Films about time travel can be romantic, suspenseful and action-packed. They are complex and make you curious about alternative scenarios.
Films about time travel: “Interstellar” as tip no. 1
“Interstellar” is a 2014 science fiction film directed by Christopher Nolan. The dystopia is set in a future in which the Earth is affected by ecological problems such as droughts and food shortages and humanity has to leave the Earth. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Michael Caine.
- Former NASA pilot Cooper, played by Matthew McConaughey, lives on a farm with his daughter Murph. Murph discovers strange gravitational anomalies in her room. She believes these are messages from a “ghost.”
- These messages lead Cooper and Murph to the pitiful remains of NASA, which now operates in secret. There, Cooper is initiated into an existing mission.
- A wormhole near Saturn could pave the way to habitable planets in another galaxy. Years ago, several spacecraft were sent through the wormhole in the hope of discovering a habitable planet. Three of them sent promising data.
- Cooper will now lead an expedition to test the planets for their habitability.
- The film has been praised for presenting the theory of black holes in a realistic scenario. It also convincingly addresses topics such as quantum physics and relativity. Its complexity and not necessarily self-explanatory ending challenge the audience.
Film tip no. 2: “The Lake House”
In Alejandro Agresti's 2006 romantic mystery drama “The Lake House”, Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves play two people who fall in love through letters, but who live in the same house at different times.
- The mailbox of the lake house serves as a kind of time lock. When Kate leaves the lake house and leaves a letter for the next tenant, Alex receives this letter two years earlier. Kate lives in 2006 and Alex in 2004.
- Through their correspondence, they develop feelings for each other. But trying to overcome the time barrier presents them with several obstacles. Ultimately, the film reveals a fateful twist in which everything must be done to avert a tragic fate.
- The film is a remake and is based on “Il Mare”, a South Korean film.
- The love story is touching, even though the two actors ultimately have only a few scenes together.
Movie tip no. 3: “12 Monkeys”
“12 Monkeys” is a dystopian science fiction film from 1995. Directed by Terry Gilliam, it stars Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe and Brad Pitt. It is about a deadly virus that decimated humanity in the past.
- James Cole is a convicted criminal. He is sent from the year 2035 into the past via time travel to find out more about the virus and get information about a possible cure.
- Due to miscalculations, he is initially transported to the wrong time. There he is put in a psychiatric institution because he tries to warn people about the virus. Only after further attempts does he end up in the right time.
- There is a clue about a group, the “12 Monkeys”, that could be involved in the origin of the virus. Cole follows this lead.