Time travel has been a key part of pop culture ever since the English writer H. G. Wells wrote about it in his 1895 novel,The Time Machine. Over the years, many movies have used the concept to tell fascinating stories, with the majority of them falling under the sci-fi genre since scientific theories are normally required to explain why a character is able to move across different time periods. Occasionally, magical elements have also been cited as the reason.
Today, the majority of time travel movies come from American studios, but other territories haven’t lagged behind in this particular area. Film industries from Europe, Australia, Asia, and South America have all churned out marvelous projects that properly explore the benefits and complexities that come with hopping from one era to the next.
10Returner (2002)
Directed by the prolific Takashi Yamazaki,Returnergets right into the action and stays there. In the first few minutes, Milly, a Japanese soldier from 2084 is shown fighting the alien race known as Daggra and within a short time, she enters a portal and goes back to 2002. Her mission is to kill the first-ever member of the Daggra alien race so that the creature doesn’t signal others of its kind to join him on Earth and conquer it.
‘The future is in your hands” are the final words she hears before going back to the past, and with that declaration, the stakes are raised even higher. Plot-wise,Returnerbears some kinship with manypopular alien invasion moviesbut its spin-in-the-air gunplay and extended hand-to-hand combat scenes help distinguish it from the rest. And as if the problem at hand isn’t big enough, Yamazaki throws in a mob-related subplot where Milly finds herself feuding with a deranged mob boss whose idea of silencing crying babies is shooting them.
9The Infinite Man (2014)
Cinema is packed with desperate and frantic characters. Yet, none is more pitiable thanThe Infinite Man’s, Dean, who is eager to ensure he doesn’t lose his girlfriend, Lana, to her ex-boyfriend, Terry, while on vacation. His solution is to use a time machine to take them back to when they had a perfect date, but the move greatly backfires and instead pulls in alternate versions of all three characters.
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A decision that was initially made with the best of intentions thus ends up complicating things even further. For example, Terry B ends up fighting with Dean A, who is searching for Lana C, who happens to be avoiding Dean B. It does get a little confusing at times, but the outcomes provide important lessons about love and decision-making in relationships, especially the fact that not everything can be fixed. Nonetheless, it’s hard not to be awed by Dean’s innovativeness and spirited efforts to save a dying relationship.
8Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future (1973)
A Hollywood project from the ‘80s with the same title as a Russian movie from the ‘70s might raise eyebrows but thewild plot ofBack To The Futureborrows nothing fromIvan Vasilievich: Back to the Future. Based on Mikhail Bulgakov’s play of the same name, the latter focuses on the inventor, Aleksandr Timofeev, who accidentally sends his landlord back in the past while constructing a time machine. A reverse effect also happens when Ivan The Terrible arrives in the modern-day Soviet Union and begins causing havoc.
Ivan and the landlord just so happen to look alike so the film shines by presenting all the hilarious scenarios from cases of mistaken identity. In the past, the landlord somehow enjoys his new responsibility and tries his best to channel the tyrant’s mannerisms, specifically his rage, and unreasonableness. In the present, the real Ivan constantly gets irked by the chaotic nature of the developed world. The drama aside,Ivan Vasilievich: Back To The Futureis visually stunning. The events in the 16th century are set in beautiful locations and perfectly showcase the kind of opulence that rulers enjoyed in the era.
7Tomorrow I’ll Wake Up and Scald Myself With Tea (1977)
A perfect amalgamation of comedy, science, and history,Tomorrow I’ll Wake Up and Scald Myself With Teafollows a group of Hitler fanatics in a future timeline where time-travel machines are being commercially used. Unhappy with how events played out in history, they travel back in order to supply the Nazi leader with a hydrogen bomb to enable him to win World War II. Thankfully, fate won’t let them have their way, so everything that could go wrong does indeed go wrong.
The biggest dilemma arises when their pilot chokes up on a croissant while having breakfast and dies, leaving them with no option but to throw away the original plan and improvise. Several other slapstick moments follow, and they all stem from the mistakes that the main characters of the Czech film keep making. There are also several moments when they question the morality of all of it, leaving audiences wondering whether they will go through with the plan. And the decision they eventually make turns out to be a somewhat unpredictable one.
