The Best Time Travel Stories

[Rockvillejoe]

Talking about the schlocky "Time Cop" on another thread, (http://www.ronfez.net/forums/showthread.php?p=1499791#post149979), it came to mind that regardless how ridiculous some of the production values were, the premise of time travel made that movie eminently watchable, even today, 13 years later. For me, it all started in '84 with Terminator 1. That movie had me still thinking about it weeks later. What other time travel movies/TV/ books are out there worth a look see? What say you?

[Furtherman]

I recently watched the original 1960 The Time Machine, which I felt was a better movie than the 2002 remake. Of course the special effects were not as great as today's but they were not as bad as you might think. I thought the story was better overall, and it didn't include the love story added to the beginning of the remake. The original has George conversing with three colleagues, and it's a very funny and more scientific dialogue of questions as to why a man might travel through time.

http://www.music-in-your-ears.com/pumpkin_time001.jpg

http://www.zamandayolculuk.com/cetinbal/PU/timemachinehg11.jpg

The Time Machine's DVD has an extra documentary called The Time Machine: The Journey Back, which is an incredible story of the movie, HG Wells and other time travel stories, including promotional material Michael J. Fox made for Back To The Future, which pays homage to this movie in a few ways. It also has a sequel to The Time Machine. It's about 10 minutes but it has the original actors, Rod Taylor and Alan Young, back in the laboratory and its really cool, a perfect end note for the movie.


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My favorite book on Time Travel is Time And Again (http://www.amazon.com/Time-Again-Jack-Finney/dp/0575073608/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-1602725-4753428?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193673818&sr=1-1)by Jack Finney. The way time travel is accomplished is very original and works well. A lot of the story takes place at the Dakota and old New York City, and the book does include pictures of old New York, which is always cool. There is also a sequel, From Time To Time (http://www.amazon.com/Time-Jack-Finney/dp/0684818442/ref=sr_1_6/103-1602725-4753428?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193673349&sr=1-6), which is also a great story. I haven't been up on my time travel readings as of lately, so please, anyone, recommend!!


I've always been a fan of these kind of stories ever since I read a story in grade school that I found in our school library. Unfortunately I cannot remember the name or author. I think it was a story in a collection of other stories.

I remember it took place in a town where something was going wrong with time, as ancient soldiers appeared out of nowhere, and the sky was full of passenger pigeons, which had been extinct for years. It was so bizarre and crazy it gave me nightmares, but I loved it. Anyone ever recall a story like that? Probably not, but I thought I'd try.

[realmenhatelife]

12 Monkeys is probably my favorite

[LiddyRules]

A Sound of Thunder!! Ed Burns brings Dinosaurs back!!

[zerothehero]

12 Monkeys is up there for me.

Although the movie sucked, the book "Timeline" by Michael Crichton was pretty cool.

[TooLowBrow]

the time travelers wife

[Chigworthy]

There was some book by Larry Niven where a space traveler accidentally travels to the galactic core and back while in stasis. When he gets back to earth humans have devolved and cats have turned into catsnakes.

[bigtim666]

Back to the Future 1-3

[zentraed]

"12 Monkeys" without a doubt. When I was in high school, I was always knocking the time travel in Back to the Future because if there's one timeline, then the past has already been affected by time travellers; you can't change anything by sending people back. "12 Monkeys" was the first movie I ever saw that followed that principle.

"Primer" is also a good one.

[Axem Red]

12 Monkeys definently. I heard Sound of Thunder sucked, interesting premise though.

[Furtherman]

I heard Sound of Thunder sucked, interesting premise though.

I hope LiddyRules was kidding. Yea, it was a terrible movie, mostly because the special effects were done with a company that went bankrupt during the creation so they weren't finished... the movie was delayed... then finished with a half assed job. It is too bad, because it could have been a good movie.

[drusilla]

bill & ted!!!!

no really. i do love the bttf movies & 12 monkeys. so weird. i had to watch it a few times to fully get everything when i first saw it.



