Plot: A scientist builds a machine that will enable him to travel back and forth in time, but when he puts it in motion, he gets more than he bargained for.

KBZ’s Take: If you’re a fan of the H.G. Wells novel and film adaptations – The Time Machine (1960) and The Time Machine (2002) – then this film is worth checking out. Though it’s a TV movie with an extremely low budget, it does follow the H.G. Wells novel more closely than the other two films. However, casual sci-fi fans might be turned off by the pacing and very cheap special effects (even accounting for 70’s era SFX limitations) so it’s best to watch this film if you’re familiar with the Wells story.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://youtu.be/6HZO5-IBD_I

Plot: Four teenagers are sent to ecologically devastated 2044 in order to build a new civilization.

KBZ’s Take: Idaho Transfer is a very strange film with a somewhat unique premise. Though it’s a low budget offering, it does have a novel theme of traveling to the future to rebuild society. The time travel mechanism isn’t entirely explained but is shown in a rather interesting way. And finally, the film does have a ‘twist’ ending that rivals another 70’s sci-fi classic in Soylent Green (1973).

Where to Stream / Buy: https://youtu.be/JtLZ8o6mkJM

Plot: Billy Pilgrim, a veteran of the Second World War, finds himself mysteriously detached from time, so that he is able to travel, without being able to help it, from the days of his childhood to those of his peculiar life on a distant planet called Tralfamadore, passing through his bitter experience as a prisoner of war in the German city of Dresden, over which looms the inevitable shadow of an unspeakable tragedy.

KBZ’s Take: Casual Sci-Fi film and subgenre fans might have a hard time watching this film as it’s not a typical Time Travel Film. However, we are recommending the film if you’re a fan of Kurt Vonnegut and the novel the film is based on. The film doesn’t use traditional themes of time travel but rather focuses on the psychological means of traveling forward and back in time. Overall, it’s a good film and doesn’t fit into any one subgenre, but it’s worth checking out if you haven’t seen the film (or read the novel).

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3G7KCNf

Plot: Jan is a decent, boring man, living a decent, boring life as a rocket designer. When his adventurous twin brother dies in a breakfast accident, Jan decides to impersonate him, unwittingly becoming a part of a Nazi time travel conspiracy.

KBZ’s Take: This Czechoslovakian film is a Sci-Fi Comedy and a unique one at that. Though the comedy sometimes doesn’t translate well for Western audiences, it’s a film that subgenre fans should check out. There aren’t many Time Travel films that feature Nazis that take anti-aging pills, plan to go back in time and provide Hitler with a Hydrogen Bomb, the bribery of a time machine pilot (and eventual replacement), etc. Those are some of the crazy situations found in this film but most interesting are the time travel paradoxes that develop. If you’re into the paradoxical results of time travel, then definitely check this film out.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3VcdzMn

Plot: When a novel virus devastates the world in 1976, Dr. Earnshaw notices that it resembles a virus that a Dr. Henderson found a cure for in 1871 Chicago. However, the doctor perished and his notes were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire. Earnshaw is approached by a government agent, Jeffrey Adams, who informs him of a Top Secret time traveling technology and asks for his assistance in finding Dr. Henderson and his cure. But their adventure becomes a race against time when a glitch sends them back to the day before the fire instead of the planned four days.

KBZ’s Take: Another Time Travel TV Movie with a low budget. However, unlike other 70’s TV films on this list, the story is not constrained by special effects. It’s the story itself that carries this film as it focuses on the doctor and government agent in the past trying to secure the past cure for their present-day virus. For those of you who also like Mystery Thrillers set in the past, this is a recommended film to check out.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://youtu.be/A8VSZvMAa0s

Plot: Wealthy big game hunter (Boone), along with his group, gets trapped in prehistoric times where they are stalked by a ferocious dinosaur.

KBZ’s Take: We’ll start by saying this film isn’t technically about Time Travel. Hard core Time Travel enthusiasts will argue that there isn’t Time Travel involved in this film as the group encounters this place with prehistoric creatures living in the present. However, it’s never explained how this place could exist in the present so we’re fine including the film under looser ‘Time Travel Film’ restrictions.

