From Groundhog Day to Palm Springs, the time loop narrative has inspired countless great stories. We have selected 18 of the best.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - "The Series"
In season 6Buffy the Vampire Slayer Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) feels a bit adrift after this whole story of coming back from death, and it doesn't help that there are three pesky guys trying to take over Sunnydale. In the episode "Life Serial", these guys subjected Buffy to a series of tests, one of which involves a magic spell that causes her to repeat the same interaction with a customer in the Magic Shop over and over again.
Best Concept Episode communities is not so much a time loop as a time tree branching into six different scenarios generated by the same moment. We're still including it here because A) It's one of the best sitcom episodes of all time and B) There are no rules, life is chaos, watch the episode. Director Jeff Melman and script Chris McKenna, "Corrective Chaos Theory" shows Jeff (Joel McHale) throwing the dice during Troy's housewarming ( Donald Glover) and Abed ( Danny Pudi), creating six completely different graphs. Some are fine. Some of them show Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) having a mini cake bursting, others show early sparks flying between Troy and Britta ( Gillian Jacobs.), others still see Pierce (Chevy Chase) shot with Annie's hidden gun (Alison Brie) and dies. It's a beautiful piece that subtly illustrates the essential role of everyone in this found family, but it also shows that Troy is losing his throat because he's trying to eat the flaming troll doll. Community - like life, like time - has always had layers.
Edge of Tomorrow (film)
Tom Cruise rarely dies in his films, even when he personally performs truly deadly stunts, so in the film "edgetomorrow" there's something strangely pleasant about him dying over and over again. Cruz plays a PR man who turns out to be a frontline infantryman during an alien invasion. During the battle, he was doused in the blood of a special alien and forced to relive the day endlessly. Based on a Japanese "light novel" and notoriously difficult to adapt (at least eight writers have made a stab at the plot),Edge ofTomorrow works largely because of the chemistry between Cruz and the equally dedicatedEmily Blunt., who plays a warrior who is stuck in a loop like this but breaks free, and the twisted joy of all the inventive ways the directorDoug Liman mercilessly kills the world's biggest movie star. (Plus, the monsters are really weird and creepy.) Edge of Tomorrow loses momentum toward the end as Cruz exits the loop (and the long-goneBill Paxton leaves the film altogether), but chances are you're having so much fun that I hardly even notice. Liman, Cruz and screenwriterChristopher McQuarrie hinted that the second part is on the way, but with two more films "Mission Impossible" it might be a while from McQuee and Cruz before we can see him die again.
Paranormal (film)
If you haven't watched"Paranormal"please get the hell out of here, go and then come back because I can't figure out what makes this entry so special without going through full spoilers. Film directors and starsJustin Benson andAaron Moorhead took the world they built with their debut film "Resolution", and expanded on it in their 2018 semi-sequel, in which the duo played feuding brothers and former cultists who are reunited with their old cult members in search of answers and discover the horrifying truth lurking in the mountains where they live. In short, this is a Lovecraftian monster god who amuses himself by entangling people into nightmarish and deadly time loops, apparently just for his amusement.
As this list shows, the time loop is a very familiar genre convention, but it usually uses the frame of the whole story. Vendless, we see all sorts of time loops, little bubbles of misery traversing an unremarkable wasteland, each one a story in its own right. The film has an arsenal of evocative and terrifying imagery, but nothing is more effective and chilling to the bone than an old soldier who has only seconds between brutal endings, and the artifacts surrounding him serve as a brutal reminder of how long he's been stuck. in his hell. Benson and Moorehead bring a fun take on a familiar genre, adding it as an element to a larger world where you can find a strange and powerful red flower growing in the mountains, where small totems indicate cracks between realities and where any unfortunate soul wandering the earth could just get stuck repeating your worst nightmare for all eternity.
Hang Out in Palm Springs (film)
Hang out in Palm Springs is a kind of movie with a perfect time loop. The film changes the time loop formula, starting withAndy Samberg.the character has already been stuck in a loop for a very, very long time. The day he relives over and over again is a wedding in Palm Springs, and one night, the bride's sister is accidentally pulled into a time loop with him. It's understandable that she's angry. But the film continually surprises as it is not only a hilarious time loop comedy, but also a sweet and sweet romantic comedy with a challenging female lead who is allowed to be just as stupid, fallible and flawed as the male lead. The film also touches on the concepts of existential fear and nihilism, but in essence it is a film about how meaningless existence is without other people. And this is relevant right now.
