time travelling dog movie

'Mr. Peabody And Sherman' Trailer: The Story Of A Time Traveling Dog And His Pet Boy

Roles are reversed in the upcoming Rocky and Bullwinkle spinoff, Mr. Peabody and Sherman . Mr. Peabody is the world's smartest dog and Sherman is his adopted human boy. Together they'll get into time traveling adventures, with characters voiced by the likes of Ty Burrell, Allison Janney, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, Stanley Tucci, Patrick Warburton, Lake Bell and Dennis Haysbert .

The 3D animated film, set for release March 7, is directed by  Rob Minkoff ( The Lion King ) and the first trailer has just been released. Check it out below.

Here's the first trailer via Apple .

Mr. Peabody, the most accomplished dog in the world, and his mischievous boy Sherman, use their time machine – The Wabac – to go on the most outrageous adventures known to man or dog. But when Sherman takes The Wabac out for a joyride to impress his friend Penny, they accidently rip a hole in the universe, wreaking havoc on the most important events in world history. Before they forever alter the past, present and future, Mr. Peabody must come to their rescue, ultimately facing the most daunting challenge of any era: figuring out how to be a parent. Together, the time traveling trio will make their mark on history.

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Movie Review

A Dog and His Boy Take a Joy Ride Through History

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By A.O. Scott

• March 6, 2014

If you think of “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” as the latest attempt to turn small-screen baby boomer nostalgia into big-screen fun, you have plenty of reason to be afraid. Hollywood’s obsession with cashing in on old television shows has yielded a grim harvest — remember Nicole Kidman in “Bewitched” ? Sorry to have reminded you — and the work of Jay Ward has been singled out for particular abuse.

Ward, who died in 1989 and whose brainy cartoons were staples of the early space age, has been dishonored by lame live-action movie versions of Rocky and Bullwinkle , George of the Jungle and Dudley Do-Right. Luckily, “Mr. Peabody & Sherman,” about a supersmart dog and his adopted human son, breaks the curse and respects the nutty, nerdy humor of the original. This DreamWorks Animation production, directed by Rob Minkoff (“Stuart Little,” “The Lion King”) from a screenplay by Craig Wright, is not perfect, but it is fast-moving, intermittently witty and pretty good fun.

Mr. Peabody, voiced by Ty Burrell (Phil Dunphy of “Modern Family”), is a Harvard graduate, a Nobel laureate and a lover of puns. He and Sherman (Max Charles) live in a Manhattan penthouse equipped with a time machine called the WABAC. Devotees of the old series will recall the many trips the two-dimensional, hand-drawn father and son made into the past, and the silly (but not altogether ridiculous) history lessons that ensued. Somewhat younger viewers will be reminded of Bill and Ted, but, in any case, the best parts of “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” are encounters with such storied figures as Marie Antoinette, Leonardo da Vinci, King Tut and the Trojan horse.

Much of the humor in these sequences is, in the modern manner, action-, celebrity-voice-over- and excrement-based, but enough of Ward’s cracked erudition survives to make intellectually insecure grown-ups and precocious children feel smart. The adventures are built to justify the 3-D ticket upcharge, so there is a lot of roller-coasterish swooping and flying and falling. Most of it lacks the sublimity of “Up” or the gravity-defying rush of “How to Train Your Dragon,” but some of the sequences — notably, a flight over Florence in one of Leonardo’s contraptions — are both funny and exciting.

The recipe for modern family entertainment also calls for a dollop of strained sentimentality, here provided by challenges, internal and external, to Sherman and Mr. Peabody’s domestic harmony. After an incident at Sherman’s school, a nasty bureaucrat named Ms. Grunion (Allison Janney) threatens to remove the boy from his dad’s care. And Sherman himself (who is not very convincingly supposed to be 7) shows signs of rebelliousness. His genius father has always taken care of everything, which may have smothered the child’s creativity.

All this is resolved in a teary, mercifully short set of speeches at the end, affirming the importance of family love and the need for even highly competent canine parents to recognize their children’s independence. But while the filmmakers have updated jokes and themes about dogs and boys, their ideas about boys and girls have a musty, regressive feel.

At school, Sherman meets Penny Peterson (Ariel Winter; her parents are voiced by Leslie Mann and Stephen Colbert), a blond-haired, blue-eyed pixie who parrots incorrect information about George Washington in the classroom. Penny’s job in the course of the film is to be mean to Sherman, to get him into trouble, to be rescued by him, and then to marvel at his resourcefulness and bravery. During the airborne scene in Florence, she helps him become “the first man to fly.” The main historical women in the movie are the gluttonous Marie Antoinette and the frivolous Mona Lisa.

It is odd that big-studio animators have taken so long to get to “Frozen” and to “Brave,” and more than a little dispiriting that otherwise imaginative father-son stories like “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” and “The Lego Movie” default to sexism and tokenism. You would think they would be smarter than that, but I guess even a clever old dog has trouble learning new tricks.

“Mr. Peabody & Sherman” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). Poop jokes and fights.

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Film Review: ‘Mr. Peabody & Sherman’

Swift, peppy and defiantly unendearing, DreamWorks’ latest toon updates the zany adventures of the time-traveling dog-and-his-boy sideshow from 'Rocky and Bullwinkle.'

By Guy Lodge

Film Critic

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It was Samuel Butler who wrote of dogs that “you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.” He did not reckon with the prissy, annoyingly infallible canine hero of “Mr. Peabody & Sherman.” Swift, peppy and defiantly unendearing, DreamWorks’ latest toon updates the zany adventures of the time-traveling dog-and-his-boy sideshow from Jay Ward’s 1960s TV series “Rocky and Bullwinkle” — an arcane starting point for contempo kiddie fare, and not one that adapts entirely comfortably to the studio’s blend of state-of-the-art imagery and touchy-feely personal issues. Though the pic is sufficiently bright and gag-laden to lure families in a release frame short on comparable distractions, its commercial legs will depend on how readily tots accept its bizarre premise.

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The film’s release in Blighty on Feb. 7 precedes its U.S. opening by a month — a surprising strategy, considering how many of its elements, from the source material to the lead vocal presence of “Modern Family” star Ty Burrell, are identifiable principally to American audiences. The “Rocky and Bullwinkle” characters may seem dated even to accompanying parents, though the film cleverly addresses the problem by locating the modern-day narrative in a New York nonetheless laden with ’60s retro styling — from Mr. Peabody’s Jetsons-meets-Philip Johnson dream house to the pair’s natty Coke-bottle spectacles — that cannily evokes the rubberized chic of Pixar’s “The Incredibles.”

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The design will reassure any nostalgia-chasing fans of the original series that they’re in an equivalent universe, as will the script’s fondness for the knowingly lame punnery that was Ward’s comic stock-in-trade; the pre-credit sequence alone exhausts the verbal possibilities of the word “dog.” (The revelation that our canine genius graduated “valedogtorian” is as witty as it gets.) In most other respects, however, the rules of this story world have been rather dramatically altered. Ward’s creation treated as a jaunty absurdity the concept of a talking dog with an adopted human son and a time machine named the WABAC: With the freakishly intelligent Mr. Peabody treating doltish schoolboy Sherman more like a pet than a son (like the power play between Charlie Brown and Snoopy taken to surreal extremes), it wasn’t a setup played for emotional truth.

Written by playwright and TV stalwart Craig Wright (“Six Feet Under,” “Dirty Sexy Money”), “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” offers a slicker, sweeter take on the idea, adding a wholesome dose of family values to the central relationship — complete with syrupy montage, scored to John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy,” detailing just how this strange adoption came to pass. Peabody (Burrell), a beagle-like pooch whose precocious humanoid behavior left him unclaimed at the puppy farm, finds the infant Sherman (Max Charles) abandoned in an alleyway, takes him in and raises him as his own. “If a boy can adopt a dog,” a judge reasons, “I see no reason why a dog can’t adopt a boy.”

Very young viewers may take a similarly diplomatic view of the situation. Others may find it all a bit disconcerting, particularly as the film launches full-throttle into the era-hopping action — with the aforementioned backstory saved for later, the opening setpiece sees Peabody whiz Sherman off to 18th-century Versailles for a firsthand history lesson with Marie Antoinette, before we’ve ascertained the exact relationship between these oddly matched principals.

“Just Go With It” would have been a suitable alternate title for the film, but even those who take these outlandish goings-on at face value may be thrown when we’re invited to invest in the psychological reality of this father-son bond. When Sherman starts elementary school, the skepticism of his fellow students — notably Penny (Ariel Winter), a classroom bully on whom the boy nurses a poorly disguised crush — arouses enough conflict to draw the villainous attention of gorgon-like social worker Miss Grunion (Allison Janney). The film’s underlying themes of accepting difference and familial belonging run obviously counter to Grunion’s fast-held conviction that a dog is no suitable parent for a human boy — though it’s hard not to wonder if she has a point, and what the real-world equivalency is for the film’s opposing stance.

It’s probably best not to think about these things too hard — which is just as well, since the narrative’s time-travel element allows for plenty of fluffy, fleet-footed action, particularly when contrived circumstances lead to Sherman and Penny taking the WABAC out for an unsupervised spin. There was presumably a learning-while-playing intent behind the film’s irreverent whistle-stop tour of assorted historical eras, from Ancient Egypt (where Penny is briefly betrothed to King Tut) to Renaissance Italy (where Peabody’s pratfalls serve as the inspiration for Mona Lisa’s smile), though it’s doubtful young auds will leave the theater with much academic insight — beyond the knowledge that George Washington is a useful man to have around in the middle of a space-time continuum crisis.

It’s worth noting that this is director Rob Minkoff ’s first fully animated feature since “The Lion King,” though he hasn’t carried much old-school Disney texture over to the familiar DreamWorks house style. With Oscar-winning cinematographer Guillermo Navarro (“Pan’s Labyrinth”) on board as a visual consultant, the animation retains the wonky proportions and elastic movement of the original cartoons, though with a lushly expanded palette and a now-requisite airbrushed finish that hampers expressivity in the case of certain characters. (The 3D is sleek and, with the exception of a few thrusting swords in more historically heated interludes, entirely dispensable.) Danny Elfman’s score, like much else here, is zippy in the moment but not especially distinctive.

Reviewed at Vue West End, London, Feb. 1, 2014. MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 91 MIN.

• Production: (Animated) A 20th Century Fox release of a DreamWorks Animation presentation of a PDI/DreamWorks, Bullwinkle Studios production. Produced by Denise Nolan Cascino, Alex Schwartz. Executive producers, Tiffany Ward, Jason Clark, Eric Ellenbogen.
• Crew: Directed by Rob Minkoff. Screenplay, Craig Wright, based on characters created by Jay Ward. Editor, Michael Andrews; music, Danny Elfman; production designer, David James; art director, Timothy Lamb; re-recording mixer, Ryan Cole; visual consultant, Guillermo Navarro; visual effects supervisor, Philippe Denis; associate producer, Holly Edwards. 
• With: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, Allison Janney, Stanley Tucci, Lake Bell, Patrick Warburton, Stephen Tobolowsky, Mel Brooks, Karan Brar.

