A Glean movie guide
Caught in the Loop
Relive the day, change the outcome.
Essential films where time resets, repeats, and challenges reality.
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 loop mechanic to turn its protagonist into the ultimate soldier.
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 genre that explores the existential dread and fun of being stuck with someone else.
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 taut, 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
Happy Death Day
A clever slasher-comedy hybrid where a college student 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.
- 06
Run Lola Run
A kinetic, visually inventive film that uses a branching narrative to show how small choices change 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.
- 07
Primer
The ultimate puzzle film for viewers who want a grounded, highly technical, and complex look at time travel.
A group of fledgling inventors discover a complex method to manipulate reality. At first, they successfully game the stock market with it, but the consequences of the invention start to catch up with them.
- 08
12 Monkeys
A gritty, atmospheric masterpiece that explores the haunting inevitability of fate and time.
In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly and the son of a famous virus expert who may hold the key to the Army of the 12 Monkeys; thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.