5 Best Time-Loop Movies Ever Made, Ranked

Science fiction has made it abundantly clear, whether it's in a super-cool DeLorean or a phone booth operated by two total dudes, time isn't always on your side. Traveling through it can lead to paradoxes, see people erased from existence, or, at the absolute worst, be caught in a time loop that they can't get out of. Sometimes those loops that have seen heroes live the same days over and over again have led to some of the most compelling and downright clever time travel stories ever put on film, and we've put together five of the best for you to watch, watch, and then watch some more.

From heroes stranded until they figure out how to save the day, or others who might as well be stuck on a treadmill through time before they step off with an invaluable life lesson, time loops have led to some great stories. With that in mind, here is a batch of movies that highlight just how brilliant, or horrifically bad, things can get when you're forced to live the same day, or even an entire life, an infinite number of times.

Take your pick of which ones are worth adding to your watchlist and try not to think about whether we've been here all before. Now, where was I? Ah, yes...Science fiction has made it abundantly clear...

The time loop Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) unknowingly finds herself in isn't especially pushed to the forefront of "The Terminator" like some other entries on this list. Instead, the focus is mostly on Arnold Schwarzenegger's unstoppable killing machine in this hardwired horror movie as she tries to outrun the dark future, which is quite literally hunting her down. It's only at the end of James Cameron's blockbuster breakout hit that the movie's brain-breaking twist is applied, and in doing so, it led fans fighting to wrap their head around the turn of events ever since. 

After Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) falls in love with the mother of the human resistance, a night of passion cements the time loop that would inevitably bring everything to fruition. Unbeknownst to Reese, the lone soldier sent back in time is, in fact, the father of the man who sent him there, turning him into the father of the future resistance.

More importantly, the remains of the crushed Terminator are thoroughly examined by Cyberdyne Systems, which would use this future tech to eventually create Skynet, the system that would eventually build Terminators and lead to Judgment Day. It's a simple loop through time that's enough to cause a headache, but without it, there never would have been possibly two of the greatest sci-fi action movies ever made. Now, if only there was another loop in history that would undo all the sequels that followed, everything would be peachy.

Train journeys are never fun, but Jake Gyllenhaal finds himself in a nightmare one that he can only escape by being blown to bits. Coming from a veteran of cyclical storylines, Duncan Jones ("Moon") takes control of this quasi-"Quantum Leap"- like story that forces Gyllenhaal to relive a horrific terrorist attack to locate the one responsible. Joining him for the ride is the consistently charming Michelle Monaghan, who gets partly caught up in his mission to save the day, even though it keeps ending in a massive explosion.

While a lot of these films have a vast landscape to tread over and over again, Jones' sleeper sci-fi movie keeps things simple by letting Gyllenhaal go no further than a train station. In doing so, he keeps the tension confined to the doomed train he's on, with no single repeat run of his mission feeling boring. It also helps that Gyllenhaal's natural charm and determination through the story keep you invested, even when you learn that his time might be up before those he's trying to save. Brilliantly cut together and a legit whodunit that keeps you guessing, "Source Code" feels like the kind of forgotten thriller that's hard to find these days, and makes you glad that some filmmakers still make them.

No time travel movie feels as rough around the edges and as outlandish as "12 Monkeys," and that's not a bad thing. Bruce Willis is thrown down a time tunnel by director Terry Gilliam to find the source of a man-made virus that wiped out most of humanity, leading him to a mental patient played by Brad Pitt (who was surprisingly disappointed with his performance). The problem with this particular time-jumping jaunt is that the method of transportation isn't as precise or streamlined as in other well-known movies, adding to the unpredictability and the difficulty of Willis's mission to save the future by heading to the past.

Much like "The Terminator," though, the only bit of stability is the surprising time-loop that presents itself in the film's final act, and it's one that's far more upsetting than even the one involving future wars with killer robots. Throughout the film, Willis' James Cole has recurring dreams of a young boy witnessing a man being shot outside an airport. It's then revealed that this dream is actually of his childhood, and that the man he sees being shot is his older self dying, keeping him stuck in an endless, horrible loop between life and death.

It's a gut-punch of a twist, but one that, following a frantic and constantly table-turning mission, ends on a straightforward but unapologetically bleak finale. Cole's journey is one of order and chaos endlessly intertwined and is perhaps one of the most tragic as a result.

If only Tom Cruise had the power to go back in time and settle on a title for what is one of his most underappreciated sci-fi action movies, "Edge of Tomorrow" (aka "Live, Die, Repeat"), might've had a lot more success. Even so, that doesn't take away from the film being an exceptional time-loop movie, with Cruise inhabiting a very different action role than what you've been used to in the years prior.

Based on the manga "All You Need Is Kill," Cruise plays public affairs officer Major William Cage, who finds himself on the front lines of a war with an unbeatable alien species. A close encounter with the enemy gives Cage the ability to relive the same day of the fateful battle to figure out how humanity can turn the tide — he just has to keep dying to come to this conclusion. Watching Cruise gradually become a hero, rather than being one outright, adds a great element to what is otherwise an action-packed sci-fi war movie.

Seeing him fumble into often-fatal circumstances with exceptionally funny timing for once is great, but the real highlight is Emily Blunt as "Full Metal B***h" Sergeant Rita Vrataski. She's a hard-edged, massive sword-carrying hero who is stuck in a time loop of her own, but trains Cage to meet her on the battlefield and hopefully put the aliens on the back foot. It's yet another reminder that if you want a sci-fi movie to last, adding Emily Blunt to the cast is never a bad idea.

We can go around and around when it comes to time loop movies, but in the end, the best one involves Bill Murray taking issue with a groundhog. Directed by Harold Ramis, "Groundhog Day" is a movie that doesn't get caught up in scientific mumbo-jumbo. All you know is that Phil Connors (Murray) is a grouchy news reporter who finds himself stuck in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on the titular day. Over, and over, and over again.

Landing somewhere in the calendar between "A Christmas Carol" and "It's A Wonderful Life," "Groundhog Day" plays like what if Ebenezer Scrooge were stuck in the town of Bedford Falls, where the locals are good-hearted people and an outsider who struggles to acclimate himself to being a decent human being. The journey he takes to get there is a long one, one that sees Phil almost undergo a spiritual awakening as he comes to terms with the time-restricted prison he's confined in.

The laughs come from the reluctant hero getting the lay of the land and the routine that comes with it, which in turn, transforms him into a godlike figure, who is willing to get shot, stabbed, and electrocuted like there's no tomorrow. It's only as he slowly comes to learn more about his love interest (Minnie Driver) and to take every day as a blessing that Murray's bitter hero becomes the iconic one worth rooting for all this time, which makes "Groundhog Day" the classic worth going back to.