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'Mr. Peabody & Sherman': A dog and his boy go way-back

Mr. Peabody & Sherman is a time-travel movie, a father-and-son movie, a boy-meets-girl movie, and a movie that doggedly celebrates the art of the pun.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman is a time-travel movie, a father-and-son movie, a boy-meets-girl movie, and a movie that doggedly celebrates the art of the pun.

But most significant, it is a movie about the smartest creature on Earth - a Nobel Prize-winning scientist who just happens to be a beagle - and his adopted human boy, and the epic trouble that the bowtied canine and his bespectacled kid find themselves in, exploring history firsthand, and firstpaw, thanks to their WABAC Machine. (Yes, that's pronounced way-back .)

A smart, snappy CG-animated adaptation of the 1960s' "Peabody's Improbable History" segments of the classic Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon series, Mr. Peabody & Sherman has a cool, midcentury-modern look (dog and boy live in a populuxe Manhattan penthouse) and a voice cast that may not be A-list but fits the bill nicely.

Modern Family's Ty Burrell is just right as the aloof, erudite Peabody. As Sherman, The Neighbors' Max Charles brings the playfulness, and insecurities, of a 7-year-old to life. And Ariel Winter (Alex in Modern Family ) is Penny, the prissy classmate who takes an immediate dislike to the know-it-all nerd, mocking and bullying him - until, without permission, Sherman tries to impress her by hopping the WABAC and heading for Egypt, 133 B.C.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman ricochets through the centuries: Renaissance Florence, the French Revolution, ancient Troy, Ben Franklin and his kite, and so on. As the plot thickens, our four-legged polymath protagonist faces challenges both parental and physical, as in laws of physics. Wormholes, black holes, and vagaries in the space-time continuum figure prominently. Where are Spock and Kirk when you need them?

Director Rob Minkoff ( The Lion King , Stuart Little ) and his animation team stay true to the spirit of the original episodes - created by the Valley Forge cartoonist Ted Key (also of the popular weekly single-panel cartoon Hazel ). But the filmmakers inject a whooshy, propulsive sense of fun into the proceedings, too. And the relationship at the heart of the story, the brainiac dog and his eager-to-please pipsqueak charge, develops in ways that are emotionally genuine, if just a tiny bit far-fetched.

Fetch, Sherman, fetch.

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Mr. Peabody & Sherman  *** (Out of four stars) Directed by Rob Minkoff. With the voices of Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, and Stephen Colbert. Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox. Running time: 1 hour, 32 mins. Parent's guide: PG (cartoon violence) Playing at: area theaters

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It's about time: 'Mr. Peabody & Sherman' time-travel comedy charms parents too

Finally a reboot of a beloved retro series that feels fresh and fun. Cartoon characters "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" got their start in the 1960s, but their new full-length movie doesn't feel one bit dated. DreamWorks has filled in more of a personal back-story for the dog-dad-and-human-son duo, and kept the wacky time-traveling Wayback Machine that let them mingle with Marie Antoinette, Leonardo DaVinci and other historical figures.

Parents may remember the intellectual dog and his gawky red-headed boy from the "Peabody's Improbable History" segments of "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show." But even if they don't, they'll likely get a kick out of the new big-screen 3-D film. Here's a parents' guide.

Will kids enjoy it? Yes. Even Gen Z types who've never heard of the "Rocky & Bullwinkle" skits will be sucked into the charm of the brainy canine and his charmingly clueless son. The action is quick but not hyper, the characters are relatable, and there are a few fart jokes to keep the grade-schoolers giggling. Parents be warned: If this is your kid's first introduction to King Tut, they may come away from the film knowing only that his name rhymes with "butt."

What about their parents? Parents should enjoy it too. The film's salted with jokes that are obviously intended only for them, including an "I'm Spartacus!" bit that's all the better for taking a while to pay off, and plenty of verbal puns. Sherman plays the stand-in for the kid audience, repeatedly laughing and then saying "I don't get it," after his dog dad delivers a zinger that requires historical knowledge he doesn't have. Kids won't always get it either, but the film zooms on quickly and they won't care.

What age level will appreciate the movie? Should be fine for kindergartners and up unless they're very sensitive. "Mr Peabody & Sherman" is rated PG for "some mild action and rude humor." The action is mild as cream cheese — some sword-fighting and a few chase scenes — and the "rude humor" includes the aforementioned butt and fart jokes. The scariest scenes don't involve the battles, but the plot where a creepy social worker (voice of Allison Janney) threatens to take Sherman away from his doggie daddy. Smart parents could easily turn this into a learning opportunity, taking the car ride home to discuss adoption, families and other relevant issues. And older grade-schoolers might be intrigued enough by some of the historical segments to want to seek out the real story. The Trojan War, the painting of the Mona Lisa, King Tut and Egyptian mummies, the French Revolution, Gandhi, George Washington, and even Bill Clinton make appearances.

Should viewers seek out the 3-D? It's not as dazzling as the stunning ice and snow flying at the audience in "Frozen," but overall, the added dimension is fun here. Swords jut out at the audience, rocks whiz around, and a fun sequence features Sherman swooping through the air on DaVinci's flying machine. If you don't mind the ticket surcharge, go for it, though if your local theater offers 2-D only, don't fret.

Got a bathroom break guide? The film's a fast 90 minutes, so most kids can sit through it all. But if you need a plot-free moment to duck out, the Trojan War battle scenes are a good bet. (Yes, that's "Seinfeld's" Puddy — Patrick Warburton — as Agamemnon. Gotta support the team.)

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10 best animated movies about time travel, ranked.

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10 Time Travel Movie Rules, Ranked Worst To Best

Every hayao miyazaki movie ranked, including the boy and the heron, your name ending explained (in detail).

• Animated movies offer more creative freedom for exploring time travel concepts and expanding on them in unique ways.
• Animated movies, including those about time travel, are not just for kids. They contain valuable life lessons for both children and adults.
• Time travel movies in animation can touch on important themes like family and empathy, providing heartwarming and emotional experiences.

Many movies have taken advantage of animation to make some of the best time travel movies. As animation isn't hindered by what an actor is able to do on set, there is a lot more freedom when making an animated movie. It makes time travel an excellent plot device for animated movies to use, as they can really expand on the concept in unique ways.

A common belief is that animated movies are meant purely for kids. While there are a lot of kid-friendly animated movies, there are plenty of animated movies for adults , too, including Grave of the Fireflies, Loving Vincent , and even South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut . Animated movies tend to contain life lessons that are beneficial to kids and adults alike, and the ones about time travel are no exception, seeing as some of the best touch on subjects such as family and the importance of empathy.

Time travel movies are often riddled with plot holes, but some of them, like Interstellar, manage to stick to their own rules from beginning to end.

10 Regular Show: The Movie (2015)

A time travel flick based on the cartoon network show.

Regular Show: The Movie takes place between the first two episodes of the Cartoon Network show's seventh season. It follows Mordecai, Rigby, and their friends as they try to fix a mistake the duo made in their past. Mordecai and Rigby had made a time machine in high school that is now being used by their former volleyball coach for evil. Regular Show: The Movie maintains the wacky comedy that makes the TV series so popular. Its message on the importance of friendship and communication is surprisingly heartwarming as Mordecai and Rigby come to understand how past actions have hurt each other.

9 Steins;Gate: The Movie - Load Region Of Déjà Vu (2013)

A follow-up to the popular anime.

Taking place one year after the events of the anime series, Steins;Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déjà Vu discusses a popular issue with time travel, what happens when one goes too far with it. The film takes it in an interesting direction as Rintaro Okabe's consistent time travel causes him to disappear from reality with only Kurisa Mikase remembering him. Steins;Gate succeeded at making a good anime sequel movie , which is a feat in itself. The movie is surprisingly emotional, as Kurisa's love for Rintaro is constantly tested by failures to rescue him. The movie does well at balancing the drama with a unique time travel story.

8 Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)

A dog and his human son have to fix time.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman is a DreamWorks movie about a young boy whose antics rip a hole in time. Sherman and his dog adoptive father, Mr. Peabody, have to undo the damage while dealing with child protective services. The relationship between Mr. Peabody and Sherman is sweet and provides a lot of the movie's humor. Mr. Peabody & Sherman has a lot of heart and contains a lot of commentary on family and how families can be different. The overall message, that just because a family looks different doesn't mean it's bad, is one that will stand the test of time. Although parts of the movie were slow, the heart behind Mr. Peabody & Sherman makes up for it.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman is based on characters from The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends . Mr. Peabody and Sherman were in the segments titled Peabody's Improbable History .

7 Quantum Cowboys (2022)

A live-action/animated sci-fi western.

The ever-changing style of Quantum Cowboys makes it one of the most interesting animated movies. A sci-fi Western following two drifters who decide to help a woman get her land back, Quantum Cowboys is a unique mix of live-action and animation . The constant stylistic switches can make it difficult to understand, but once the plot gets moving and the idea of reality is thrown out of the window, the movie becomes engaging and philosophical. The ambition behind Quantum Cowboys is what makes it such a good time travel movie. As a lot of time travel movies focus on action, it's refreshing to see a time travel film take a more philosophical route.

6 Godzilla: The Planet Of The Monsters (2017)

Humans must flee earth after godzilla attacks.

After a Godzilla attack nearly makes humans extinct, the survivors are forced to flee Earth with two alien races on the ship Aratrum . 20 years later, Captain Haruo Sakaki convinces everyone to take the Aratrum back to Earth after finding Godzilla's weakness. When the Aratrum returns, 20,000 years have passed on Earth, and the planet has been drastically altered by Godzilla's presence. Like the best Godzilla franchise movies , Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters has incredible visuals and engaging action scenes . Although the characters are not fleshed out well, the beauty of the film overshadows that. The visuals, especially those of Godzilla, are magnificent and capture the essence of the kaiju genre wonderfully.

Two sequels were made in 2018, Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle and Godzilla: The Planet Eater.

5 The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)

A girl's time travel exploits begin to have consequences.

In The Girl Who Leapt Through Time , teenager Makoto Konno discovers a device that allows her to jump through time. She uses it to avoid being late, get perfect grades, and avoid awkward situations. As she continues to use this new power, Makoto realizes that not only does she have a limited number of time jumps, but her actions have affected those around her. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a fun coming-of-age movie that feels like a Studio Ghibli movie. The imagery and softness of the film, juxtaposed with the real danger Makoto puts herself and others in, add a lot of weight to the film. The movie drives its message of understanding the consequences of one's actions home perfectly.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is loosely based on a novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui.

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the biggest names in animation, and here's how all of his movies, including The Boy and the Heron, compare to each other.

4 Mirai (2018)

A young boy time travels to learn about his family.

In Mirai , 6-year-old Kun is distraught by the arrival of his baby sister, Mirai, as he is jealous of the attention she gets. Throughout the movie, Kun goes into the garden and travels through time. Every time he does so, Kun meets various people, and each one turns out to be a member of Kun's family, including a version of Mirai from the future and Kun's great-grandfather. Like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time , Mirai 's imagery and plot make it feel like a Studio Ghibli film. It's interesting to see time traveling affect the present in such an intimate way. The biggest change to come from Kun's time traveling in Mirai is within Kun himself as he learns to be more understanding of his family.

3 Meet The Robinsons (2007)

Kid-friendly time travel adventure.