"Primer" is also a good one.


i've said it when it came up in another thread a while ago, but that seriously might be one of the worst movies ever made. so incredibly boring.

[Judge Smails]

"Slaughterhouse 5" was always one of my favorite books. Though I'm not sure if you'd call it time travel per se or just a guy trapped in living his life in random order. Still pretty cool, and it's by the same author that brought us "Welcome to the Monkeyhouse".

[Coach_Mac]

Deja Vu
Butterfly Effect
Cube 2

[milliehatchett]

I agree with TooLowBrow...I've gotta give a big old thumbs up for The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - an amazingly creative story.

[grlNIN]

Bill & Ted, Terminator and beth me am shamed...Amry of Darkness!!!

[drusilla]

Bill & Ted, Terminator and beth me am shamed...Amry of Darkness!!!

i'm an ass. i blame my sinuses!

[JPMNICK]

12 Monkeys is probably my favorite

i agree

[drusilla]

Butterfly Effect




i totally forgot about the directors cut of the butterfly effect too. it's way up there in my list of great movies.

[JPMNICK]

i totally forgot about the directors cut of the butterfly effect too. it's way up there in my list of great movies.

was it that much different and better? i felt like that movie went on for 1 or 2 flashbacks to long

[drusilla]

i watched the directors cut first & i thought it was really really good. then i watched the regular ending & it was totally lame in comparison. the directors cut blows it away. ties some more stuff together too. i might only think that it is so good because i saw the directors cut first.

[lleeder]

I think 12 Monkeys is one of my favorite movies of all time. I like the original Time Machine and the Planet of the Apes movies are a type of time travel movie I guess if you put them all together.

[Ay Kay Forty2]

I just read Chuck Palahnuik's most recent book, Rant. It's written in the form of a oral biography of the main character. With a cast of characters that know Rant Casey and talk about his life. The big twist of the book deals with Time Travel and the Grandfather Paradox, so I don't wanta reveal anything else about it. Pretty sweet novel.

[lleeder]

I just read Chuck Palahnuik's most recent book, Rant. It's written in the form of a oral biography of the main character. With a cast of characters that know Rant Casey and talk about his life. The big twist of the book deals with Time Travel and the Grandfather Paradox, so I don't wanta reveal anything else about it. Pretty sweet novel.

Thanks alot I was just about to start reading that. Oh well I guess I'll just throw the book into my fireplace for kindling.

[DarkHippie]

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

[Hottub]

Planet of the Apes.
Followed by Beneath, Escape and Battle!
The premise is fucking brilliant!

[Stankfoot]

I gotta go with Primer. Its not perfect. I'm sure the 7k budget limited what he was able to accomplish. I just like the "simplicity" of their time machine. Inside the box time goes in reverse; if you want to go eight hours into the past you must spend eight hours in the box. You cannot go back further back than when the box was turned on. You can only go back in time, not into the future. To me thats more feasible than a time machine with dials that you select a particular date and go there. In the movie once they develop the box and start using it I find it hard to believe the only thing they can think to do with it is get stock tips....

[sailor]

http://www.majipoor.com/images/uglylittleboy_1993.jpg

[ZigZagBigBag]

time bandits, yo.

[drusilla]

I gotta go with Primer. Its not perfect. I'm sure the 7k budget limited what he was able to accomplish. I just like the "simplicity" of their time machine. Inside the box time goes in reverse; if you want to go eight hours into the past you must spend eight hours in the box. You cannot go back further back than when the box was turned on. You can only go back in time, not into the future. To me thats more feasible than a time machine with dials that you select a particular date and go there. In the movie once they develop the box and start using it I find it hard to believe the only thing they can think to do with it is get stock tips....


is that what it was about?

[Furtherman]

is that what it was about?

Yes. And despite it being more of a character piece than a special effect laden movie, it really is excellent. You just have to pay attention.

[drusilla]

painful