The time loop/time travel subgenre is one that has captivated audiences for decades. Whatever the genre may be, the concept of having to repeat some element of the story multiple times over the course of a single film makes for a special kind of watch. The elements of mystery, strategy, and ultimate annoyance that the characters feel certainly permeate through the screen when tackled effectively. Let’s take a look at some of the best time loop/travel movies that we’ve gotten over the years, and talk about why they work so well.
Groundhog Day
‘Groundhog Day’ Credit: Columbia Pictures
You all knew this one was coming. Groundhog Day follows Bill Murray’s Phil Connors, a cynical weatherman who finds himself stuck reliving the same day over and over while on assignment to report Punxsutawney Phil’s verdict on, you guessed it… Groundhog Day.
While the film is obviously a laugh-out-loud comedy and utilizes Bill Murray’s drier sensibilities beautifully, what makes the film so special is how well it balances these elements with a genuine exploration of philosophy.
The reasoning behind the time loop itself, as well as its mechanics are far from the central focus of the film. Phil Connors isn’t exactly the most model citizen in the entire world at the start of the story. Being able to follow him through his various trials and tribulations, and to use the comedy at the center as a concrete metaphor for self-improvement and treating others better, is exactly the kind of thing all comedies should be doing.
Not to say that there isn’t room for dumb fun every once in a while, because obviously there is. But if you have the chance to make the audience laugh, and really look inside themselves while doing so, why wouldn’t you take that chance?
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’Credit: Warner Bros.
Franchise fan favorite, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was helmed by auteur filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón in 2004, and features one of the finest time loop sequences to ever grace the silver screen.
In the film, Harry and Hermione find themselves having to go back in time to not only save the beloved hippogriff, Buckbeak, from execution, but also Harry’s godfather, Sirius Black, from a similar fate under a false conviction. The entire third act of the film consists of the two characters retracing their steps throughout key moments in the film, giving context to some of the more strange, unexplainable occurrences that happened throughout.
If nothing else, one key visual callback during this sequence is what really cements Azkaban as one of the greats. Around halfway through the film, a confrontation occurs between Hermione and Malfoy on the hill above Hagrid’s hut. There is a medium close-up shot of Hermione in this scene as she holds Malfoy at wand-point that obscures the entrance to the school behind her. It is revealed during the time travel sequence that future Harry and Hermione had been watching this confrontation from that exact entrance to the school. To add a cherry on top, eagle-eyed viewers will be able to spot during the first confrontation halfway through the film, during a wide shot of the whole view, future Hermione’s hand briefly exposes itself through the exit door before being pulled back by future Harry. And at the exact moment in time, it happens near the end of the film.
There are plenty of other easter eggs to note throughout the film that are a joy to catch, but it’s moments like these that remind us why this story structure can be one of the best when gone about properly.
Edge of Tomorrow
‘Edge of Tomorrow’Credit: Warner Bros.
One of the most widely disputed film titles of the 2010s, Doug Liman’s Edge of Tomorrow (referred to in some circles as Live, Die, Repeat), takes the concept of Groundhog Day and warps it into a Tom Cruise sci-fi action thrill ride. That alone sounds like the coolest thing since sliced bread, but what makes the film work so well is its writing in the first act.
Tom Cruise’s Bill Cage dies a lot in the first half hour of this movie. Like, a lot, a lot. He’s randomly thrown into battle and is killed within minutes, but on his first go around, he takes down an alien with him that throws him into his time loop. There is really effective comedy based around the absurdity of his situation, amongst all of the cool action. But what’s most suave about the first act of Edge of Tomorrow is that it knows when to put the shtick to the side.
After around half a dozen attempts in battle, the viewer could potentially start to question where the film could be headed. That’s where Emily Blunt’s character comes in. Right before Cage dies again, he is instructed by her character to find her when his timeline resets. How does she know who he is? How does she know he’s stuck in a loop? There is an immediate sense of mystery added that the film wisely chooses to pivot its focus towards. The stakes are raised, since Cage will inevitably be alive for longer periods of time, and the actual adventure changes course. That is some really good writing.
Looper
‘Looper’Credit: Sony Pictures/TriStar
While there’s next to no actual time-travel shown by central characters in Looper, it remains integral to the story’s inciting incident. Rian Johnson’s high-concept, yet grittily grounded sci-fi thriller takes place in a world where time travel hasn’t been invented yet. But it will be in about 60 years. When Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Joe is sent back in time as his older self (Bruce Willis) to be assassinated by his present-day self, an adventure ensues.
Rian Johnson is a filmmaker who can be most defined by his subversion of audience expectations. His entry to the Star Wars universe, The Last Jedi, has since proven to be one of the most consequential blockbusters of all time with regard to how they’re produced and what they prioritize. Which is mostly thanks to his jumbling of what audiences expected out of that film.
Looper sees a lot of these sentiments being put into practice earlier in his career with regard to character choices and how the film inevitably concludes. There are a lot of moving parts that get the characters where they want to go, and in an effort to avoid spoilers, we’ll avoid dissecting them for now. But needless to say, it’s hard to guess where Looper is going on a first watch, despite its incredibly natural-feeling pace.
