With more and more streaming services available, creators are working overtime to come up with new and different concepts and plots for movies and shows. One of which is the ‘time loop'.
A time loop is a fictional concept where time appears to repeat itself, causing events to happen over and over again. It is often used in science fiction, fantasy, and thriller genres.
In a time loop, a character or characters may be trapped in a sequence of events that seem to repeat endlessly. They may be aware that they are in a time loop or may be unaware, causing confusion and frustration as they try to break the cycle.
The time loop can be caused by a variety of factors, such as a magical spell, a scientific experiment gone wrong, or a cosmic phenomenon.
Breaking the time loop often involves discovering the cause of the loop and finding a way to stop it from happening again. Some popular examples of time loop stories include the movie Groundhog Day and the TV show Russian Doll.
Personally, I love a good time loop movie or show. There's something endlessly fascinating about watching the characters figure out what is going on and how to stop it. It manes for great tv drama.
So with that in mind, I've put together the best time loop movies and shows available to stream right now! So grab the popcorn and get ready to go on a journey…
BEST TIME LOOP MOVIES AND SHOWS
Meet Cute
Meet Cute follows Shelia and Gary as they meet for the first time, over and over again in this dark comedy-drama starring Kaley Cuoco and Pete Davidson.
Palm Springs
Nyles is stuck in an eternal time loop at a wedding in Palm Springs. But when Sarah also accidentally gets trapped in the loop the two must figure out a way to get along and find a way out. A charming and quirky movie from Andy Samberg.
Two Distant Strangers
Stuck in a time loop, Carter James finds it impossible to get home to his dog without NYPD Officer Merk killing him in the Oscar-winning Two Distant Strangers.
Boss Level
Time-loop and Action collide in Boss Level when retired soldier, Roy Pulver, spends all day every day avoiding getting murdered. Until he can't and the day resets again. But how has it happened and how does he stop it??
Happy Death Day 2U
Happy Death Day 2U is a sequel movie to the 2017 Happy Death Day. More of a sci-fi/dark comedy, with slasher bits thrown in, Tree must find a way to end a time loop that sees her reliving the same day she dies over and over. Don't take it too serious...[Read More]
Living With Yourself
What if you could undergo a procedure to literally ‘be your best self’? And what if the best you met the current you and had to share the same life? That's the premise of Living With Yourself, a dark comedy starring Paul Rudd and Aisling Bea - fresh ...[Read More]
Russian Doll
Uber modern, almost bordering on hipster, Russian Doll is the story of Nadia who dies on her 36th birthday but soon finds herself in a never-ending loop of dying and waking up at the same birthday party.
Time Trap
When a group of students goes looking for their professor they find themselves stranded in a cave with a Time Trap. Time moves so slowly that decades are passing above ground in this sci-fi fantasy movie that is unexpectantly enjoyable to watch.
Dark
The aptly named 'Dark' is a mind bending, time-travelling thriller set in a small remote German town called Winden. When children start disappearing, similar to 33 years ago, the town goes into free fall, especially when some of them start to return....[Read More]
When We First Met
Noah is infatuated with Avery but sadly ends up stuck in the friends basket. Now given the chance to try and rewrite history, and change the course of his true love, can Noah win Avery over? An easy watching romcom.
Famous Time Loop Movies?
Time loops have been used as a plot device for decades. It may seem like there are far more these days, but actually most just use the loop as a way to further the narrative of the movie or show.
For instance, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Doctor Strange, the character Stephen Strange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, is trapped in a time loop by the villain Dormammu.
According to the movie, Doctor Strange was in the time loop for an estimated 30 minutes, which is the amount of time he experienced the same sequence of events over and over again as he bargained with Dormammu to leave Earth alone in exchange for breaking the loop.
However, due to the nature of time loops, it's difficult to determine exactly how long he was stuck in the loop from an objective point of view, as time may have moved differently for others outside the loop.
Groundhog Day
One of the biggest films ever to feature a time loop at the heart of its storyline is Groundhog Day.
In the movie, Bill Murray's character Phil Connors is stuck in a time loop, where he is forced to relive the same day over and over again.
The exact length of time that Phil is trapped in the time loop is not specified in the movie, but it is believed to be around 10 years.
This estimation is based on Phil's extensive knowledge of the people and events in the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where he is stuck, as well as the time it would take him to master the various skills he learns during his repeated days, such as playing the piano and ice sculpting.
However, the exact amount of time is left to the viewer's interpretation, as the movie focuses more on Phil's personal growth and transformation throughout the time loop than the exact duration of it.
Famous Time Loop Movies
Groundhog Day (1993) – A classic comedy starring Bill Murray as Phil Connors, a cynical weatherman who is trapped in a time loop, reliving the same day over and over again.
Edge of Tomorrow (2014) – A sci-fi action movie starring Tom Cruise as a soldier who is stuck in a time loop, forced to relive the same battle against alien invaders over and over again.
Source Code (2011) – A thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a soldier who wakes up in someone else's body, tasked with finding a bomb on a train before it explodes. He is stuck in a time loop, reliving the same 8 minutes over and over again until he solves the mystery.
Happy Death Day (2017) – A horror-comedy movie about a college student who is murdered on her birthday and wakes up to relive the same day over and over again until she figures out who her killer is.
Run Lola Run (1998) – A German thriller movie about a woman named Lola who has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 Deutsche Marks to save her boyfriend's life. The movie shows three different versions of the same 20 minutes, each with a different outcome.
Palm Springs (2020) – A romantic comedy starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti as two wedding guests who are trapped in a time loop, reliving the same day over and over again.
These are just a few examples of famous time loop movies, but there are many more out there to discover.
