A Glean movie guide
Caught in a Loop
Relive the day again and again.
Essential films where time repeats, resets, and refuses to move forward.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Groundhog Day
The definitive time loop classic that perfectly balances cynical humor with genuine character growth.
A cynical TV weatherman, along with his idealistic producer and his sardonic cameraman, is sent to report on Groundhog Day in the small town of Punxsutawney, where he finds himself repeating the same day over and over.
- 02
Edge of Tomorrow
A high-octane sci-fi thriller that uses the repetition mechanic to turn its protagonist into a master tactician.
Major Bill Cage is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously demoted and dropped into combat. Cage is killed within minutes, managing to take an alpha alien down with him. He awakens back at the beginning of the same day and is forced to fight and die again... and again - as physical contact with the alien has thrown him into a time loop.
- 03
Palm Springs
A fresh, modern take on the trope that explores the existential dread and fun of being stuck at a wedding forever.
When carefree Nyles and reluctant maid of honor Sarah have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding, things get complicated when they find themselves unable to escape the venue, themselves, or each other.
- 04
Source Code
A tense, fast-paced thriller that forces the hero to solve a mystery within a strict eight-minute window.
When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.
- 05
Run Lola Run
A kinetic, non-linear masterpiece that shows how tiny changes in a repeating window can alter everything.
Lola receives a phone call from her boyfriend Manni. He lost 100,000 DM in a subway train that belongs to a very bad guy. She has 20 minutes to raise this amount and meet Manni. Otherwise, he will rob a store to get the money. Three different alternatives may happen depending on some minor event along Lola's run.
- 06
Predestination
A mind-bending puzzle that dives deep into complex causal loops and the consequences of time manipulation.
Predestination chronicles the life of a Temporal Agent sent on an intricate series of time-travel journeys designed to prevent future killers from committing their crimes. Now, on his final assignment, the Agent must stop the one criminal that has eluded him throughout time and prevent a devastating attack in which thousands of lives will be lost.
- 07
Timecrimes
A masterclass in low-budget tension that follows a man caught in a dangerous, self-inflicted causal loop.
A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour. Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.
- 08
Happy Death Day
A clever slasher-comedy hybrid where the protagonist must solve her own murder to break the cycle.
Caught in a bizarre and terrifying time warp, college student Tree finds herself repeatedly reliving the day of her murder, ultimately realizing that she must identify the killer and the reason for her death before her chances of survival run out.