Disney's Meet the Robinsons is a fun and heartwarming time travel adventure movie. Young inventor Lewis is taken to the future by a boy named Wilbur, who needs his help. Lewis bonds with Wilbur's family, the Robinsons, and soon becomes entangled in a conflict with the mysterious Bowler Hat Guy. Meet the Robinsons is full of emotion and humor as it tackles topics such as family and guilt. It's the perfect movie to watch again as an adult to catch hidden details about Meet the Robinsons ' characters , who are the ones who truly make the movie spectacular. Each one brings something different, and they are so complex that it makes Meet the Robinsons feel real, even if the setting and plot are fantastical.

2 Your Name (2016)

An emotionally charged anime movie about body-switching.

After wishing to be a boy in her next life, Mitsuha Miyamizu switches bodies with Taki Tachibana, a boy living in Tokyo. The two continue to switch bodies on certain days and help each other in their personal lives. When Taki tries to find Mitsuha, however, he learns that they've been time traveling as well, as Mitsuha died three years earlier when a comet destroyed her village. Your Name 's subversion of a classic trope makes it feel new and exciting. Despite the sci-fi aspects of it, Your Name stays incredibly grounded and focuses on everyday life. The intimacy of the film is what makes it so special, and every emotion that it invokes is genuine.

Your Name, a 2016 animated film, combines an emotional love story with a sci-fi time travel element in a plot that can be hard to follow.

1 A Christmas Carol (2009)

An animated retelling of the classic novel.

Disney's version of Charles Dickens' novel, A Christmas Carol , was shot using motion capture and follows the original tale closely. Wealthy miser Ebenezer Scrooge is taken throughout his past, present, and future by three ghosts to show him the error of his ways. Many versions of A Christmas Carol have been made with varying degrees of accuracy. A Christmas Carol is one of the most prominent time travel stories, and the 2009 film did it brilliantly. The animation never takes away from the heart of the story and actually helps to enhance it at times. It maintains the fantastic nature of Dickens' novel while still maintaining the reality of the story.

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100 Best Dog Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer

Dogs: Man’s best friend, movie’s most endangered hero. Seriously, how many times have we gone into a dog movie hoping we didn’t just get suckered into another one where the dog dies in the end? But some of those movies make up the classics. And some of those movies where the dog lives happily after ever, with a nice house and a bowl of kibble and a robust 401k, are also classics. And some dog movies ain’t so classic, but people love ’em anyways, so we’re including those, and all the other good boys and girls of canine cinema for our guide to the 80 Best Dog Movies, ranked by Tomatometer!

First, we’ve retrieved all the golden films of yesteryear, like Old Yeller , Lassie , and The Incredible Journey . Then we rescued those nearly forgotten from the kennels of history, including Wendy and Lucy , Sounder , and Megan Leavey . After that, we introduced them to the tearjerkers of today, such as Hachi: A Dog’s Tale and Marley and Me .

Because dogs can take on new dimensions of ferocity and cuteness in animation, there’s plenty to see here in this list. Take the Disney classics ( The Fox and the Hound , Bolt ). Add a little stop-motion ( Isle of Dogs , Frankenweenie ). And, of course, bring along the ones that can solve mysteries (Scooby-Doo), hold a job (Wallace, he of Gromit), and pilot their house ( Snoopy, Come Home ).

The latest additions include Channing Tatum’s Dog , documentary Pick of the Litter , and Arthur the King , based on the 2017 bestseller Arthur: The Dog who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home . We’ve also included Rotten movies that fans have embraced, like Clifford the Big Red Dog , A Dog’s Purpose , Balto . Now, time to let all of them off the leash for the Best Dog Movies, ranked by Tomatometer!

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) 98%

Pick of the Litter (2018) 97%

Heart of a Dog (2015) 96%

Best in Show (2000) 93%

Lassie (2005) 93%

Lady and the Tramp (1955) 93%

Togo (2019) 92%

Isle of Dogs (2018) 90%

Bolt (2008) 90%

My Dog Tulip (2009) 90%

Frankenweenie (2012) 88%

White God (2014) 87%

As Good as It Gets (1997) 86%

Wendy and Lucy (2008) 86%

Megan Leavey (2017) 86%

Alpha (2018) 80%

Wiener-Dog (2016) 74%

Eight Below (2006) 73%

The Secret Life of Pets (2016) 70%

Old Yeller (1957) 100%

Red Dog: True Blue (2016) 100%

White Dog (1982) 94%

Lassie Come Home (1943) 94%

Snoopy, Come Home (1972) 93%

Sounder (1972) 91%

Baxter (1989) 90%

The Incredible Journey (1963) 89%

Lassie (1994) 88%

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998) 89%

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) 87%

Oddball (2015) 87%

Benji (1974) 86%

Red Dog (2011) 84%

White Fang (2018) 80%

The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1986) 80%

Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders (2000) 80%

A Boy and His Dog (1975) 78%

The Fox and the Hound (1981) 75%

My Dog Skip (2000) 73%

Shiloh (1997) 73%

DC League of Super-Pets (2022) 72%

White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf (1994) 71%

Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season (1999) 70%

The Shaggy Dog (1959) 70%

Think Like a Dog (2020) 70%

I Am Legend (2007) 68%

Lady and the Tramp (2019) 67%

White Fang (1991) 67%

Iron Will (1994) 67%

The Plague Dogs (1982) 67%

101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2003) 67%

Arthur the King (2024) 70%

Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009) 64%

The Call of the Wild (2020) 63%

Marley & Me (2008) 63%

Far From Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995) 63%

Dog Days (2018) 62%

The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019) 60%

Benji (2018) 60%

Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase (2001) 60%

A Dog's Way Home (2019) 59%

Cujo (1983) 59%

Balto (1995) 56%

Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (1996) 56%

Because of Winn-Dixie (2005) 55%

Clifford's Really Big Movie (2004) 55%

Benji the Hunted (1987) 55%

Strays (2023) 53%

Cats & Dogs (2001) 52%

Oliver & Company (1988) 53%

A Dog's Journey (2019) 53%

Turner & Hooch (1989) 52%

The Shaggy D.A. (1976) 50%

Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost (1999) 50%

Air Bud (1997) 48%

Hotel for Dogs (2009) 46%

Rock Dog (2016) 46%

The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019) 45%

Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (2001) 45%

All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) 44%

Dog Gone (2023) 41%

Saving Shiloh (2006) 41%

Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008) 40%

Zeus and Roxanne (1997) 40%

The Stray (2017) 40%

101 Dalmatians (1996) 39%

Must Love Dogs (2005) 37%

Max (2015) 37%

Firehouse Dog (2007) 37%

Patrick the pug (2018) 37%.

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003) 36%

A Dog's Purpose (2017) 34%

Benji: Off the Leash! (2004) 33%

Scooby-Doo (2002) 32%

Beethoven (1992) 31%

Fluke (1995) 31%

K-9 (1989) 30%

The Shaggy Dog (2006) 26%

Snow Dogs (2002) 26%

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The 15 Most Creative, Mind-Bending Time Travel Movies Ever Made

With Safety Not Guaranteed and About Time , these are the best movies about time travel you haven't seen yet.

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Ever wish you could go back in time and handle a situation differently — or live through a historic event before your time? You're not the only one. Time travel has captured the imagination of countless creatives over the years, giving us some fascinating, morally challenging and even hilarious movies. We may not be able to talk a walk into the past — but as some of these films prove, that may be a good thing.

About Time (2013)

Instead of altering history and life as we know it, the protagonist in this charming British film uses his time-traveling abilities for something a little more relatable: finding love. The result is a surprisingly sweet and criminally underrated romantic comedy.

RELATED: The 60 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time to Stream Right Now

Predestination (2015)

Based on Robert Heinlein’s short story All You Zombies , this Ethan Hawke movie will leave you guessing (and second-guessing) the whole time. Without spoiling the ending, it's definitely worth watching again.

The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)

Of the three movies where Rachel McAdams dates a time traveling man (girlfriend's got a type), the drama is definitely the most serious. Based on Audrey Niffenegger's 2003 novel of the same name, Clare tries to build a life with the man she loves — while dealing with the fact he has no control over where and when he will travel through time.

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

Excellent! You're going to want to revisit this goofy, fun time travel flick before Keanu Reeves returns for the upcoming sequel.

Groundhog Day (1993)

Does living the same day over-and-over again count as time travel? This Bill Murray film about a weather man trapped in the worst day of his life is a classic, so we're going to count it.

Doctor Strange (2016)

Marvel fans are probably already familiar with Benedict Cumberbatch's role as a neurosurgeon with the powers to access alternate dimensions, but even if you're not familiar with the Marvel Universe, you can still enjoy this superhero romp.

RELATED: How to Watch All 24 Marvel Movies in the Correct Order

Back to the Future (1985)

If you're looking for some good, old-fashioned nostalgia, this 80s classic holds up! Michael J. Fox stars as Marty McFly, a teen who accidentally who accidentally gets stuck in the 1950s thanks to his mad scientist friend — and must make sure his parents fall in love with each other so he can still exist!

Interstellar (2014)

Trippy, mind-bending, and everything you want out of a time-travel movie, Christopher Nolan's time-traveling space epic will stay with you long after you finish watching,

Donnie Darko (2001)

Though it initially flopped at the box office, this film gathered a cult-following when it was released on DVD, thanks to Jake Gyllenhaal's intense performance and the surrealist images and themes just waiting to be dissected and discussed. See if you can untangle this famously dense plot for yourself.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

One of the best Harry Potter films happens to also be a time-traveling tale. Hermione uses a "Time Turner" to take more classes at Hogwarts, but that's not all Harry and his friends use the device for.

Time Bandits (1981)

Terry Gilliam's endlessly imaginative film follows an 11-year-old boy who teams up with 6 dwarves for an adventure through time.

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

A classified ad from a mysterious man looking for a time-traveling companion intrigues three cynical Seattle journalists. An unexpected connection forms between the would-be scientist and one of the reporters in this low-key indie.

Primer (2004)

Two engineers create an invention that can alter time — and butt heads over how to handle the magnitude of their creation.

Time After Time (1971)

H.G. Wells pursues Jack the Ripper in 1970's San Fransisco — as outlandish as the premise is, it's a fascinating movie once you get on board with it.

The Terminator (1984)

Two time travelers from the future, an evil cyborg and a resistance fighter, fight over the life of modern woman Sarah Connor, after it's revealed her fate can save humanity.

As an Editorial Fellow for Good Housekeeping, Katie covers health, beauty, home, and pop culture. Outside of the office, you can find her killing it on the karaoke machine or listening to true crime podcasts.

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10 Romantic Time Travel Movies to Binge Watch: I’ll Love You to the End of Time

These are some of the best time travel romance movies!

Time travel as a genre is always fascinating in any medium, whether a book, movie, TV show or comic. The possibility of meeting anyone in existence, going to places long forgotten, and uncovering secrets of well-loved icons of the past and maybe even the future gives a special allure to time travel romance movies.

The fantastical direction this genre takes adds elements of magic, naivete, and touches of illusion, appealing to older and younger viewers alike. Add into this the sprinkle of romance, and you have me hooked.

If I get the chance to watch Shakespeare wooing a girl from the 21st century using poems that have become cult classics, I’m grabbing the popcorn and switching my phone off.

