film that dives deep into the closed loop and predestination paradox. In the movie, Agent Doe (Ethan Hawke) is a temporal agent utilizing time travel to attempt to stop the notorious Fizzle Bomber from carrying out his attacks. His mission to identify the Fizzle Bomber leads him to startling truths about himself.

The film is confusing for the same reason as 12 Monkeys, but what makes it particularly striking is just how far it is willing to dive into time travel paradoxes. While confusing, Predestination pulls off its final reveal quite well, fundamentally changing the entire film and making it practically obsolete to rewatch.

Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Predestination 10.0/10 Release Date January 9, 2015 Runtime 97 minutes Cast See All Ethan Hawke the Bartender

Sarah Snook The Unmarried Mother

4 Interstellar Is an Overwhelming Blend of Science and Emotion

The Deep Dive Into Black Holes and Time Dilation Is Hard to Grasp

Image via Warner Bros.

Filmmaker Christopher Nolan is known for his mind-bending, confusing sci-fi films, and Interstellar is no exception. The film follows a group of astronauts on a mission to explore three planets in hopes of finding a new home for humanity as Earth slowly becomes unlivable.

Although the premise doesn’t sound complicated, Interstellar becomes much more confusing given that the method of travel is through a wormhole, which results in time elapsing differently for different characters. Furthermore, the inclusion of a tesseract, in which time is treated as a physical dimension, further complicates the story. While multiple watches may be required to fully grasp Interstellar’s complex sci-fi concepts, its complexity and almost three-hour runtime may make it a one-and-done deal for viewers.

Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Interstellar 8.8/10 Release Date November 7, 2014 Runtime 169 Minutes Cast See All Matthew McConaughey

Anne Hathaway

3 Donnie Darko Is Like a Time Travel Fever Dream

Where Time Travel, Alternate Realities, and Teen Angst Collide

Image via United Artists

Donnie Darko unfolds like a time-travel fever dream, with its absurd premise of a teenage Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) who receives a warning from a monstrous rabbit about the impending end of the world. Afterward, he discovers that a jet engine with unknown origins has landed in his bedroom, sending him on a surreal mission to uncover the truth about what’s happening.

It’s a movie where audiences may struggle to even identify the time travel component as it appears in the form of multiple timelines. Some viewers may watch Donnie Darko and remain none the wiser about its meaning at the end, though the first-time surreal, fever-dream experience of watching it may be enough to satisfy them.

Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Donnie Darko Release Date October 26, 2001 Runtime 113 minutes Cast See All Jake Gyllenhaal

Holmes Osborne

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Daveigh Chase

2 Tenet Is Visually Stunning and Exceedingly Hard to Follow

Time Inversion Makes for a Thrilling but Confusing Premise

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Tenet is another complex time travel film from Christopher Nolan. The film centers on the Protagonist (John David Washington), a CIA agent recruited by the secretive Tenet organization, which experiments with time inversion. The organization tasks Protagonist with tracing the origins of inverted objects in hopes of preventing a global conflict.

Related 10 Movies That Were Too Clever For Their Own Good Some movies are so clever and artistically daring that they accidentally alienate audiences.

Tenet is arguably Nolan’s most complex and confusing sci-fi film. It’s especially confusing because it doesn’t feature any kind of traditional time travel; instead, it introduces a form of time manipulation known as reverse entropy. Additionally, since the concept of reverse entropy isn’t supported by science, Tenet is largely pseudoscience that won’t add up for most viewers, even on a rewatch.

Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Tenet Release Date September 3, 2020 Runtime 150 minutes Cast See All Kenneth Branagh

John David Washington

Michael Caine

Robert Pattinson

1 Primer Doesn’t Put Its Complex Concepts in Layman’s Terms

Primer Is as Dense and Challenging as Time Travel Cinema Gets

Close

Primer tells the story of Abe (David Sullivan) and Aaron (Shane Carruth), two tech entrepreneurs who conduct experiments out of Aaron’s garage. When they accidentally build a time machine, they use it to profit from stock trades, but soon begin to notice physical and temporal consequences.

Primer is one of the most realistic sci-fi time travel films, delving deeply into technology and scientific concepts rather than leaning into fantasy. Its realism is likely due to director Carruth’s background in mathematics and engineering. The only caveat is that Carruth opted not to simplify the math and engineering concepts in the film, resulting in heavy technical terms and a dense premise that most viewers won’t want to wade through twice.