8 Simplest Explanations Sci-Fi Movies Have Given Us About Time Travel

Time travel movies are a staple of the sci-figenre, but they can often be over-complicated at best and nonsensical at worst. Some science fiction movies take too long to explain the fundamentals of their time travel plots, and even more of these films explain too much, pulling supposed facts out of thin air and creating narratives that are hard to follow. Despite the prevalence of this sub-genre, there are very few movies that get time travel right.

However, some time travel movies choose to keep things simple, either quickly explaining the time travel in their plots or focusing on other aspects of the film. These movies are often character-driven or simple fun, creating time travel movies that ignore the genre's tropes. Not only are these movies fun, but they offer a fresh breath of air compared to the time travel genre's complicated adventures.

8 A Machine Is Sent To The Future On A Mission To Change The Past

The Time Machine (2002)

When the fiancée of inventor Alexander Hartdegen is tragically killed in a mugging gone wrong, Alexander dedicates his life to creating a time machine that will allow him to save her life. However, when he does go back to protect her from her untimely death, she is killed once again in a carriage accident. This prompts Alexander to travel further and further into the future, desperately searching for a way to save the love of his life.

The Time Machine is a 2002 remake of the original 1960 film, which was originally adapted from a novel by H. G. Wells.

The plot of The Time Machine plays out as a slow exploration of the rules of time travel in this film's universe. Alexander's desperate search for answers is ultimately met with tragedy, not only discovering the poor state of humanity in the future, but also that he will never be able to save his love. Because she is the reason he created the time machine in the first place, her death is necessary to allow him to time travel at all and would create a paradox if she survived.

7 Time Travel Only Makes Alternate Timelines

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe made its jump into the time travel sub-genre with Avengers: Endgame, a film that many consider to be the ultimate entry in the long-running movie franchise. Following the events of Thanos' victory in Avengers: Infinity War, Tony Stark and the rest of the Avengers make it their mission to rewrite what has already occurred and bring back the people Thanos has killed. They do this by going back in time to gather the Infinity Stones, bringing them to the present day.

Time travel works a little differently in Avengers: Endgame than it does in other films, but it is explained in simple terms. Instead of changing the past by going back in time, the act of changing the past causes a separate timeline to split off, with time progressing differently only in that timeline. This will not change the future for the main timeline, but it does allow the Avengers to jump back in time, grab the Infinity Stones, and then use them in the modern day.

6 Alien Blood Puts Cage Into A Time Loop

Edge Of Tomorrow (2014)

Taking place in the middle of a war between humankind and an alien race known as "Mimics," Edge of Tomorrow focuses on Major William Cage as he struggles to fight back against the alien threat. During the battle, he kills an Alpha Mimic and is covered in its blood, but is mortally wounded in the process. After his death, he wakes up at the beginning of the day, caught in a time loop that will only end when the Omega Mimic controlling the loop is killed.

The time travel seen in Edge of Tomorrow is radically different from most others in the genre, focusing on a time loop shared by an entire invading army. Cage enters the time loop by sharing blood with the Alpha Mimic he initially kills, saving his own life and later the lives of his comrades. Now with the possibility of an Edge of Tomorrow sequel on the horizon, the hope that this unique sort of time loop will return is alive and well.

5 You Can't Really Change The Future

12 Monkeys (1996)

12 Monkeys is an incredible depiction of time travel, following the story of a convicted criminal named James Cole who is sent back in time as a part of his sentence. This is done in an effort to save the world, which has suffered at the hands of a terrible virus that has essentially made the planet uninhabitable. However, no matter how many times he is sent back in time, there is nothing he can do to prevent the virus from being released.

12 Monkeys has since been remade in the form of a popular Syfy TV series, running for 4 seasons and radically changing the original narrative.

Time travel is unreliable in 12 Monkeys, something that points directly to the main theme of the movie. James is sent to the wrong year several times throughout the film, first sent back to 1990 as opposed to 1996 and later even World War I. The time travel shown in 12 Monkeys is simple in the way that it is inaccurate, and the film makes it clear that there is no changing the past, and nothing that James does can alter the fact that the virus will release in the future.

4 Time Travel Runs In The Family

About Time (2013)

One of many beloved time travel romance movies, About Time tells the love story of Tim Lake who, along with his male family members, can travel through time. He does this by closing himself in a cramped, dark place, usually a closet, and thinking back to the day he would like to time travel back to. This allows Tim to improve his love life, leading him to meet his true love, Mary.

The time travel mechanic in About Time is one of the most simple, but it is also central to the plot of the film. Tim is restricted to only moving backwards, allowing him to relive days that he has already experienced with no opportunity to move forward. While being easy to understand, this also allows the movie to focus on the idea that time is valuable, and that people should value the moments they have with the people they love.

3 The Iconic DeLorean Allows The Cast To Time Travel

Back To The Future (1985)

Back to the Future and its subsequent sequels are some of the most recognizable time travel movies of all time, cataloging the adventures of Marty McFly as he travels back in time in the iconic DeLorean time travel car. However, Marty's presence in the past quickly begins to change the present. The film continues as Marty desperately tries to get his parents together, ensuring his birth and allowing the future to happen as intended.

The DeLorean is what allows Marty to time travel in Back to the Future, and its mechanics seem quite simple compared to many different time travel movies. All it requires is plutonium to operate, though finding the plutonium to run the DeLorean is a problem Marty quickly runs into. Marty and Doc Brown fix this by instead harnessing the power of a lightning bolt, allowing Marty to travel back to the future.

2 A Phone Booth Allows Them To Time Travel

Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

One of Keanu Reeves' most lovable early films, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is a remarkably simple time travel story with an easy-to-follow story and logic. Facing a history test that could alter the course of history, Bill and Ted must pass their class to assure that their music changes the world for the better. They are assisted by a man named Rufus, who travels back in time to meet them and show Bill and Ted the world's history firsthand.

Taking notes from the TV series Doctor Who and the similar space-faring phone booth that the show made so famous, time traveling in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure relies solely on the machinery that makes it work. All they need to time travel is a phone booth with the right technology, as well as a phone booth that tells them where to go. It is all very simple, needing little explanation to carry on with the greater adventure.

1 An Accident And An Energy Drink Turn A Hot Tub Into A Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)

Hot Tub Time Machine is a ridiculous adventure from beginning to end, starting with a group of middle-aged friends and their attempt to help their friend by bringing him to a ski resort that they all spent time together at years ago. While drinking in the hot tub at the resort, a mishandled energy drink douses the hot tub control panel in the midst of all the commotion. This accident opens up a wormhole, sending them all straight back to the past.

A sequel to Hot Tub Time Machine, aptly titled Hot Tub Time Machine 2, was released in 2015.

The idea of a hot tub turning into a time machine is a fun one, only made more interesting by the fact that there doesn't need to be a lot of technological explanation to make it work. The control panel was tampered with, and because of this, the hot tub sent them to the past. Their actions end up altering the course of the future like many time travel films, but the general fun of the plot makes Hot Tub Time Machine a fun, modern sci-fi film to watch.

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