RELATED: 80 OF THE BEST ENTERTAINING TIME TRAVEL TV SHOWS YOU NEED TO WATCH

Like most people, I grew up watching time travel movies. Consequently, they have become my favorites. For example, we can all appreciate Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure or watching Hermione travel back in time to see herself punch Draco in the face. (Not only a win for Harry Potter fans but for girls all around.)

Meanwhile, Doctor Who (2005) is my first exposure to real romance and time travel. With the Doctor’s companions all falling for him, he initially only falls for Rose (Nine and Ten).

RELATED: 7 FUN AND ROMANTIC TIME TRAVEL ASIAN DRAMAS

As a result, it had millions of us hoping he would appear in our living rooms, ready to take us on our own adventure. Since then, there was no going back. There are just so many romantic time travel movies calling out to be binged.

Here is a list of my personal favorite romantic time travel movies that have thus far survived the test of time. However, I will admit this list is not exhaustive (limiting the films to 10 was difficult).

10 ROMANTIC TIME TRAVEL MOVIES TO BINGE WATCH

(In No Particular Order)

#1: ABOUT TIME (2013)

Without a doubt, this is a humorous and engaging retelling of a classic boy trying to win over a girl story. Tim wishes to change his life and get a girlfriend. With this intention, enter Mary.

Tom falls for her and is relentless and tenacious in his pursuit, all thanks to a family secret. The men in his family can travel through time! What a secret to have, and at 21, your options are endless.

About Time beautifully captures the fun-loving side of romance. And, as viewers, we see the benefits of having such a gift and just how painful the gift can be.

For this reason, we see the love between a man and woman and the close relationship between Tim and his father, played by the talented Bill Nighy . Have tissues ready, as poignant scenes will get you teary-eyed.

Content Note: This film is rated 12A in the UK for mild profanity, nudity, violence, and moderate love scenes. For the same reason, About Time is a mild rated R in the United States.

#2: THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE (2009)

This falls quite high on my list of must-watch romance films in general as it has sweeping romance and not to mention swoon-worthy Eric Bana as the protagonist. The film beautifully interweaves through different phases of time, keeping the viewer enthralled.

It follows the life of Clare (Rachel McAdams) and how she meets Henry (Eric Bana), or rather how he encounters her. Clare and Henry ‘meet’ in a library. Soon, they both know what Henry is and what he can do, which is being involuntarily thrown through time, forwards or backward.

The movie’s most interesting aspect is that, despite Henry being the traveler, Clare knows more about him. She’s even aware of their relationship during their ‘first meeting’.

You can assume this is not their first meeting without giving too much away. The story follows them through their life together, how his continued absence becomes a toll on Clare, and over time, it delves into the life of living with a time traveler.

Could you live with someone who knows your future? They will know exactly where your life together could end up. Instead of going for the fated lovers’ angle, this looks at how fate may have brought them together, but should they have walked away?

Content Note: This film is rated 12A in the UK for mild sensuality, nudity, and profanity. In the US, the film is rated PG-13.

#3: SOMEWHERE IN TIME (1980)

If you prefer sweet innocent love stories with classic romance, Somewhere in Time will be perfect for you.

Set in 1972, Christopher Reeve stars as student Richard Collier who travels to Mackinac Island to stay at the Grand Hotel, where he sees a portrait of a woman who he becomes enamored with.

He finds out she was a famous stage actress who has passed away. In this obsession with the picture, he finds a way to go back in time to meet her.

Using methods of self-hypnosis, he is able to get back to 1900 and meet Elise McKenna, but what fate is in store for two people with such a big ‘time’ difference? Get ready to fall in love with the characters, cinematography, music, and love stories all over again.

Fun tidbit: Somewhere in Time was nominated for an Oscar for best costume design.

Content Note : This film is rated PG for mild profanity and sensuality.

#4: THE LAKE HOUSE (2006) AND IL MARE (2002)

The Lake House is a somber story, showing love with a facet of yearning, similar to Somewhere in Time . Both have protagonists who are trapped in different times.

Kate Forrester (Sandra Bullock) moves to a new house, leaving behind a letter for the next tenant. The person who reads the letter, Alex Wyler (Keanu Reeves), realizes some unusual things are happening.

Events mentioned in the letter have yet to occur. They come to the realization that they are exactly two years apart, writing from different times.

This charming movie weaves a beautiful story that will appeal to anyone in a long-distance relationship. You will be able to relate to the dates they attempt to go on and how they try and share experiences with each other.

It will make you appreciate that you are at least a phone call away. The ending of the movie will have you on the edge of your seats, and the revelations revealed will make you want to believe in fate and kismet take your pick.

Special mention to the original movie Il Mare (2002), a Korean production and equally a must-watch if you don’t mind subtitles.

Content Note: This film is rated PG with mild profanity, alcohol, and drugs.

#5: BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III (1990)

If you are not familiar with this series, what are you doing? Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and the iconic DeLorean made a generation of kids dream about hoverboards and Nike trainers.

This is the third installment of the series, giving more focus to the ‘Doc’ Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd).

Set against the backdrop of the 1885 old west (and true to the name), we get standoffs, brawls, and romance. Meanwhile, Marty travels to 1885 and is stuck because his car breaks down.

Of course, he has a run-in with ‘Mad Dog’ Biff Tannen and his unruly gang. (Trying to send Marty back with their limited resources makes you appreciate a lot of amenities we take for granted.)

In this process, Emmett meets a school teacher, Clara Clayton (Mary Steenburgen), who is a science geek just like him, and soon a romance blossoms.

It is surreal and sweet to see Doc so enamored and unable to figure out how to act. Furthermore, the romance breathes new life into his character and shows an angle we never thought we needed.

In the climax of the movie, there is a race against time to get the DeLorean fixed and Marty back to the present day. Ultimately, even as a sequel, Back to the Future Part III is brilliant.

Content Note: This film is rated PG with moderate profanity, mild sensuality, nudity, and violence.

#6: MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (2011)

‘ You’re in love with a fantasy.’ ‘I’m in love with you.’

Woody Allen does it again, giving us a spellbinding movie with sophisticated and witty characters. He portrays Paris in a way that will make you want to go there and explore.

Winner of an Oscar, Midnight in Paris follows Gil (Owen Wilson) and Inez (Rachel McAdams) on vacation in Paris, where he wishes to move after they marry.

However, his wife-to-be doesn’t see the magic of the city, hoping to settle in America instead. In the meantime, Gil struggles to write his first novel and takes a strange late-night stroll through Paris, getting an invite to a party that includes guests such as Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Gertrude, and many others who frequented the famous salon of Stein.

It is up to the audience to decide if this is time travel or just the fantasy of a desperate writer who is in love with the golden era of the ’20s. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie because it gave a glimpse of how some of my favorite writers would interact.

This is what other genres cannot do, transport and introduce characters and figures who we would love to meet. This charming film will have you falling in love with the characters and the dialogue.

The superb acting by Wilson portrays an awe-struck, enthusiastic writer who meets his heroes. There is no real story to follow, but rather more events that unfold and how the characters react to them. But life is like this sometimes: we don’t know where things are going until later on.

Content Note: This film is rated 12A  in the UK and PG-13 in the U.S. for mild profanity, sensuality, and nudity.

#7: 13 GOING ON 30 (2004)

13 Going on 30 is a reverse-coming-of-age time travel romantic comedy. Jenna (Jennifer Garner) makes a wish on her thirteenth birthday, wanting to be older after going through an embarrassing ordeal.

Jenna wishes to make her older, and it is fulfilled magically. She wakes up the next day to find she is weeks from her thirtieth birthday, has a dream job as a magazine editor, a car, and a very attractive boyfriend.

Everything that anyone could want, but she is still not happy, which pushes the story toward what she truly desires.

This approach is always fun to watch, including hilarious scenes where the protagonist tries to understand the new circumstances and her new body. I admit it’s nothing new in terms of what we can expect, but Garner portrays the character’s innocence and naivete so well.

We see beautiful shots of New York City, which will make you want to book your flight and get over there. However, the surprise in this movie is Mark Ruffalo, who plays Matt, the high school best friend.

Seeing him in this role will be new and a fresh take for fans of the Marvel world. One of the best moments in the movie is the Michael Jackson ‘Thriller’ dance which will leave you astounded and get you on your feet.

Content Note: This film is rated 12A in the UK and PG-13 in the U.S. for mild profanity and suggestive content.

#8: WINTER’S TALE (2014)

Winter’s Tale is set in 1895 on the streets of New York and is based on the novel of the same name. Peter Lake (Colin Farrell) is a seasoned thief who enters the home of Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay). Beverly catches him in the act.

They both fall in love, and she tells Peter a story about how everyone is born with a miracle inside them. This is the theme for the whole movie so keep this in mind while watching.

The movie boasts a lot of big stars: Russell Crowe, Will Smith, and William Hurt, who all play fantastical characters brilliantly. The story jumps to modern times showing us Peter again. But he has amnesia, setting the story for the rest of the movie. The search for his memories and lost story.

Romance like this is always beautiful to watch, even though the audience and characters know it will not be the happy ending we all hope for.

Fans of Downton Abbey will recognize Findlay as Lady Sybil Crawley, carrying off the character of Beverly competently, with a timeless beauty that is only enhanced because we know the fate of the character.

Farrell is exquisite as always, playing his role as an Irish thief so convincingly. There are many twists and turns to keep you entertained during the second half, which is worth the effort.

Content Note: This film is rated 12A in the UK and PG-13 in the U.S. for violence and sensuality.

#9: IF ONLY (2004)

If Only uses the winning formula that led Groundhog Day (1993) to success, where the day is on repeat. We have Samantha (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Ian (Paul Nichols), who are a typical couple, showing the relationship and fights.

Tragedy strikes when Samantha has a car accident leaving a heartbroken and grief-stricken Ian. But fate gives him another chance to back in time to try and change events. He lives the same day again and, like any sensible hero, tries to alter the events leading up to her accident.

It’s a sweet story showing the importance of cherishing the people close to you. The film further makes you wonder about how you would react in this situation. Would you be able to change anything?

The story moves at a good pace, keeping audiences on edge as to whether Ian will succeed. Very beautiful moments occur between the two as Ian knows what will come.

He tries his hardest to make everything perfect (and take notes, guys – ahem, ahem). Tissues may be needed; you have been warned.

Content Note: This film is rated PG-13 for some sensual material.

#10: KATE & LEOPOLD (2001)

‘I’m not very good with men.’ ‘ Perhaps you haven’t found the right one.’

This time travel romance movie captures everyone’s heart because Leopold (Hugh Jackman) comes from 1876 and has a romantic, classic approach to love.

He has purity dripping from every glance and every word he speaks. It would make any girl fall head over heels for the chivalrous Leopold.

So, what chance does Kate (Meg Ryan) have? Leopold needs to marry someone for wealth, with a dwindling purse and big dreams to pursue. He enters a portal transporting him to modern times. This blows him away to see the sights and progress.

He meets Kate, a market researcher who is cynical but ambitious. They get close but inevitable differences arise, and he returns back to his time.