6The Man From the Future (2011)
Humans rarely forget humiliating moments and when the celebrated Brazilian physicist João Zero learns that the renewable energy machine he created can take him to the past, he is quick to change on major moment. Back in his early ’90s, Zero was humiliated by his girlfriend at a college party, and so he makes an effort to prevent her from doing that. He also gives her incentive to choose him over her bad boy ex, Ricardo, telling her is going to be rich in the future.
Though things eventually go wrong for him inThe Man From the Future, Zero impresses throughout the movie, and that’s largely because he is played by the very talented Wagner Moura (best known for portraying Pablo Escobar inNarcos). Interestingly, drugs are also a major part of the plot, with Ricardo being the main supplier. Most importantly, it’s refreshing to see a time-travel movie where the protagonist is more interested in changing his own life rather than saving the world.
5Secret (2007)
For a directorial debut,Secretis remarkable. The Taiwanese film — which was created by the musician Jay Chou — follows pianist Ye Xianglun, who falls in love with a girl at a music academy only for her to disappear. Xi later finds a photo of her from 1979 in which she still looks the same as she does now. Curious, he goes on a quest to find out what really happened.
The key to journeying across different time periods all lies in the piano and this is a welcome deviation from the genre monotony of characters having to rely on time travel machines and portals. Overall, what will fascinate audiences the most is the attention to detail. For example, there is a certain combination of keys that someone has to press in order to time-travel. In addition to that, only one person can see the time traveler, and that’s the first person that they come into contact with.
4Timecrimes (2007)
It takes a special sort of skill to create a captivating story out of only five speaking characters and two locations but Spanish director Nacho Vigalondo pulls it off effortlessly inTimecrimes. The mayhem begins when the voyeuristic Hector spies on a naked woman in the woods only to be chased by a bandaged villain. A scientist hides him in a tank and when he steps out, he realizes time has reversed by an hour.
The plot is made even better by the fact that Hector is eager to go home (he always has problems with his wife when he shows up late). He, therefore, tries to get out of the paradoxical quagmire quickly, but things end up getting more complicated. It’s a low-budget flick, with Viaglondo even playing the scientist himself, yet the story remains so gripping that one barely notices the lack of special effects or deliberate minimization of sets.
3Happy as Lazarro (2018)
Happy as Lazarro’stitle is meant to be ironic since it’s arguably one of the saddest time travel movies ever made. It starts out as a story about oppression and in the early minutes, Lazarro is shown to be one of the many workers at an Italian tobacco estate. His boss, a tycoon known as the Queen of Cigarettes mistreats everyone but Lazarro remains happy and optimistic. One day, he falls off a cliff and when he wakes up, he realizes he has been transported many years into the future.
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In this new timeline, it’s implied that despite her condescending nature, the Queen of Estates was perhaps the best thing to happen to the villagers. Most of them are now older and have resorted to crime after the businesswoman was jailed. For Lazarro, the realization that his brother has lost all his fortune to foreclosure bites even harder, and so he tries to confront the bankers, a move that ends tragically.
2Time Bandits (1981)
Time Banditssubstitutes science for fantasy, with the events kicking off after a group of six dwarves from the past crash into Young Kevin’s bedroom. Apparently, his wardrobe is a time-travel portal that he didn’t know about and upon discovering this, he gladly joins them on their missions meant to plunder different kinds of treasures from different timelines. It’s definitely a move any kid would make hence this turns out to be a movie every kid and their parent would enjoy.
Terry Gilliam’s steady hands make the directorial work flawless and when it comes to the performances, Sean Connery and Craig Warnock easily switch between solemnity and hilarity, There’s more good news too, since aTime BanditsTV show has been greenlitfor Apple TV+, meaning that those who’ve watched the British masterpiece and wished for more will finally have something new to check out.
1The Visitors (1993)
The Visitorsstill holds the record as the 13th highest-grossing French film and the captivating storyline is a major reason why many people bought tickets. In it, the Count of Apremont persuades a sorcerer to send him back in time to the moment before he accidentally killed a Duke. Instead, he and his squire are transported to 1992 where they become both fascinated and infuriated by the modern world.
The movie is packed with visual gags, and every few minutes, the characters get to collide with just about every prop. Additionally, their awkward interactions with their ancestors make for excellent viewing and so do the silly facial expressions. So good isThe Visitorsthat it even birthed several sequels, and it sure has a strong case for inclusion amongthe greatest French films of all time.
