the pulp list

How many people wish they could have a “do-over”? From scientists to the average joe, everyone at one time or another thinks about going back in time or visiting the future. Take, for example, Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite:

How much you wanna make a bet I can throw a football over them mountains? Well, if coach woulda put me in fourth quarter, we’d have been state champions. No doubt. No doubt in my mind. You better believe things had been different. I’d have gone pro in a heartbeat. I’d be making millions of dollars and living in a big ol’ mansion somewhere, soaking it up in a hot tub with my soul mate. Oh, man! I wish I could go back in time. I’d take state!

We laugh because we can relate. Thank goodness for Hollywood — it turns our dreams into reality with the time travel movie. Here we highlight the best depictions of this genre on the silver screen.

*Note*: we tried our best to list the movies in order of relevance to the genre. These are not necessarily in order of “best movie”, which is hard to define.

15. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

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Not only one of the best “stoner” movies of all time, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure provides an entertaining history lesson filled with humor and memorable characters. It not only introduced us to Alex Winter but more importantly to mega-star Keanu Reeves. George Carlin fills out the the cast as their guide “Rufus” who provides them with their time travel vehicle: the phone boot.

Excellent Adventure was well-received in 1989 and despite the premise of two idiots traveling through time, it is a relatively smart comedy. The duo goes back to retrieve actual historical figures to bring them to the present time in order to complete their history project. A society from the future aids them so they do not fail — ultimately, they save the world. Sophisticated time travel? No. Entertaining? Hell yes.

14. Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

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Sometimes you wish you could go back in time and do some things differently. In Peggy Sue Got Married, Peggy Sue (Kathleen Turner) gets such a chance: she’s travels back in time to relive her senior year of high school to fix all that’s gone wrong with her Hollywood dreams and future husband (Nicholas Cage). People can forget the good times in their lives since the bad weighs more heavily on the conscience. Peggy Sue is all about “second chances”, a compelling theme that drives many examples in the genre.

This was the first domestic box office success for director Francis Ford Coppola since Apocalypse Now and it made Cage a household name. In the end, Peggy Sue wakes up in a hospital room and realizes it was all a dream — or was it?

13. Planet of the Apes (1968)

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Ahead of its time in its ideas and epic in its scope, Planet of the Apes is as legendary as any sci-fi movie ever made. When a group of astronauts comes out of light speed after a couple of millennia traveling in space, they land on a planet they believe to be many light years from earth. What they find is a race of beings that resemble apes but who can talk and walk upright like humans.

Planet of the Apes was notable for a number of things: the quality of prosthetic makeup used to create the alien apes, a kiss scene between a human and an ape, and a finale that left the water cooler abuzz for days. Charlton Heston’s successful performance spawned a franchise of four more films.

Our advice? Stay away from the 2001 remake; it will only disappoint you.

12. Pleasantville (1998)

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Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon star as twin siblings who lose themselves in the reality of their dysfunctional family life by watching a 1950s-era black and white TV show called Pleasantville. When a TV repairman (Don Knotts) shows up with a mysterious remote control, the pair are transported into the show and become the children of the fictional family.

Before long, the movie’s serious nature is revealed: Pleasantville is really a jeremiad about discrimination. As the kids teach the conventional and prudish people of Pleasantville about ideas they never dreamed of, the world within the show begins to transform into color. But the “perfect” 1950s family and lifestyle also begins to unravel and the characters are forced to confront the ills and travails of the real world. No conventional story about time travel, Pleasantville aims to entertain and instruct.

11. The Time Machine (1960)

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H.G. Wells’s classic novel is transformed to the big screen in 1960′s The Time Machine. In an unusual twist, George (Rod SteigerTaylor, thanks Vern) travels forward in time instead of back against the backdrop of a cautionary tale of war and the nature of humanity.

The special effects were groundbreaking — they’d have to be to pull off the year 802,701 AD convincingly. Steiger’s performance in fighting the Morlocks, an evil race that fed on future humans, was way ahead of its time (even if it was portrayed in the novel 65 years earlier).

Again, skip the remake and see the original. It is a testament to great movie-making.

10. Star Trek (2009)

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The most anticipated movie of 2009 delivered. From the strong performances by newcomer Chris Pine (Kirk) and Zachary Quinto (Spock), to Leonard Nimoy’s reprisal of the seasoned Spock, to the stunning effects from JJ Abrams and crew — this movie may do for Star Trek and science fiction what X-Men did for comic book adaptations. Filled with action, innuendo and inside jokes, the latest Star Trek may be the best one.