Groundhog Day (film)
groundhog day - a classic for a reason. Yes, that's the touchstone that most people use for "time loop" because the film clearly captures the mechanics of how the time loop works. But he also endures because he dares to dig a little deeper. Director Harold Ramis and star Bill Murray as famously clashed in making this film over the right balance between comedy and philosophy (Murray insisted on making the story more introspective), and it's that creative push and pull that really strikes the perfect balance.groundhog dayNoisily funny, but also poignant and sad as Murray's character exhausts his selfishness and begins to empathize with other people besides himself. Just because a day is reset doesn't mean that a child who fell from a tree won't get hurt or a homeless person won't die. Phil Conners starts caring about other people, fuck the time loop. And I think that's a big reason why this movie is still so loved.
Happy Death Day (film)
Originally created ten years earlier as the lead role forMegan Fox (producedMichael Bay, not less),happy death day was coined as a subversive line of classic slasher films by a comic book writerScott Lobdell. While the project languished in development hell (another kind of purgatory-style time loop), it caught the attention ofChristopher Landon, veteran of the series "Paranormal activity which simplified the plot and increased the silliness. The time loop in question comprehends Three (super-charmingJessica Roth), a bitchy college student forced to reveal the truth about her own murder - no less than on her birthday. The idea that the victim has to relive the same day over and over until they solve their own murder is genius. And that allows Landon and his staff to indulge in all sorts of romantic comedy plots along with scary stuff (Tree, of course, grows as a person and falls in love). Equally funny and exciting,happy death day looks like a modern classic whose success depends on more than just the trick of the time loop structure. ContinuationHappy Death Day 2U, released last year (and absolutely amazing as well), doubles the time travel mechanic and offers various, even weirder, delights. Landon repeatedly teased the third film; we would give anything to live this franchise again (and again and again).
Incredible Weekend (film)
I caught this at the 2019 North Bend Film Fest, and despite the modest budget and familiar setting, it really stuck out to me.Incredible time reductionfinds a young woman caught in a horrific time loop during a weekend with friends that always ends up being dumped by her boyfriend (and usually a pretty nasty hangover). But there is a twist! Each time the loop repeats, it gets a little shorter (hence the "tapering" part of the header). It's a simple but effective caveat to the familiar rules of the time loop: each new iteration brings thematic focus and human truths that she struggles to understand more and more. The movie also has a pretty neat cinematic gimmick that took me a few loops to get the hang of. Credit goes to the speakers for being so involved in a rather modest but highly conceptual undertaking.
How do you rateThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timeperhaps the bestgame in franchiseLegend of Zelda ? This is the question Nintendo asked itself in the wake of its success.OoT, the first franchise,passed in 3D on the then N64. Game directorsEiji Aonuma andYoshiaki Koizumias well as executive directorsShigeru Miyamoto andHiroshi Yamauchi found they were running out of time if they wanted to capitalize on this success as soon as possible by releasing a direct sequel. It turns out that time was not only their enemy, but also their ally. This idea formed the basis of the story, which later becameThe Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.
Created and released to the market in just two years, the sequel takes place in an alternative reality to that experienced by gamers ino.o.t.. Now in Termina, Link must save this parallel world and its inhabitants from a catastrophic collision with a falling moon. For this, the player has only three in-game days, which is less than an hour of real in-game time. The catch is that you don't have enough time to succeed. The creative team's genius move - no doubt inspired by their own clever shortcuts for making a game under time pressure - was to introduce a heavy-duty time management mechanic set in a repeating three-day cycle. If Link manages to reset the clock and return by the morning of the first day, the player's progress will (mostly) be saved; if not, well, the moon destroys Termina.
This clever mechanic really opens up the story, allowing Link to almost divinely foresee future events, such as the paths certain NPCs take and where to find them in order to complete their individual quests. It also introduces players togroundhog day, who experience the same thing over and over again, trying to figure out how to break the loop the right way. (And I suppose it's a hell of a game for speedrunners.) So, thoughMajora's Mask absolutely deserves its cult status for its brilliant use of time in storytelling, control over it and much more magical masks and than its predecessor, the most enjoyable part of the game is to break this time loop and watch a new day dawn.
“It was only a matter of time before we made one of them,” says Nate Haywood (Nick Zano) as soon as he finds out that the Waverider is stuck in a time loop, and, mate, the enthusiasm is justified. The most delightful corner of the universe of arrows, known asLegends of tomorrow effortlessly navigates through at least 15 genres in a season, so it's no surprise that its 3rd season deals with a time loop - the director's "I'm Coming Again"Ben Bray onWritten by Ray Utarnachitt ANDMorgan Faust– Handles every trick and move while feeling as refreshing as ever. After uploading new technology to the Legends' ship, rookie Dawn (Tala Ash) is trapped in an endless loop that always ends with the Waverider exploding, killing everyone on board. Like mostLegends of Tomorrow"Here I Go Again" can be both hilarious and surprisingly touching, but it's also a smart way to get Zari on the team in one hour; because she is forced to work with each member over and over (and over again), she gets the full value of their best qualities without even knowing them. A definite highlight in a show filled with truly insane moments and also, in a grand display of irony, just an endlessly rewatched episode of television.