Kate & Leopold also provides well-written comedic scenes with Kate’s brother, an actor assuming Leopold is deep in character. For fans of epic romantic movies from the ’90s, this 2001 film is equally awesome. Plus, any fan of Jackman will enjoy seeing him in this swoony role.

Content Note: Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

Did you find one of your favorite movies about time travel and love? If you had the chance to have one of these romances, which one would it be?

Top Photo Credit: Somewhere in Time (Universal Pictures)

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Book lover – reader and writer. Being a bookworm from an early age introduced me to all wonderful worlds, travelling from Narnia to Hogwarts. This became my hobby and passion leading me to pursue avenues where I can write not just for my enjoyment but also to progress my career. Some of my current obsessions include K-dramas, all things period - any BBC original adaptation. I am currently reading Dan Brown's new novel as well as "All men are Mortal" and re-reading "North and South" because you can never read enough about Mr.Thornton and Margaret!

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12 thoughts on “10 Romantic Time Travel Movies to Binge Watch: I’ll Love You to the End of Time”

Found some new ones for my list, so thanks! I love Hugh Jackson in Kate and Leopold – he plays it so straight it makes the whole thing so much funnier.

Though I haven’t seen it in a while now, I remember that I liked “Lake House,” and I just started to watch “About Time” last night. It’s nothing like I expected, but so far I quite like it! 🙂

Man, Rachel McAdams is all about that time travel life!

Oh, I hoped I’d find a new romantic time travel movie to add to my watched list, but I’m afraid I’ve already seen them all. Lovely curated list, tho!

A long time ago there lived a scientist who would hardly ever venture outside. His life was a lonely one, with long days of research and experiments. It was his ambition to create a potion to see into the future. He had over years collected hundreds of herbs and combined them in various ways until eventually, he was on the brink of a breakthrough…

Where am I able to find the remainder of this story? One mustn’t dangle a carrot expecting no one to bite! Rachel

All these are lovely —- another good one is “1994 Timecop” with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Mia Sara — thriller & romance

I can’t seem to find the movie which was based on a short story “ Christopher Frame “ a photo restorer who time travels ,.falls in love and stays there , tried to lookup but there is no information about it ,I can’t remember the name of the movie or episode either for the love of God ,If anyone knows about it please let me know ,thanks

Another outstanding time travel movie is the 1998 Hallmark Hall of Fame production “The Love Letter”, starring Campbell Scott and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Aired in the late 90s, it’s about an engaged civil war buff who finds hidden letters in an old desk which were written by an unmarried woman in 1863. He is compelled to respond to her and even though he lives in the late 20th century she receives his letters and they begin a correspondence through time. This obviously causes a big problem for his life with his fiance. It’s an excellent movie based on a short story by Jack Finney. Finney is the author of two great time travel novels, Time And Again and From Time to Time.

Hi Everybody, I read through the candidates for best time travel romance, all of which I have seen. I agree with your choices, but not exactly in that order. Although they were all great movies, it is “Somewhere in Time” that takes the number one spot. I was happy to see that at least you gave them the 3rd spot, but, in reality, it was the one movie that expressed so beautifully the concept that love transcends time and in the end, true love brings them together as they slip off into eternity.

There is one more movie to which I would give honorable mention. That is the 1979 movie “Time After Time” where the prolific writer HG Wells pursues Jack the Ripper into the future where Hubert (Malcolm Mcdowell) meets Mary Steenburgen and falls in love. This is another great movie. Thanks, DAD

Hi Dad! I agree with you that Somewhere in Time is the best time-travel romance movie. 🙂 Such a beautiful film!

Comments are closed.

32 Movies Great Movies About Time Travel With Completely Different Rules

Prepare for some serious stipulations.

Is there ever a bad time to watch a time travel movie? Some of the best sci-fi movies in history have tackled this frequently explored topic, and new wrinkles in the fabric of the concept have made the subject more exciting over time. So why don’t we take a look at the different rules these flights of fancy have introduced? Should you be stuck in a time loop, we apologize if this list is starting to get old.

Back To The Future

Everyone loves to talk about how Back to the Future’s time travel works , but there’s one aspect we take for granted throughout the whole trilogy. Doc Brown ( Christopher Lloyd ) may have given Marty McFly ( Michael J. Fox ) the keys to travel through the past, present, and future; but you seriously need to consider the exact spot you’re traveling to. Otherwise, you might find yourself altering history in some intriguing ways. R.I.P. Twin Pines Mall. 

Time After Time

A novel adventure starring the father of time travel H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell), Time After Time actually introduced an interesting mechanic to temporal transport. Let’s just say that if you don’t use the Time Machine properly, you could find yourself stuck in your final destination. Or worse, falling through the time-space continuum, without a way back home.

The Terminator

The Terminator's time travel will forever be a head-scratcher, as the existence of John Connor is the ultimate ontological paradox. How else can you explain Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) being sent back to the 1980s to save the world…and make sure the person who sent him is born in the first place?

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

The oldest method of time travel in the Star Trek movies, 1986’s The Voyage Home saw Captain Kirk ( William Shatner ) and his crew trying to save the whales through a time heist. This wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the Enterprise crew using a Klingon Bird of Prey, a slingshot orbit around the sun, and a lot of engineering power to do it.

2004’s Primer is still hotly discussed among time travel aficionados, and it’s not hard to see why. The shenanigans in this test case involve multiple versions of a singular traveler (Shane Carruth) existing in a single timeline, which creates one of the most chaotic timelines ever depicted.

The Adam Project

Story-wise, The Adam Project is pretty cozy when it comes to how it handles time travel. But when it comes to traveling in style, the older Adam Reed ( Ryan Reynolds ) has a Time Jet that’s specifically coded to his DNA! Not many temporal travelers HAVE that, and it prevents so many mistakes other adventures of this sort use for story purposes.

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Avengers: Endgame

How Avengers: Endgame’s time travel works is rather unorthodox, to be honest. Instead of overwriting the past into a more pleasing result, the MCU’s finest are only allowed to use it in the name of stealing/returning the Infinity Stones. Timelines can still create tangent histories, and 2014 Gamora takes over for her slain variant in the films, but you can’t stop “The Snap.”

Lost In Space

If all time travelers had the device Older Will Robinson (Jared Harris) built in 1998’s Lost in Space , they’d have it made. While only one person can travel at a time, exact coordinates in time and space are required; so you can go to a very specific spatial location on the timeline. 

The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly Effect's time travel works on rules similar to that of Quantum Leap . Evan ( Ashton Kutcher ) can indeed change history, but it’s only within his own life’s timeline. Unfortunately, thanks to the multiple trips leading to continued alterations to the fabric of events, it all adds up in terms of severe physical wear and tear. 

Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine is a very special case when it comes to time travel. To be fair, the comedy ensemble franchise gets points for having its protagonists travel only within their own bodies. As for how one can actually travel with said titular device, apparently you need an energy drink, the right hot tub with the right temperature, and some convenient writing. 

Real-time bodily damage. That’s probably one of the most unique additions to Looper’s usage of time travel , as we see people incur damage in the past, only for it to show up on their future selves. Poor Seth ( Paul Dano ) demonstrated that lesson the hard way in Rian Johnson ’s sci-fi masterpiece. 

Star Trek: Generations

What if you could wish really hard to create an alternate timeline? Or what if you could send yourself back to your best memory, and never leave? That’s what The Nexus from Star Trek: Generations could do, and both Captains Kirk (William Shatner) and Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) got a taste of that sweet life, before ultimately using their new power to stop the villainous Dr. Soren (Malcolm McDowell). 

Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure

If you ever want to bring a figure from history home for dinner in the present, do it in the universe of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure . There are little to no consequences, especially when it comes to our heroes (Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves) whisking away two medieval princesses to become betrothed in the 1980s. Seriously, how did that not start a war?

The Time Traveler's Wife

“Chrono Impairment” is a seriously rare affliction, but it’s enough of a headache that it prevents Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana’s clock-crossed lovers from ever enjoying a normal life. Such is the nature of The Time Traveler's Wife , which invented that affliction to send Bana’s character Henry on unpredictable trips at unforeseeable intervals throughout his life. 

Indiana Jones And Dial Of Destiny

For Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny's time travel to actually happen, the world of Harrison Ford’s iconic archeologist needed specific hardware. Aided by some very precise calculations to try and take the Nazis to where they were trying to go, it wasn't as simple as jumping into a car and gunning it to 88 miles per hour. 

Star Trek: First Contact

For a franchise that uses temporal transit as much as the Star Trek series does, there sure are a lot of different ways to go back in time. And if you’re not satisfied with The Voyage Home’s method of a slingshot orbit around the Sun, then you can always do what Star Trek: First Contact did. While I wouldn’t personally recommend waiting for a Borg invasion to cause a temporal wake you can just hitch a ride on; you do you. 

Ok, so technically Tenet’s shenanigans involving time is “time inversion,” rather than time travel. Which only makes the journey, and the resulting reality The Protagonist (John David Washington) lives in all the more complicated. It also makes for some classic Christopher Nolan mind melts.

Would this really be a sci-fi party if author Michael Crichton didn’t show up? Timeline’s time travel is a lot of fun, if you consider using a “human fax machine” to send yourself to medieval times “fun.” In which case, try not to abuse it too much, as every trip has the chance to leave you with transcription errors in your reassembled DNA. Again, we’re working with a fax machine here.  

Somewhere In Time

It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for Christopher Reeve fans! Somewhere in Time just had to be on this list, as it's pretty unique in how it sends a person back through the ages. In the case of Reeve’s playwright Richard, all he needs is a really powerful hypnotic focus to zoom back to 1912. 

Star Trek (2009)

It’s kind of fitting that the 2009 Star Trek reboot would use time travel, given that the series has continually danced with that concept on TV and in movies. For this J.J. Abrams-directed venture, the destructive and inexact force of a black hole is what’s used to accidentally alter time so vastly that William Shatner turns into Chris Pine.

Déjà Vu

Tony Scott’s 2006 action-thriller Déjà Vu is a big movie with a relatively limited scope. With intelligence gathering, and ultimately one human transport, that can only go as far back as four and a half days, Denzel Washington’s work was kind of cut out for him on this caper.

The Tomorrow War

The Chris Pratt-starring time travel ensemble adventure The Tomorrow War has some pretty huge stipulations when it comes to recruiting an army for the future. The largest among them was, of course, you had to be dead according to the records of the future hellscape that pitted humanity against some very nasty creatures.

X-Men: Days Of Future Past

Going from here to there in the then and now in X-Men: Days of Future Past requires a serious amount of power. With Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) going back to his past body, the key to how it all happens lies in the phasing abilities of Kitty Pryde (Elliot Page). So this story uses a very physical, and incredibly vulnerable, method to execute its vision.

Out of all the time travel universes we’ve seen on screen, perhaps the one I feel the most sorry for is the one shown in 12 Monkeys . The basic rule of this Bruce Willis epic’s temporal transit is “hope for the best,” thanks to the method of being shot through time and intending to land in the right place going wrong more often than you think.

Midnight In Paris

Reminiscent of many other vehicular-based time travel films like Back to the Future , any character that travels through time in Midnight In Paris just needs to catch the right ride, at just about Midnight. The experience is bespoke to whoever is traveling, as the period of time that suits them best also dictates the method of transportation provided.