This time we witness the beginning of Kirk and Spock’s careers with Starfleet. James T. Kirk has to come of age quickly when his father’s killer, the Romulan Nero (Eric Bana), threatens not only the future of Starfleet but all of mankind. Abrams did what few thought was possible — he revitalized the franchise, introduced the mythology to new audiences while bringing along millions of happy Trekkies and producing a summer blockbuster in the process. All of which is a feat almost as unlikely as time travel itself.

9. Time Crimes (2007)

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One of the great things about time travel movies is watching the endless loop of the space-time continuum unfold — and the possibilities it contains — while trying to keep up with the headaches it brings from trying to figure it all out. Prime example? Spanish director Nacho Vigolando’s Los Cronocrímenes or Time Crimes delivers all this and more. Vigalondo takes us on the whirlwind ride of an ordinary guy Hector (Karra Elejalde) and his journey to keep space and time in order.

Where Time Crimes really shines is in its attention to detail and ability to avoid the normal plot holes and time traps of the typical time flick. So many movies insult the viewer’s intelligence; not so here. When Hector realizes who the man in the pink bandage is, it leaves him (and the audience) gasping and clamoring for more. (We won’t spoil it here.)

8. Primer (2004)

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A former mathematician and engineer, Shane Carruth was responsible for the scientifically accurate and exceptionally credible Primer. The movie explores the exploits of two scientists who build a device that allows them to travel back in time to for financial gains (and later to fix their personal lives).

Similar to Time Crimes, Primer portrays time travel in the realistic sense — it uses actual science instead of fantasy as the vehicle for travel. The dialogue is dense and at times may leave the viewer confused. If you can figure out the premise, you’ll appreciate how big budget blockbusters are not the only means of entertainment in today’s movie scene: Primer was made on a budget of only $7,000.

7. Donnie Darko (2001)

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The success of Donnie Darko shows how strong the independent movie scene has become in recent years — you could compare its mainstream success in the fantasy category to that of The Boondock Saints to gangster/action.

Set in the 1980s, Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) begins to dream a strange dream: a demon rabbit tells him to do unthinkable acts that expose people what they truly are. It looks at first like your garden-variety teen paranoid-schizophrenic behavior but soon turns into time travel “worm holes” and that lead to an epic, shocking finale.

Director Richard Kelly wrote and directed Donnie Darko to massive cult success. It also spawned the career of the Gyllenhaal siblings who appear as brother and sister in the movie. The dialogue is brilliant:

Gretchen: My mom had to get a restraining order against my stepdad. He has emotional problems.
Donnie: Oh, I have those too! What kind of emotional problems does your dad have?
Gretchen: He stabbed my mom four times in the chest.
Donnie: Oh.

and:

Donnie: You are such a fuckass.
Elizabeth: Did you just call me a fuckass? You can go suck a fuck.
Donnie: Oh, please, tell me Elizabeth, how exactly does one suck a fuck?

6. Time Bandits (1982)

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The first of two entries for Director Terry Gilliam, Time Bandits is a fantasy escape set in England about a neglected boy (Craig Wornock) and his foray into a fantasy world. One evening, when a knight on horseback charges out of his bureau, the boy — lead by a band of dwarves — begins a mysterious journey and becomes engulfed in the struggle between good and evil.

Occasionally Time Bandits feels a little archaic but the overall quality of the story makes up for any flaws. With an all-star English British (Thanks Linusbern) cast including Sean Connery, John Cleese, Michael Palin and Shelley Duvall, Time Bandits paints a picture of what every boy dreams — to be carried off on a fantastic journey through space and time. Oh, and saving the planet while you’re at it.

5. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

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Ahhh, the Borg: everyone’s favorite Star Trek villain. They travel from world to world “assimilating” its inhabitants, destroying it in the process. In Star Trek: First Contact, The Borg finally figures out how to destroy Starfleet, who is responsible for defeating the Borg and sending them into exile for generations: go back in time and prevent the formation of Starfleet altogether.