With all of that said, this isn’t a very good film and we’re listing it more for nostalgic reasons. Anybody who grew up in the 70’s likely saw this film on TV as it was seemingly on replay quite a bit in the late 70’s. It also has some laughable special effects with obvious men wearing dinosaur costumes, prehistoric men living in times with dinosaurs and features a lot of ‘it was acceptable then’ content that wouldn’t fly nowadays. However, it’s still fun to watch for nostalgic reasons and very young children into dinosaurs will also enjoy the film.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3VazYtrv

Plot: A scientist who has been preserved in suspended animation wakes up to find himself in a primitive society in the future.

KBZ’s Take: Fans of Star Trek will likely be familiar with this film as it was produced by Gene Roddenberry. It also features many of the same themes found within Star Trek and Buck Rogers television series. The time travel aspects of the film involve a present-day scientist finding himself in a post-apocalyptic future. It’s the themes of this post-apocalyptic society that will appeal to many fans of the subgenre including a totalitarian society at odds with a peaceful rival, futuristic concepts that are reality today (Maglev rail system) and the development of mutants that reside at the top of societal hierarchy. You won’t be blown away by the limited special effects or set designs, but the story and themes are in the wheelhouse of every subgenre fan.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://youtu.be/ta9VOvAd2bE

Plot: Hoping to repair their marriage, Jennie Logan and her husband move into a beautiful Victorian manor. When Jennie tries on an antique dress she finds in the attic, she is transported back one hundred years, where she meets the house’s previous owner, David. As her feelings for David grow, it becomes clear that Jennie is not only torn between two men and two times, but she also faces danger in both worlds.

KBZ’s Take: This film won’t appeal to the sci-fi and action fans of the subgenre, but if you like romantic films that involve time travel like Somewhere in Time (1980) and Twice Upon a Yesterday (1998), then this film will appeal to you. However, we would urge all fans of the subgenre to check out this film as it’s one of the better time travel films from the 70’s. Though the time travel ‘mechanism’ isn’t more than Jennie trying a dress from the past on and being transported back to that time period, it does delve into some of the more psychological issues with time travel and being in two separate time periods at once. Veterans of the subgenre will likely see the ending coming a mile away, but the journey getting there is well worth a watch.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3WsLlho

Plot: H.G. Wells travels forward in time to 1970’s San Francisco in pursuit of Jack The Ripper.

KBZ’s Take: This film would normally be #1 on our list of 1970’s Time Travel Films, but because it was a major theatrical release and is somewhat well known (in Time Travel Film circles), we had to relegate it to #2 on our list. This film has a ridiculous plot but somehow makes it work. The screenplay is near perfect in how it foreshadows plot devices that help drive the narrative throughout the film. Back to The Future (1985) is a similar film and screenplay that uses these same time travel plot devices to great effect. Though the film is a bit dated, it’s a good time capsule look at late 70’s San Francisco. Malcom McDowell, Mary Steenburgen and David Warner round out a cast that proves love can endure both the oceans of time and a Victorian-era serial killer.

Additional Lists: Top Time Travel Films You Haven’t Seen #7

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3WvNA3B

Plot: A squadron of Japanese Self-Defense Force soldiers find themselves transported through time to their country’s warring states era when rival samurai clans were battling to become the supreme Shogun.

KBZ’s Take: As Time Travel Films are some of our favorites and we have seen just about every film in the subgenre, we were somewhat surprised that this film even existed. We had never heard about the film until compiling our lists of the Top Films About Samurai You Haven’t Seen. And we’re glad we came across this film as it’s now one of our favorite Time Travel Films from the 1970’s.

Similar to another Time Travel film in The Final Countdown (1980), a squadron of Japanese soldiers are sent back in time to face off against Samurai. While The Final Countdown wrestled with the age-old paradox of Time Travel, “if we interfere with this past, will we change it?”, G.I. Samurai has no qualms about ignoring those paradoxes and gets right into in the action. If you ever wondered how Japanese soldiers with modern weapons would stack up against centuries old Samurai, then this is your film. Though the film is sometimes hard to follow (especially with respect to allegiances), it’s worth watching if only for the massive battle sequence in the third act. Definitely worth checking out and a can’t miss film for fans of the Time Travel Film subgenre.

Additional Lists: Top Films About Samurai You Haven’t Seen #10

Where to Stream / Buy: https://youtu.be/_Fjyf898bDo