The Final Countdown

Dropping an aircraft carrier from the 1980s into the moments before Pearl Harbor, The Final Countdown delivers a moral dilemma plenty of time travelers have tangled with. But the real difference with this underrated sci-fi movie is the fact that the time-traveling storm that is responsible for the trip is inescapable. You’re going home, whether you want to or not.

Sharing a similarity with the romantic classic Somewhere In Time , Richard Curtis’ About Time allows any potential traveler to jump into the past with merely intense concentration. However, certain caveats are in play, like the recommendation of not traveling past certain life milestones, or the fact that only the men of the Lake family can actually use this gift.

Donnie Darko

Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) can’t exactly travel through time in Donnie Darko , but he does have a special temporal ability that’s kind of funny and kind of sad. With the ability to open a wormhole between the present and the past, Mr. Darko can send objects through time; the skill that gives Richard Kelly’s movie its bittersweet ending. 

Kate & Leopold

Kate & Leopold’s usage of a localized time portal is a method as old as time. However, the big difference with this Meg Ryan/Hugh Jackman rom-com is that the journey Leopold (Jackman) takes to the “future” of 2001 robs us all of elevators. Also, there’s a ticking clock on this specific portal’s usage, which only complicates things further.

Groundhog Day

Perhaps the movie that nailed the time loop into the consciousness of the world, Groundhog Day brought us a charming Bill Murray rom-com mixed with a time travel story. Its misanthropic lead needed to change, even as the world around him stayed the same. The rest was sci-fi history in the making. 

Happy Death Day

What happens if you make a Groundhog Day-style time loop into a deadly game? You get a movie like Happy Death Day , in which our initially unlikable lead Tree (Jessica Rothe) is being stalked through a single-day time loop. The big kicker in this variant is that, unlike your standard time loop, Tree has a finite number of cycles before she possibly dies for good.

Where does one start with director Joseph Kahn’s Detention? Well, how about the fact that the teenagers in play (including a pre- Hunger Games Josh Hutcherson) use a stuffed bear as a time travel capsule? Or the fact that a mother/daughter pair can body swap on a permanent basis, and with no consequences? 

And with that, our supreme sampling of time travel trips has come to a close. Which more than likely has left you with a want to watch some of these movies again, or for the first time. That's totally natural, because this is a subgenre that always leaves us with one question: is there ever a bad time to watch a time travel movie?

Mike Reyes is the Senior Movie Contributor at CinemaBlend, though that title’s more of a guideline really. Passionate about entertainment since grade school, the movies have always held a special place in his life, which explains his current occupation. Mike graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, but swore off of running for public office a long time ago. Mike's expertise ranges from James Bond to everything Alita, making for a brilliantly eclectic resume. He fights for the user.

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We love science fiction here at Polygon. We cover it in games , movies , TV , books — whatever medium you can find the genre in, we’re there.

This year has already delivered a lot for fans of the genre, with fascinating stories from around the world for sci-fi faithful in theaters and at home. There have been crowd-pleasing blockbuster hits, contemplative smaller projects, joyous B-movie genre fare, and everything in between.

So here are the best sci-fi movies of 2024 so far and where to watch them. They are sorted into two sections: the top tier, can’t miss movies of the year, and the best of the rest. This list will continue to be updated throughout the year, and will be sorted in reverse chronological order, so the newest movies always show up first.

The can’t-miss, top-tier sci-fi movies of 2024

Rebel moon: chalice of blood.

Where to watch: Netflix

When the first part of Zack Snyder’s sci-fi epic arrived on Netflix late last year, it was met with criticism over its shallow world and vapid story. However, there was one notable caveat: Snyder himself had already explained that Netflix made him release a shorter , toned-down version of the movie first before he could release his director’s cut that better fit his vision . Unsurprisingly for some , now that the director’s cut has arrived, it’s a totally different and infinitely better movie.

Rebel Moon: Chalice of Blood , the subtitle for the director’s cut of part one, is exactly what Snyder promised the series would be: A tremendous space opera with intricate, complicated lore and tremendous visuals. The story is more or less Seven Samurai in space , which is a perfect prism to use to introduce us to this world. Rebel Moon’s universe floats exactly in the middle ground between Star Wars and Warhammer, which as it turns out means that everything in the movie is exceptionally cool. Skulls and bones are shoveled into engines to power faster-than-light travel, an unexplained order of red-clad priests collect the teeth of enemies of the horrible fascist Imperium, all in the name of a dead child-god. It’s all incredibly metal, and an excellent — if very over-the-top — space opera, that we should thank our lucky stars for. — Austen Goslin

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Where to watch: For digital rental/purchase on Amazon , Apple TV

The Mad Max franchise never fails to reinvent itself. Furiosa is a direct prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road , but writer and director George Miller approaches it completely differently than any other Mad Max film so far. Of course, it’s an outstanding action movie, with action that feels massive, bombastic, and impressive enough to match the mythical framing, but it’s the storytelling itself that makes Furiosa such a special entry in the sci-fi canon.

The story of Furiosa ’s life, and what brought her to be the ruler of the Citadel, takes on a mythic quality, the kind of tall-tale about a legend that gets shared and expanded over a thousand retellings beside fires in the Wasteland. Both Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa herself and Chris Hemsworth as Dementus the warlord — whose cruelty shaped the course of Furiosa’s life — hand in incredible performances that more than live up to the larger-than-live qualities the story ascribes to them. Thanks to all these details, Furiosa isn’t just one of the best action movies of the last decade, it’s one of the best science fiction prequels ever , too. — AG

Mars Express

Set in a future where humanity has colonized space and sentient robots live side-by-side with their creators as a caste of servants, Jérémie Périn ’s sci-fi thriller is a gorgeous and fully realized world bursting with imagination and intrigue around every corner.

Centered around a pair of private detectives — a soft-spoken human woman with a drinking problem and the simulated consciousness of a dead man preserved in an artificial body — searching for a missing girl and an elusive hacker, Mars Express slowly but surely unravels into a byzantine mystery where seemingly everyone, and every thing , has a secret to keep. With explosive action sequences, beautifully detailed backgrounds, and a plot that evolves from a simple missing persons case into a singularity-adjacent revelation, Mars Express is an original sci-fi adventure worth experiencing. —Toussaint Egan

Where to watch: Criterion Channel, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon , Apple TV

“ Cloud Atlas meets Mulholland Drive ” is the most succinct way to describe Bertrand Bonello’s sci-fi drama to someone who hasn’t seen it yet. Truthfully though, even that comparison falls short in encompassing everything The Beast attempts, and succeeds, at conveying. The surface likeness is uncanny: A story of two lovers, played by Léa Seydoux and George MacKay, who meet one another time and again across several lifetimes only to be ripped apart from one another.

Despite how that might sound, however, The Beast is anything but a fairy tale. A sci-fi odyssey that combines period piece romance with contemporary slasher aesthetics and dystopian dread, Bonello’s film is a disorienting and terrifying plunge into a future where love is a liability that’s more certain to break your heart than it is to ever make you feel whole. The Beast isn’t just one of the best sci-fi films of the year; it’s one of the most daring movies of the year, period. –TE

The Animal Kingdom

Where to watch: Hulu, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon / Apple TV

One of the year’s most fascinating movies, The Animal Kingdom is a French science fiction drama about a mutation that has started to transform some people into human-animal hybrids. The film primarily follows a father (Romain Duris) and his son (Paul Kircher) as they look for the family’s missing mother, who is in the midst of just such a transformation.

As I wrote in our best movies of the year list:

Featuring realistic creature designs that blend practical and digital effects, a rich father-son relationship anchored by strong leading performances, and a compelling overarching narrative metaphor welcoming all sorts of interpretations , The Animal Kingdom stands out in modern sci-fi. It fires on all cylinders to create one of the more powerful movies of the year, evoking a rich world populated by fascinating people. Part of the brilliance of The Animal Kingdom is the continued mundanity of human existence. Yes, everything we thought we knew about our species is being thrown into chaos, but there’s still work to do and school to attend and new love and enduring love and all the other shades of the human (or human-animal hybrid) experience. It’s in those moments that the true heart of the movie lies. — PV

Dune: Part Two

Where to watch: Max , or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon , Apple TV

Frank Herbert’s Dune has always been a cautionary tale about the fallibility of charismatic leaders, and Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up to his 2021 epic part-one adaptation of the novel delivers on illustrating that message to chilling and awe-inspiring effect.

With his father dead and his enemies now in power, Paul Atreides must earn the trust of the Fremen of Arrakis to rally them to his cause of exacting revenge on the Harkonnens and asserting his claim of supremacy. He is a man at odds with himself: both resistant yet resigned towards embracing a destiny he knows will result in the deaths of millions and cement his own legacy as a tyrant . Dune: Part Two is an epic tragedy disguised as a blockbuster spectacle, a cautionary tale about the perils of fanaticism that inspires you to cheer in awe all the while begging you to question on behalf of who, or what, exactly it is you’re cheering for. —TE

Alienoid: Return to the Future

Where to watch: Prime Video, Hoopla, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon , Apple TV

Part two of the deliriously funny 2022 Korean blockbuster Alienoid , Return to the Future picks up where the first movie left off and delivers a pitch perfect combination of action, comedy, and time-travelling science fiction hijinks.

I’ll keep the plot details light for those that haven’t seen the first movie, but the Alienoid movies take place in both the 14th and 21st centuries, following a pair of humanoid robots sent to monitor alien prisoners being held inside human bodies. Along the way, they accidentally adopt a 14th century child and bring her to the modern day.

The movie is funny, but it also has impressive visual effects work, and surprisingly strong action sequences for a comedy-forward movie. But the real strength of the Alienoid franchise is the cast, led by the great Kim Tae-ri ( The Handmaiden , Space Sweepers ) as a pistol-wielding badass in the 14th century, Kim Woo-bin as the robot Guard (a meaty role where he gets to play many different types), and Ryu Jun-yeol as a clumsy 14th century swordsman with a great destiny.

Return to the Future does start with a recap of sorts, which is helpful because of how dense the plot is. But it’s well worth watching both of these very fun movies, which epitomize the kind of crowd-pleasing, cross-genre fun you can have with a blockbuster movie. — PV

The best of the rest

Rebel moon: curse of forgiveness.

While it’s not nearly as successful as the first part, thanks in part to Chalice of Blood ’s much more focused scope, part two of Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon director’s cut is still a pretty great sci-fi romp. More like a sequel than a true part two, Curse of Forgiveness is essentially the last half of Seven Samurai stretched into three hours thanks in large part to an extraordinarily epic hour-plus long battle. If the first Rebel Moon movie is all about world building for Snyder, then the second is all about payoff, giving us glorious action scene after glorious action scene, meticulously paying off the storylines he set up in the original.

