5 Classic Time Travel Movies Every Sci-Fi Fan Has To Watch

Time travel has been a science fiction plot device for decades. Some folks trapped on a desert island in "Lost" used it, and even Iron Man and Captain America used it as a last resort in one of the biggest movies ever made. But what are the classic tales of time travel? The movies that make you go back in time and realize how good a story can be when it turns back the clock?

Well, after already putting together a collection of quality time-loop movies, it only made sense to bring together a fun batch of films that nail time travel. The following five picks are exceptionally clever, and above all, immensely entertaining movies that take one of the easiest ways to break a movie and work wonders with it. So what are you waiting for? Flip some switches, make sure you've got the date and year right, and let us guide you through some stone-cold classic time travel movies that you're unlikely to forget. That is, unless we've had this conversation already, in which case you know exactly where we're coming from.

Even if we had a time machine to jump through this specific sci-fi sub-genre, we'd still make George Pal's 1960 adaptation of H.G. Wells' novella, "The Time Machine," our first stop. Admittedly, like many films on this list, the journey through the years takes up only a minority of the film compared to the destinations Rod Taylor's hero ends up at. Even so, that doesn't stop the scene-stealing sequences of the kooky-looking contraption at work, which earned an Academy Award for best special effects.

Looking like something from "Mary Poppins" or "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," Taylor's time machine runs on levers and pulleys, making for one of the most inventive time machines. However, the real eye-catching parts come when it powers up. Using the tried-and-tested tactic of stop-motion animation, the landscape takes a beating as decades pass in the blink of an eye. Buildings collapse and are replaced with landscapes from a new era. It might pale in comparison to modern-day special effects, but it still deserves attention thanks to its innovative methods that evoke true movie magic.

Admittedly, the rest of the film has its issues, mostly with the Morlock creature designs, which look like a very early Incredible Hulk concept. That said, without this trip through time, we might've missed out on so many others that followed, which is why it absolutely deserves a place in the pile of classics.

Ever since the Avengers resorted to time travel to bring down the gold-mitt-wearing monster, Thanos (Josh Brolin), in "Avengers: Endgame," it's taken the spotlight among the rare batch of superhero time-travel movies we're lucky enough to have. One movie that doesn't get enough credit anymore, and should, is also one that was decades ahead of the trend of merging iterations of a single franchise and having it click so well.

"X-Men: Days of Future Past" adapted portions of the classic comic book arc of the same name and saw Logan (Hugh Jackman) sent back by Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) to warn his younger self (James McAvoy) of the looming threat of the Sentinels and the extinction of the human race. Penned by Simon Kinberg (who will soon write an all-new "Star Wars" trilogy), the movie is a great time-travel story first and a fan-service superhero movie second. Stars of the original franchise, no matter how big or small their presence is here, all have a part to play, and every death matters during that nail-biting Sentinel attack, leaving the younger generation of heroes to carry the torch in their part of the story.

Admittedly, the franchise never really returned to that standard with the sequels that followed. Even so, it proved that multiple versions of the same superhero or villain in the same story can work wonders, which is why we're hoping "Avengers: Doomsday" will take notes from it.

Sometimes a great time-travel movie doesn't need flash and flair to get our hero out of the present and somewhere else. In Richard Curtis' "About Time," it's just the delightfully charming Domhnall Gleeson (star of the terrifying AI movie "Ex-Machina") trying to navigate life and love with the equally heartwarming Rachel McAdams. The premise is simple: Tim Lake learns that the men in his family can travel back to moments they've already lived. With this newly discovered talent, he chooses to give his love life a once-over, which comes as a blessing and a burden when he meets Charlotte (McAdams), the woman who'll become the love of his life, for all time.

From that simple concept comes a sprawling love story that spans decades and moves back and forth through them. It also provides one of the clearest answers to the question: "What would you do if you really could time travel?" The answer is an emotional, often poignant perspective that shows James living with choices he can't take back and final encounters that even time travel can't help. These kinds of tear-jerking moments are nothing new for rom-com specialist Richard Curtis, who gave us films like "Notting Hill" and "Four Weddings and a Funeral." None of them can compete with this special little film, which also delivers one of the greatest father-son moments since "Field of Dreams." Go back in time and see for yourself.

We know we might get some heat over the debate that both "Terminator" movies involve time travel, but there's a distinction: "The Terminator" is a time-travel movie that centers around a time loop, with Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) setting the rebellion in motion and even having a photo to prove it. Meanwhile, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" closes the circle on a franchise we absolutely, definitely haven't seen since (wink, wink).

Still ranked as one of the best science fiction movies ever on IMDb, "Judgment Day," Cameron's follow-up to his indie sci-fi horror, also takes time to iron out the rulebook that wrote the first pages back in 1984. The specifics of what can travel through time remain, with the Terminators restricted to bringing anything, including clothes or boots, while the T-1000 can literally cut corners, since it's a silver puddle of death that can stab you in the face.

What sets the movie apart from "The Terminator" with its timey-wimey, brain-breaking antics is that the closer we get to Judgment Day, the more detailed the looming horror becomes. The T-800 is like a Ghost of Christmas Future, warning Sarah Connor about the evil AI that will successfully destroy the world, then telling Miles Dyson (Morton) how he unknowingly sends humanity into oblivion. In these quiet moments, Cameron's classic movies show that tampering with time, or what falls out of it, is never a good idea, even if it makes for one of the greatest sequels ever made.

It's wild to think that, even after more than 40 years, "Back to the Future" isn't just a time-travel classic; it's the time-travel classic. Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and his trip back to 1985 are laced with brilliant details that highlight not just what a great standalone movie it is, but also lay the groundwork for how every time traveler would take their trip into the future or the past. You know what we mean.

Marty's story of learning more about his parents, with the iconic DeLorean as his ride, is worth watching for its spectacle, but what makes "Back to the Future" earn repeat viewings is the time-travel treasure hunt in the story's granular details and its characters. The rerun of "The Honeymooners" that old George McFly (Crispin Glover) cracks up at during dinner is the same one Marty watches with Lorraine ("What do you mean you've seen it? It's brand new"). Also, Old Man Peabody's pine cone farm turns Twin Pines Mall into Lone Pine Mall thanks to Marty's trip.

Admittedly, these might be obvious to die-hard fans of the first film and the brilliant trilogy that spawned from it, but younger fans have only noticed these little nuggets in recent years. It's why "Back to the Future will never run out of time being the staple of science fiction that it is. And Great Scott, it is a brilliant one.