Wizards (TV Series)
Syfy series"Wizards" never shy away from trying ambitious storytelling types, but it took until its fifth and final season before the show went into a time loop. Brilliant move "Ow! ... I did it again", Eliot (Hale Appleman) and Margot (Summer Bishil) fall into the same time loop, the one where the world ends at the end of the day. What makes this episode different is that Eliot suffers from a depressive episode and Margo manages to get out of the time loop without him. This forces Eliot to step up, confront his demons, and find his own way out of the loop. As evidenced byWizardsOverall, this episode is funny, sexy, sad, and poignant at the same time, and it's a testament to the show's ability to bring it all together in one coherent and enjoyable piece. -Adam Chitwood
Addictive, unique and downright terrifying video game.PT stands for "playable teaser", and its original function was indeed to serve as a proof of concept downloadable demo for an upcoming chapter of the survival horror franchiseSilent Hill, co-directed byHideo Kojima andGuillermo del Toro WithNorman in main role.reedus. In fact, if you solve the superbly dumb puzzle at the endPT, you can briefly see what should have been calledSilent Hills, with a digitized Reedus in all its glory. But because of the factions and differences between Kojima, who is widely regarded as a phenomenally eccentric video game writer (not onlySilent Hill, but alsoMetal Gear Solid), and the publishing company Konami,Silent Hills was eliminated, resulting inPT suddenly turned into a standalone game. Except it wasn't even "left" for long - Konami actually removedPT from the PlayStation store and didn't allow players to reinstall it, turning the game into a fiercely beloved cult object with PlayStation 4 consoles that have the game on eBay for a hefty sum. Lucky for you, I had time to play it before it was taken out.
I'm a big fan of horror in all mediums. I know the tricks, the tricks, the trade. But my genre savvy didn't save me from an immersive nightmarePT. Hestrongly fucked my shit. I lost sleep because of this. And much of its chilling success is due to its time loop structure. The first-person game begins with you walking down a corridor.This hallway takes you through the living room of the house with several rooms available to explore, some common living room items you can look at, and a staircase leading upstairs. At the end of the living room there is a door leading to... exactly the same corridor. And exactly the same house. Again and again you walk down the same corridor and home, stuck in time. You have to solve minimalistic puzzles, and once you do that, you will notice that your environment starts to change. Ghosts appear in the loops, including the very literal, very scary Lisa (friendly name, not-so-friendly spirit). What you are so used to is invaded by surreal horrors, disturbingly corrupted messages,PTif you know how to play it, fuck your shit and make you wallow in the same shit over and over again. Provocative masterpiece.
Run Lola Run (film)
An explosion of moving techno music, average filmmaking imagination and tense split-second decisions three times in a row - all in a blissfully tense 80 minutes!Film by Tom Twiker «Run "Lola"" was released in 1998 and became an instant cult classic, a vigorous dismantling of what American film audiences typically expected from "prestigious foreign films" that hit their market - self-aware, revealingBonnie & Clyde (But mostly Bonnie) is destined to forever immortalize him on the walls of the film school dorm.Franka Potente starring Lola, her vibrant red hair and unyielding spirit make an immediate impression. Her vicious criminal boyfriend being playedMoritz Bleibtreu., left a bag of 100,000 Deutschmarks on the train. This money must fall into the hands of a crime boss, otherwise Lola and her boyfriend are toast. So, Lola... running. She tries many different ways to get money as quickly as possible, from playing roulette to robbing a damn bank. Her warp-speed journey is lensed and cut with aggressive energy, Tweaker even lets the film explode into animated flights of fancy at times. And when Lola fails, sometimes even dies... the movie just resets, giving her a chance to try again.Run Lola Run, despite its movie brother-baiting style, shootouts, and classic crime-movie roles, is ultimately an optimistic tale of love winning against all odds. And sometimes it's "no matter what" means trying again and again.
Matryoshka Life (TV Series)
Few storytellers have played with the time loop format as boldly and creatively asNatasha Lyonne, Leslie Headland andAmy Poehler in the TV seriesRussian doll" on Netflix. What is shockingly similar tohappy death dayturns into a unique and gripping character drama at first glance, built around a self-destructive woman (Lyonne) who can't stop dying on her birthday. Each gruesome death takes her back to the beginning, to the start of the same disappointing birthday party in a sickening loop, until the series necessarily shakes the rules of the world by stretching genre conventions to push for a more emotionally grounded character. driven territory. Lyonne is a true wildfire passion as a woman unable to control herself and her surreal circumstances, and Headland's signature sexy yet caustic style is executed with delightful precision. Add to this the fact that the greatJamie Babbittdirected the only episodes that Headland and Lyonne didn't direct themselves, and you have one of the best dream creative teams in recent memory. Take part in a wild, wickedly smart ride, but be prepared forshot down confused looks when you can't stop saying "sweet birthday,baby."Oh, and you'll definitely get Harry Nilsson's "Time to get up" line stuck in your head.