Of all of these stories, by far the most effective is that of Jimmy, a robot voiced by Anthony Hopkins who was created to serve on a team of personal bodyguards for the late king. The robots were all designed as state of the art killing machines, but once the king died they mysteriously stopped being capable of violence. But over the course of the first two Rebel Moon parts, Jimmy finds something worth fighting for again, and boy does it result in a sick killing montage toward the end of Curse of Forgiveness . If your tolerance for earnestness and silliness in equal measure is as high as your desire for epic sci-fi action, you’re sure to love Snyder’s second run at Rebel Moon and certain to hope he gets the chance to tell more stories in this world. — AG

A Quiet Place: Day One

Where to watch: Theaters

The first two Quiet Place movies are surprisingly effective, but it took replacing original director John Krasinski (and him moving to an executive producer and story writer role instead) for the franchise to get its first truly great entry. His replacement director is Michael Sarnoski, who previously directed the Nicolas Cage drama Pig . Sarnoski impressively marries the intimate, character-focused sensibilities that made Pig so fascinating with the kind of blockbuster horror-action you’d expect from an alien invasion movie set in Manhattan.

Sarnoski’s apocalyptic New York is gorgeously shot, with tension waiting in every alley and every noise feeling like certain death. But more than anything it’s the lead performance by Lupita Nyong’o as a terminally ill woman who’s still desperately trying to survive that gives A Quiet Place Day One so much life. It’s easily the most intimate, low-key, and tragic blockbuster of the year, which turns out to be a perfect mode for the franchise. — AG

Kalki 2898 AD

The most expensive Indian film ever made and the highest-grossing Indian film of the year, Kalki 2898 AD is a blockbuster epic in every sense. While it has drawn comparisons to RRR because of the success and scale of that movie, the two really aren’t all that similar. Kalki’s sprawling plot spans from 3102 BC to the titular year, with Hindu deities, post-apocalyptic wastelands, and a ragtag group of heroes brought together to save a woman and her unborn child.

Whil e Kalki has excellent vehicle and weapon design and makes some interesting narrative and character choices (especially with the Prabhas’ lead character, the self-centered bounty hunter Bhairava), the pacing makes the movie very hard to follow, and the directing and editing choices don’t help at all. It’s also a movie very focused on human cruelty, so expect a lot of that. But strangely, despite not really liking Kalki all that much, I can’t wait for the next entry in this series. The production design is evocative, and the movie ends in a much more interesting place than it starts. While it’s not a great movie, it has the bones of a great franchise. — PV

Robot Dreams

Nominated for a surprise Best Animated Feature Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards, Robot Dreams finally rolled out to wider audiences this May.

As our colleague Petrana Radulovic put it in our list of the best movies of the year :

Director Pablo Berger was so dang moved by Sara Varon’s graphic novel Robot Dreams that he started an animation studio to make it into a movie. Told entirely without dialogue, Robot Dreams is about a lonely dog who befriends a robot and the whirlwind summer they spend together before life forces them apart. The characters are evocative and the anthropomorphic world is very charming. But despite the humanized animals, this isn’t a goofy, gag-filled movie; Robot Dreams is actually an incredibly poignant and bittersweet film all about the meaningful friendships that we can’t always take with us as life goes on. The last scenes hit like a gut punch, aching in the best sort of way.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Where to watch: Hulu, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TV

The fourth entry in a Planet of the Apes prequel series sounds awfully bleak on paper, but the reality of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes couldn’t be further from the truth. The latest entry in the franchise, directed by Maze Runner filmmaker Wes Ball, is a fantastical adventure that proves to be the most fun Apes movie in years. While the previous two movies were both dour meditations on war, combat, and the limitations of peaceful coexistence, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a fun action/adventure movie that feels pulled right out of the 90s.

It follows a young ape named Noa who has to go on a quest to save his village after his friends and family get kidnapped. That journey takes Noa around the ruins of the once great human world, and shows us how the apes have been attempting to build civilizations of their own. All of this makes for excellent world building, and a surprisingly effective prequel to the future imagined in the original Planet of the Apes movies. — AG

Code 8: Part II

In 2020, a small Canadian sci-fi movie supported by more than 30,000 Indiegogo contributors dropped on Netflix. Code 8 , produced by and starring real-life cousins Robbie Amell ( Upload ) and Stephen Amell ( Arrow ), would become a breakaway hit on the platform, helping spawn a straight-to-Netflix sequel a few years later. It’s easy to see why they became hits — their dedication to interesting world-building and the clear passion behind the projects make them enjoyable to watch, warts and all.

In the world of Code 8 , superpowered people have existed since the early 20th century. Those people became a labor class, using their powers to perform dangerous jobs. But as the Industrial Revolution progressed and automation became more standard, society decided the dangers of superpowered workers outweighed the benefits, turning those former workers into a heavily policed and marginalized class of people. When a young man with electric powers looks for a job to help pay for his mother’s medical bills, he falls in with a gang of powered criminals looking to secure a big score.

The Code 8 movies are not the most polished projects. But in some ways, that works to their benefit, in concert with the “low-budget passion indie” mood of the projects. (It also makes you appreciate how good the evil robot cops look in the series — some are reminiscent of Automatons in Helldivers 2 , while others are straight riffs on Boston Dynamics’ terrifying robot dogs).

Part heist movies, part sci-fi, part stories about power and who wields it, the Code 8 movies don’t always execute at a high level, but they are working with some interesting ideas and are committed to seeing them through. Sometimes, that’s what you want from low-budget sci-fi. — PV

Badland Hunters

When you’re looking for a great sci-fi movie to watch, sometimes you’re looking for a thoughtful meditation on humanity’s role in the galaxy, with hard science elements and beautiful, almost fantastical cinematography. Other times, you’re looking for Ma Dong-seok absolutely laying into fools in a post-apocalyptic hellscape. Badland Hunters is for those other times.

A (bizarre, tonally speaking) sequel to the serious apocalyptic earthquake drama Concrete Utopia , Badland Hunters is a Mad Max-esque story of a hulking man looking out for his found family and destroying anyone who gets in his way (including a mad scientist up to some twisted experiments). While it doesn’t reach the high heights of Ma’s work in Train to Busan or the Roundup movies , he is such a reliably entertaining and charismatic movie star that you can’t help but enjoy this B-movie experience. (And director Heo Myeong-haeng, a former stuntman who will helm the upcoming The Roundup: Punishment , knows exactly how to shoot the big man’s action sequences.) It’s one of Netflix’s standout international releases of 2024 so far, and a fun time for people looking for some popcorn-worthy sci-fi. —PV

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part One

Where to watch: Max

The second phase of the DC Animated Movie Universe is wrapping up with the three-part Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline — all three have been released, but only the first two are on Max. I haven’t seen the third yet, but enjoyed the first in the context of DCAU projects (the second felt less strong, but I’m still excited for when the third one arrives on the streaming platform).

Presented in a nonlinear narrative as Barry Allen “trips” around time, Crisis on Infinite Earths Part One takes more chances with its story than other DCAU projects, and they pay off. Barry travels to multiple Earths and meets multiple versions of the Justice League superheroes, learning of an anti-matter wave that threatens the entire multi-verse. It’s pulpy, comic book fun with a game voice cast (Darren Criss as Superman, Jensen Ackles as Batman, Matt Bomer as Flash, Zachary Quinto as Lex Luthor — the list goes on), and it’s more sci-fi forward than many other DC animated movies.

And some teases for the other entries: Part Two features Terry McGinnis from Batman Beyond , and Part Three features the posthumous final performance of the great Kevin Conroy as Batman, as well as the final performance of Mark Hamill as the Joker. — PV

The best TV of 2024 so far

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Doug Liman Still Wants to Go to Space With Tom Cruise

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The Big Picture

• Collider's Steve Weintraub talks with director Doug Liman for Apple TV+'s movie The Instigators .
• The Instigators stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in a heist-gone-wrong comedy with Hong Chau, Michael Stuhlbarg, Paul Walter Hauser, Ron Perlman, and Jack Harlow.
• During the interview, Liman discusses filming in Boston, the challenging car chase sequence, and teases an Edge of Tomorrow sequel, as well as future projects, including Road House 2 , Everest , and his space movie with Tom Cruise.

After the success of his other streamer feature, Road House , earlier this year, director Doug Liman returns with the heist comedy, The Instigators . The movie stars Matt Damon as Rory, a discouraged father, and co-writer Casey Affleck as Cobby, an ex-con, brought together to pull off a major robbery that could seriously ease their troubles. Unfortunately, the operation is botched, and the two find themselves on the run from about "100 police cars from multiple New England states" with Rory's therapist ( Hong Chau ) in tow.

With The Instigators now playing in select theaters and hitting Apple TV+ on August 9, Collider's Steve Weintraub spoke with Liman about filming in Boston with the city's "favorite sons." During their conversation, which you can watch in the video above or read below, the filmmaker discusses the most challenging car chase sequence of his career to date and how he kept the film concise for a smart audience. He also shares an exciting update for the long-awaited Edge of Tomorrow sequel, talks about taking the lead on Road House 2 , and updates us on his Everest project and the space movie with Tom Cruise .

The Instigators (2024)

Follows two robbers who must go on the run with the help of one of their therapists after a theft doesn't go as planned.

Read Our 'The Instigators' Review

An 'Edge of Tomorrow' Sequel Is Still on the Table

"time travel is really tough.".

COLLIDER: You know how much I love Edge of Tomorrow . Every time I talk to you, I ask you the same thing. Do you think we'll actually get a sequel to that film?

DOUG LIMAN: Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise have never been more on top of their game than they are right now, so I'd be crazy not to be trying to figure out how to make a sequel. I am spending time trying to crack it. On the flip side, time travel is really tough, like really, really tough. All you have to do is develop a movie with time travel to come to the conclusion that humans will never travel through time because it's hard to figure out a third act in a movie with time travel. So, I know for a fact that humans are never gonna travel through time, but I am trying to crack it.

So, you're basically trying to come up with the idea or the actual script?

LIMAN: Both.

'Edge of Tomorrow's Grueling Journey to the Silver Screen

The sci-fi spectacle had to jump through a number of hurdles, from numerous rewrites to a casting conundrum.

I really hope you figure it out, but at the same time, I really only want you to make it if you have the idea because the first one is so awesome.

LIMAN: No, exactly. Obviously, the system would be like, “Just go make it. It doesn't even matter because it's a sequel, and it'll do a billion dollars because the movie is so popular.” I would never do that, Tom would never do that, and Emily would never do that. We care way too much. We have too much pride in our work to ever, ever take the easy bait.

Totally. And I'm saying to you, as a fan, I only want it if you came up with a really good story.

'The Bourne Identity' Walked So 'The Instigators' Could Run

You've done a lot of cool stuff in your career. What do you consider the toughest scene or sequence that you've put on film as a director?

LIMAN: Certainly, the car chase in Instigators was one of the most challenging things I've ever done because it's a giant car chase that we're doing for real in Boston, which by the way, if you got Boston's favorite sons in the movie, it's a little easier to get the permissions you need. The thing about The Instigators is that I set a goal for myself that I wanted what was happening inside the car, which is a four-page dialogue scene, to be more exciting than what's happening outside the car , and to do a really fun, funny argument in the car. Because Casey Affleck's character is discovering that Matt Damon's character has suicidal fantasies, so he doesn't think Matt should be driving because if you're at a high-speed car chase, you do not want the person driving the car to possibly fantasize about suicide. And they have Hong Chau in the car, who’s Matt's therapist, and she's trying to talk Matt into slowing down or stopping. If you're Casey, you don't want Hong Chau to convince Matt to stop the car because then the police will catch you. So, I love the dynamic of what was happening between these three characters, but I was like, “How can I film a dialogue scene while outside the car, they have 100 police cars from multiple New England states chasing them and smashing into each other?”

