10 best time travel movies on Netflix, Prime Video & more

With the release of Ryan Reynold’s latest feature film ‘The Adam Project’ on Netflix, the focus on time travel in media has revived momentarily with the usual questions cropping up about all the rules and regulations behind it.

Time travel or rather, time manipulation is such a fluid concept that can be moulded in so many different ways to provide a solid foundation to the main story of a film. We all would jump at the chance to go back into the past and fix our mistakes or go into the future to enjoy any of the comforts and technology that may have been developed which makes this sub-genre quite a popular well to dive into.

Here is a list of the 10 best time travel movies on streaming platforms that you must watch:

1. Edge of Tomorrow

Available on: Netflix

Cast: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Jonas Armstrong, Tony Way

Major William Cage (Cruise) has never been in combat but he is thrown right into the thick of it when he is forced to join the front lines against an alien invasion. When he finds himself stuck in a time loop after being bathed in one of the alien’s blood, he must work together with special forces soldier Rita Vrataski (Blunt) to make the right choices and save the earth.

Based on a Japanese light novel, ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ contains magnificent special effects, a well-paced story and sturdy performances of its blockbuster leads, Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt.

2. Don’t Let Go

Available on: Netflix

Cast: David Oyelowo, Storm Reid, Mykelti Williamson, Alfred Molina, Brian Tyree Henry, Shinelle Azoroh

Detective Jack Radcliff is very close to his niece, Ashley, and gets to spend a lot of time with her because her father is always caught up in something shady. When a tragic incident leads to the death of his niece and her family, Jack is devastated. Soon after, he gets a call from his niece who claims that she’s very much alive and living a normal life in the days leading to her death. With this connection transcending time, Jack begins to investigate his family’s murder so that he can help Ashley prevent it.

‘Don’t Let Go’ is a thriller film first with an alternate version of time travel that works well with the overall story. It’s an exciting watch for all audiences that is bound to get the heart racing.

3. Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar

Cast: Chris O’Dowd, Marc Wootton, Dean Lennox Kelly, Anna Faris, Meredith MacNeill, Ray Gardner

3 friends who often find themselves ignored by anyone and everyone because of their aversion to social situations are enjoying a drink at a pub when they come across a time leak. With the help of a time traveller from the future, they must learn the rules as they go and figure out how to plug the leak without jeopardising the present or their future.

This is a quirky British comedy about time travel with some hilarious dialogue and side-splitting performances by a group of actors you might not have come across too often.

4. Deja Vu

Available on: Prime Video

Cast: Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Jim Caviezel, Val Kilmer, Adam Goldberg, Elden Henson

When a terrorist attack on a ferry rocks the city of New Orleans, A.T.F special agent, Doug Carlin (Washington) is put on the case. he is recruited to a special task force with state of the art technology that allows them to look exactly 4 days and 6 hours into the past. Armed with the information, Carlin must track down the culprit before he strikes again.

A real intricate story with heavy stakes, ‘Deja Vu’ is a thrill ride that moves at a frenetic pace as the search for the terrorist goes down to the wire.

5. The Adam Project

Available on: Netflix

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Walker Scobell, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, Zoe Saldana, Catherine Keener

Adam Reed (Reynolds) comes from a future where time travel is possible, and is on a mission to find his wife who never made it back after a trip to the past. Along his journey, he meets his younger self (Scobell) and it falls on the two of them along with their father, Louis (Ruffalo), who is the godfather of time travel, to ensure that the future is safe from Louis’s evil partner, Maya (Keener).

A movie that is quite wholesome and witty and perfectly suited for the whole family, ‘The Adam Project’ features Ryan Reynolds doing what he does best and his sparkling chemistry with his younger co-star, Walker Scobell.

6. Palm Springs

Available on: Hulu

Cast: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons, Peter Gallagher, Meredith Hagner, Camila Mendes

Nyles (Samberg) and Sarah (Milioti) are guests at a wedding that neither of them truly wants to be at, so when they stumble upon a strange cave that sends them into a time loop, they’re stuck having to live the same day over and over again. Trapped in what feels like hell, they come up with ways to spice up their days while developing a close attachment to each other.

Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti are superbly charming in this fun movie that also includes an especially eccentric turn from oscar winner, J.K Simmons.

7. Predestination

Available on: Prime Video

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, Noah Taylor, Madeleine West, Christopher Kirby, Christopher Sommers

A temporal agent has to make multiple trips across time to ensure that the timeline and his career remain intact while also hunting down the one criminal who has managed to elude him throughout his lifetime. Caught in the middle of a paradox, the temporal agent must secure the events of the past that lead to his ultimate future.

A really entertaining film with an elaborate concept, ‘Predestination’ is based on a short story which has been expanded quite brilliantly into a full feature film about time travel.

8. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Available on: HBO Max

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin, Terry Camilleri, Dan Shor, Tony Steedman

Two teenage boys, Bill (Winter) and Ted (Reeves) have dreams of becoming world renowned rock stars, but when their struggle to pass out of high school stands in they way of their future endeavours, they are met with a man from the future who has a vested interest in their legacies and agrees to help them pass their final history report that will shape the rest of their lives.

An insanely funny cult classic, ‘Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure’ may take some historical liberties but it promises to be an entertaining ride from start to finish.

9. X-Men: Days of Future Past

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar

Cast: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence

In a bid to change the reality they live in where mutants are being over run by Sentinels, the X-Men decide to send Wolverine (Jackman) back to the past to counter the events that led to their creation in the first place as he is the only one capable of surviving the rigours of time travel. Wolverine must go back and convince Mystique (Lawrence) to let go of her mission for the safety of all mutants.

In what was a brief resurgence for the X-Men franchise, ‘Days of Future Past’ followed up on the hugely popular ‘X-Men: First Class’ and added fan favourite Wolverine to the mix and enjoyable super-hero flick.

10. Avengers: Endgame

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner

5 years after the events of the ‘snap’, the remaining members of the Avengers band up together in final attempt to undo the damage caused by Thanos and bring back every one they love and hold dear. To do that, they must go back to different points in time and gather the infinity stones themselves and restore the balance.

Marvel Studios has more or less perfected the art of universe building and although this grand finale requires being up to date on more than 20 films, the emotional payoff in this film is worth all that time spent and more.


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