Source code (film)
Though "Edge of the Future" could be a great movieTemporary loop like an action movie", "Source » Duncan Joneson- still a lot of fun. This is a condensed story with a time loop, as the characterJake Gyllenhaal there is only eight minutes in each loop to try and identify the bomber before the train explodes. The point here is that this is actually a simulation - the train has crashed and Gyllenhaal's character is using this simulation to try and track down the bomber before it strikes again. Things get complicated when Gyllenhaal falls in love with a woman on a trainMichelle Monaghan), and the film gets surprisingly deep with its science fiction. Really,sourceIts greatest strength is how it draws on the sci-fi aspects of storytelling versus a more wish-granting time-loop story.
Star Trek: The Next Generation - (TV series)
Perhaps one of the oldest examples of this trail, and also perhaps one of the best. There's nothing better than an episode"Star Trek" which opens with the ship blowing up, and while the audience knows everything will be fine by the end, the way Cause and Effect reveals its secrets is a perfect example of what's intriguing. us most about these stories. Bonus points for the ending with a surprise cameoKelsey Grammer. There are more existential entries on this list, but on a story level, this is a perfectly timed adventure.
Time Loop (film)
Time crimes is a movie best watched without knowing in advance that it boasts one of the most brilliant scripts I've ever seen and rendered with stunningly efficient low-budgeton a grand scale. But if needed: Hector (Karra Elehalde) lives in the Spanish countryside in a house being renovated with his wife Clara (Candela Fernandez). As Clara leaves to get groceries, Hector spots a woman (Barbara Goenaga) sunbathing in the woods… and a masked man with a gun behind her. Hector's investigation into this man leads him to a mysterious stranger (Nacho Vigalondo, also the film's screenwriter/director) with a mysterious device. And when this device is in use... beware. The film's connection to time travel and time loops is complex but easy to understand, leading to many startling revelations that will nonetheless seem inevitable once you grasp them. The "same thing" does happen over and over again, yes, but not in the way that a typical time-loop movie is structured. Instead, it is edited in non-stop present time, which still takes into account any time creases made along the way. Vigalondo's work functions not only as a brain science-fiction experiment, but also as a visceral, tense thriller and even commentary on the male gaze in typical storytelling techniques. If this incredibleMichel Gondry / Kylie Minoguethe music video was adapted into a feature filmDavid Fincher, you will get something close to a wonderful, original experienceTime crimes.
Triangle (film)
Intertwining mythology, heartbreak and good old slashers, 2009's underrated gem"Triangle" Christopher Smith demonstrates smooth and pleasant rotation in time loops.Melissa George plays a woman embarking on a boat trip with a group of friends when they find themselves stranded in the Bermuda Triangle and trapped on an abandoned cruise ship with a masked killer.What at first seems strange and new soon begins to seem familiar, a fact that only frightens when they begin to realize that this has all happened before and it will all happen again and again and again, the next verse is the same, like the first one. Smith's writing and direction are pretty damn smart, first diving into the surface-level thrill of such a promising slasher riff, then opening up the world to much more emotional, detailed, and vast existential horror that simply can't be avoided. There are some very smart visuals in this film, expertly crafted imagery that I will never forget, in particular one involving a pile of corpses which is a great cut down on the scope and length of that hyper repetitive hell, and while the opening hours might leave you a little knocked over confusing, a quick refresher on ancient Greek mythology, and an insightful revision to focus everything to make you one of the most interesting and best time-loop movies of the entire series.
The X-Files (TV series)
Any reason to reconsider"Secret materials" is a good excuse in my book, and if you're looking for a bit of fuzzy-time kindness, look no further than the Season 6 episode "Monday." Mulder (David Duchovny) wakes up and finds himself caught in a time loop, reliving the same morning over and over again that always ends with him getting shot during a bank robbery right before the robber blew up the bomb shelter and killed everyone inside. It's an interesting take on the genre because Mulder doesn't know he's in a time loop - the only person wholocated in the know is the girlfriend of a bank robber, who starts trying to signal Mulder that he was repeating the same event the episode was co-written.Gilligan, and "Monday" is undoubtedly one of his best (with the exception of the Season 6 episode "Drive" which featured none other thanBryan Cranston).
