As Time Travel films became more popular in the 1980’s and 1990’s, one Time Travel sub-theme emerged in the early 1990’s – the Time Loop. Time Loop films often featured a person repeating the same day repeatedly and trying to figure out a way to break the ‘loop’. This subgenre within a subgenre kicked off with Groundhog Day (1993) and has become an increasingly popular Sci-Fi subgenre mixed with other film subgenres including Films About Slashers in Happy Death Day (2017), Thriller Action Films in Boss Level (2020) and Romantic Comedies in Palm Springs (2020).
What are the Best Time Loop Films? Read on was we look at some of the most popular Films About Time Loops from the last 30 years including a few rare and lesser-known films involving time loops that you don’t want to miss!
This is our seventh “Best Of” subgenre list where we will rank the Top 20 films of the Time Loop Film subgenre. This subgenre intersects with other film subgenres such as Hard Sci-Fi Films, Time Travel Films, Alternate History Films, Romantic Comedies, Romantic Dramas, Mystery Thrillers and Thriller Action Films.
For our rankings, we had to use some simple criteria that defines a Time Loop film. First, the film will need to show an actual Time Loop where the person experiences the same day over and over again and also retains memory that they are repeating the events of that particular day. This will exclude most Time Travel films and some Time Travel films that involve going back repeatedly to a certain time period to change events. An example of a film that falls under this criteria would be Meet Cute (2022) which won’t make our list (but we’ll note below in a special section).
Second, a Time Loop doesn’t have to be the predominant theme of the film but should include some form of Time Loop in its narrative. An example here would be a film which isn’t necessarily about Time Loops but does feature one in the film. We won’t name the example film here so we don’t spoil the movie for you!
Third, we won’t be listing films that deal with the Multiverse or Alternate History that might have the appearance or themes of a Time Loop, but aren’t actually Time Loop films. One example film here would be Coherence (2013). We initially had this great film #2 in our Top Time Loop Films You Haven’t Seen article. However, for this list, we’re excluding Multiverse films (even if they allude to Time Loop themes) so will not be included on this list.
Fourth, we’re going to include representation across various film subgenres that include Time Loops. This will include various films from the Romantic Comedy subgenre, Military Sci-Fi subgenre and Family Films for Kids subgenre. We’re even going to include some Christmas-themed films which have become a popular subgenre with Time Loop themes.
And fifth, we had to follow our rule for all of KBZ’s film listings where we only list films that have a 4.0/10 or higher rating. We’ll also be focusing on films from 1990 to the present.
Our complete list of Time Loop Films features over 42+ films from 1993 – 2023. You can find just about every Time Loop film in this collection, and you can also check out our Time Travel Films collection if you want films with similar themes involving time.
The Best Time Loop Films
Special Mentions (that aren’t specifically Time Loop Films but involve an aspect of Time Manipulation): +1 (2013), Coherence (2013), The Fare (2018), Flashback (2021) and Meet Cute (2022).
Honorable Mentions: Christmas Do Over (2006), Repeaters (2010), Haunter (2013), Naked (2017), Volition (2019), Six Forty Five (2021), Christmas…Again? (2021) and Lacy’s Christmas Do-Over (2021).
Rank 20-1:
#20 2:22 (2017) Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3JqrnQU
#19 Before I Fall (2019) Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3ZvB1XS
#18 12:01 (1993) Where to Stream / Buy: https://youtu.be/zZPRJQuMH2Y
#17 Premature (2014) Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3lgkfgx
#16 The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021) Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3ZOiaYp
#15 A Day (2017) Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3J5sAvm
#14 ARQ (2016) Where to Stream / Buy: https://www.netflix.com/title/80092885
#13 Mine Games (2012) Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3F5gn8Q
#12 Run Lola Run (1998) Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3JzRvcd
#11 Donnie Darko (2001) Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3ZpqygF