So, trying to make that work took everything I'd ever learned as a filmmaker up until Instigators to figure out how you could even conceive of combining car chases, which I've learned how to do during The Bourne Identity , and how to shoot a dialogue scene in the middle of that. Usually, in a car chase, people are just reacting to the car chase, and it's a little yelp here or there. It's not like the in-depth kind of scene that we had in Instigators . So, that was one of the most challenging things I've ever done. But pretty much every film I do, I try to come up with something that I don't know how to do on day one so that I'm properly terrified of the film.

It also helps with this film that Matt and Casey are just so good together. They are just so good that I'm sure, as a director, you're like, “Oh, thank you, God.”

LIMAN: That's good for everything else, but in the middle of a car chase, thank God you have that, but it still doesn't get you the scene. But if I didn't have the three people with the acting chops that Hong, Casey, and Matt have, I would have just had a heart attack long before I ever finished the scene.

I love talking about the editing process because it's where it all comes together. Were there any big changes that happened that you weren't expecting going in?

LIMAN: Not really. It was more a process of, “How tight can we make the film?” In general, I have a short attention span, and I like my films to clip along. I don’t think I've ever made a film that's more than two hours. I think audiences are getting smarter, so you can shortcut some things the way on your computer keyboard you have shortcuts to do things. I feel like audiences are getting smarter, so they can catch up to certain things that maybe an audience 40 years ago could not have, so I like taking advantage of that and telling the film in as tight a way as possible. Maybe it's because I used to make commercials. I still do occasionally, but you gotta figure out how to pack all that story into, like, 22 seconds.

Will Doug Liman Return for 'Road House 2'?

"jake gyllenhaal's a good friend...i hate to leave him hanging.".

I thought you did such a great job with Road House , and I just want to give you props for it and also for the huge success.

LIMAN: Yeah, I think 50-plus million people saw it.

Exactly. They're making a sequel. Do you think you're gonna go back, or do you think it was a one-and-done?

LIMAN: I don't know. Jake [Gyllenhaal]’s a good friend; I love him dearly. It's hard for me to imagine leaving him hanging because it was a really special collaboration to pull off that character. That's not the kind of character Jake normally plays, and we really came up with a special way together to pull off that character, so I hate to leave him hanging. But also, I've never done a sequel. Not that I don't talk about it because, obviously, Edge of Tomorrow , there’s not a day that goes by I don't think about how we can pull that off.

Doug Liman's 'Everest' Is "On the Back Burner" For Now

One last thing: I read that you're filming Everest . What's the status of that project?

LIMAN: That's a film I'm desperate to make. It's a brilliant script about George Mallory climbing in 1921, back when no one had climbed Everest—the map wasn't even filled in.

It's just a moment in time when there's no business model for that film to make money , so I have to sort of bide my time. I know that the business is cyclical, and it's a great script.

I feel like movies happen when they happen, but it's unfortunately on the back burner. Lots of movies I've made have been on the back burner and then they come to the front.

I'm out of time with you, so I can't ask you about going to space with Tom Cruise unless you want to answer it real quick.

LIMAN: It's still a dream and a plan.

The Instigators is in theaters for a limited run. It will be available to stream on Apple TV+ on August 9.

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A man and a hound team up in a flinty, poetic Chinese homecoming tale

Time Out says

Next to Umberto D. , Chinese director Guan Hu may just have made the enduring masterpiece of man-and-dog movies – Citizen Canine, if you will – in this soul-filling homecoming odyssey set on the windswept fringes of the Gobi Desert. 

Taiwanese heartthrob Eddie Peng, once the Hugh Grant of Chinese romcoms, plays against type as a brooding, shaven-headed ex-rock star and stunt biker called Lang. An intense man of few words, he’s a gnomic presence as he returns to his remote hometown after a stint in prison for manslaughter – equally hero-worshipped and hated. A local snake-rearing gangster called Butcher Hu holds him responsible for his nephew’s death and is still thirsting for payback. (Chinese film geeks will get a kick out of seeing Still Life auteur Jia Zhangke as the grim-faced crime boss.)

The town that the writer-director sketches out in dusty increments hangs under a cloud of its own: this is the lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and China is taking a giant broom to its economic left-behinds. The populace is being relocated, and the local packs of stray dogs need to be rounded up. Short of options, Lang soon signs up to join the hastily assembled dog catching squads.

This seismic moment in the country’s recent history provides a symbolically apt backdrop to Peng’s return home. He’s trying to work through his baggage as everyone else is packing theirs.

This could be the  Citizen Canine of dog movies

The dog of the title – a sinewy, reputedly rabid greyhound mix – offers Lang a foil and a path to rediscovering his sense of self. Their snappy early encounters give way to a deepening bond; two solitary souls forming one of the most touching on-screen relationships of the year.

Hu sprinkles in dreamlike visions of life in flux. Solar eclipses, venomous snakes on the loose and stray animals spilling out of the town’s ramshackle zoo offer surrealist stop-offs for Black Dog’ s journey of rediscovery. The presence of a flirty, effervescent circus performer called Grape (Tong Liya) suggests romance. But among these arid landscapes and the increasingly deserted cityscape, eerily beautiful as they all are, love can’t easily blossom. The town is an abandoned playground for dreams that never quite came true.

Black Dog was the deserved winner for this year’s Un Certain Regard winner at Cannes, the prize for the most innovative, daring work of the festival (its dog star, Little Xin, was a winner at the festival’s unofficial canine awards, the Palm Dog, too). You’d be barking to miss it. In UK cinemas Aug 30.

Cast and crew

• Director: Hu Guan
• Screenwriter: Hu Guan, Rui Ge
• Jia Zhangke

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

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Deadpool & Wolverine Star Dogpool’s Owner Says Ryan Reynolds ‘Loved’ Her

By Paul Tamburro

Deadpool & Wolverine’s dog star Dogpool’s owner has discussed her pooch’s new celebrity life, including her experiences with Hollywood A-lister Ryan Reynolds.

Dogpool’s canine actor Peggy has recently been thrust into a new level of fame, after previously being voted the U.K.’s “ugliest dog” back in 2023. Starring alongside Reynolds and Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman in the Marvel blockbuster, Peggy’s owner Holly Middleton has spoken about how her dog has adjusted to her new ultra-famous friends.

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Dogpool star Peggy was ‘comfortable’ being cuddled by Ryan Reynolds

Middleton said that Peggy’s debut at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere was “surreal,” with celebrities being smitten by the Dogpool doggy actor. In an interview with the BBC , Middleton described her reaction to seeing Peggy next to Reynolds, Jackman, and co., with them all having clearly bonded with her during filming.

“I loved it. Peggy looked really comfortable the entire time, as probably most people would being cuddled by Ryan Reynolds,” Middleton said.

“They seem to really, really love her and they’re so gentle with her, and you can see… they’re giving her kisses and giving her little rubs on her head.”

Peggy is a unique cross-breed , with her unorthodox appearance having won her the title of Britain’s “ugliest dog.” While that moniker may seem harsh, it afforded her the opportunity to become one of Marvel’s latest breakout stars, being enlisted for her role as Deadpool’s sidekick in Deadpool & Wolverine. The film has been a huge success for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, pushing the MCU to become the first-ever franchise to make $30 billion at the global box office (via ComingSoon.net ).

But despite this success, Middleton insisted that it isn’t hasn’t gone to Peggy’s head — but it has changed people’s reaction to her. Middleton said that prior to Deadpool & Wolverine, the public reaction to Peggy would be to wonder what was “wrong” with her. However, since her debut in the new Marvel movie, public perception has “definitely changed for the better” and Peggy’s now being recognized for her Dogpool performance instead.

Paul Tamburro is the Director of Content at Evolve Media.

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My wife isn't 'just' a stepmom to my son. He sees her as his other mom.

• My wife has been in my son's life since he was 6 years old.
• She has taken on a parental role, stepping in whenever I need extra help.
• Even though she's his stepmom, my son considers her his other mom.

After Vice President Kamala Harris announced she was running for president, one criticism lobbed against her was that she is not a parent because she has never given birth to children. But she is the stepmother to her husband Doug Emhoff's two children.

Like Harris, my wife is a stepmother to my son.

I am no longer in a relationship with his father and have been in a new relationship for four years. My wife came into my son's life when he was 6 years old and quickly stepped into a parental role. It was a role she enthusiastically took on.

Although she didn't give birth to my son, my wife is absolutely his second mother.

My son and wife's relationship started friendly

My wife didn't immediately take an authoritative role or force him to treat her like a parent. At first, she was more like a grown-up friend — someone he knew he needed to respect, but someone who would take him on drives to get ice cream or let him pretend to drive her car while I was inside the grocery store.

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I was worried about parenting with another person all the time. As the primary parent, I wasn't used to dividing parenting duties . My wife was aware of that and always deferred to me as the primary parent.

But the bond between my son and my wife was instant. He had never met someone I was dating before, but he liked her immediately.

My wife has taken on more responsibility as a stepmom

Over the last four years, she's taken on more parental responsibility but never tried to act like she was more of a parent than myself or my son's father. She is a bonus mom, someone there to kiss him goodnight , help him with his homework, and love him unconditionally.

During the pandemic, my wife volunteered to take the lead in helping my son with virtual school so I could focus on work. She created a schedule for him, made him lunch, and ensured he kept up with assignments. When the playgrounds opened, she would take him to play, armed with a backpack full of whatever was needed.

I have gone on several overnight trips , leaving the two of them alone together. My son doesn't even call or text me when I'm gone because he's having so much fun hanging out with my wife. I never have to worry about him; I know my wife will make sure he takes a bath and goes to bed on time.

There are days when I will ask her to tag in and do the bedtime routine because I'm working or want a break, and she does it without question. My son knows that if he needs something, he doesn't have to come to me all the time.

Seeing my wife willingly step into a parental role with my son has strengthened our relationship. I knew I loved her almost immediately after we met, but seeing how my son responded to her made me more secure in my decision.

Sometimes, she still refers to him as mine, and I always remind her that she's his mom, too. We do everything as a team: school meetings, performances, birthday parties . Everyone knows us as his two moms, and there's no one else I could imagine doing this with.

My son now sees my wife as the missing piece to our family puzzle. He proudly claims her as his other mom.

"You're my mom too," my son will say when my wife calls herself his stepmom. He made that decision. My wife never wanted to force a close relationship on him, but he pushed for it.

Media has warped the perception of stepmoms

Popular media depictions of stepmoms are largely negative. The common trope is that they're evil.

For example, you have characters like Meredith Blake in the Lindsay Lohan version of "The Parent Trap," the Baroness von Schraeder in " The Sound of Music ," and, of course, the prototype: Cinderella's Evil Stepmother.

These women are always seen as temptresses who come in and seduce the father into marrying them before revealing they intend to get rid of his daughter so that she will be the only woman in his life.

Maybe there are stepmoms out there who fit this description, but by and large, stepmoms are there to be whoever their step kids want them to be.

I know that's exactly the role my wife plays, and my son and I are all the more lucky for it.

Watch: Why one mother fled Texas to keep her child safe

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11. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

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16. Triangle

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