Using the Next Generation cast in their first solo feature, Jonathan Frakes (also playing Commander Riker) directs this gem in the franchise. The scenes between Data (Brent Spinner) and The Borg Queen (Alice Krige) are especially brilliant.. As always, the crew of the Enterprise reign supreme — no shocker there — but the ride is well worth the price of admission.

4. 12 Monkeys (1995)

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Featuring a superb cast that includes Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, David Morse and Madeleine Stowe, the second Terry Gilliam entry on our list is the futuristic thriller 12 Monkeys. Bruce Willis plays James Cole, a seemingly deranged prisoner sent back in time to find out the exact cause a plague that destroys most of humanity and makes the earth’s surface uninhabitable. As the jabbering madman Jeffrey Goines, Brad Pitt has an intense deviousness that works for the film’s central mystery.

Or, could be Cole just a lunatic — it’d be easier to know if he didn’t keep vanishing in front of people. Gilliam keeps the audience guessing, and that’s one of the film’s strengths: we’re never really sure we know what we’re seeing. Taut, suspenseful, and darkly brooding, 12 Monkeys absolutely repays repeated viewings.

3. Groundhog Day (1993)

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The highly popular and grossly underrated Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, is not your typical time travel movie. The story follows a nasty weatherman Phil (Murray) and his television producer Rita (MacDowell) as they go to Punxsutawney, PA to cover the annual Groundhog Day shadow-seeing celebration. But not all is as it seems in this quiet country town…

Phil doesn’t travel through time, per se, but he does replay the same day over and over, each time understanding a little more about human nature and the people around him. In the beginning, he uses the day for his own personal gain, but slowly begins to change his tune and brings the town together. Seeing his different reaction to the same annoying people every day is priceless.

2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

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When James Cameron announced he finally planned to produce a sequel to 1984′s Terminator, expectations ran high. But he delivered big time with 1991′s Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Schwarzenegger returns as the T-800 sent from the future to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton, and Cameron’s ex-wife) in order to prevent the birth of her son, who would lead the resistance against the machine. Only this time, Schwarzenegger’s cyborg has been rewired by Connor in the future and sent back in order to protect his younger self (Ed Furlong) from the more advanced and deadly T-1000 model (played by James Robert Patrick thanks Douglas).

Cameron really turned up the special effects, using flash-forwards to give a glimpse of his vision of this post-apocalyptic nightmare. He built upon earlier techniques (from the Abyss) to create the T-1000, which is composed of a liquid metal that can mold into any object that doesn’t require complex parts. When the T-1000 shifts shape from the floor to an identical twin of a mental ward security guard and then promptly turns his finger into a dagger, stabbing the guard in the eye, audiences were in awe. The movie has a few holes, but they can be easily overlooked as the quality of this picture is superb and it has aged surprisingly well. A rare critical and commercial hit.

1. Back to the Future (1985)

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Every so often there comes along a movie that is so good that it defines its genre, makes the career of its actors and stands the test of time across many generations. If you were a child of the 1980s you grew up with Back to the Future. You can quote the lines and identify with the characters; no doubt every time you see the actors in other projects you refer to them by their BTTF name. Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale’s visionary time travel romp has endured and firmly rooted itself in the pop culture consciousness.

We learn quickly that the McFly family’s youngest son Marty (Michael J. Fox) is the rebel of the brood and his friendship with the odd, eccentric scientist Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) forms the core of the story. Doc’s DMC Delorean is so famous it has become synonymous with time travel and even today you’ll find people who know what a “flux capacitor” and “1.21 gigawatts!” Marty travels back back to 1955 and and helps his parents during their teen years in order to save his own present (without erasing his existence in the process). Zemeckis’s vision of 1955 has captured generation after generation.

Despite some flaws, Back to the Future is and remains the canonical time travel film. Fox’s performance was first rate and on the strength of it alone it makes the top of our list. Zemeckis spared no detail: look closely and you’ll see that the mall in Hill Valley was originally called the “Twin Pines Mall” before Marty goes accidentally runs over one of the trees on the farm where the mall would be built. Later, we see its name changed to the “Lone Pine Mall“.

The two sequels are entertaining, true, but fail to recapture the magic of the original. Back to the Future is the consummate time traveling movie and takes its rightful spot at the top of our list.

Honorable Mention

Back to the Future III (1990), The Terminator (1984), Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home (1986), Scrooged (1988), Frequency (2000), Army of Darkness (1992), Time After Time (1979), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), Timecop (1994).