A Glean movie guide
Infinite Returns: The Best Time Loop Movies
Break the cycle.
From existential comedies to high-stakes sci-fi, these films master the art of the do-over.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Groundhog Day
The definitive masterpiece that explores the moral and psychological weight of living the same day forever.
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 epic where a soldier uses a death-triggered loop to master the art of alien warfare.
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 refreshingly cynical and hilarious modern take on the trope featuring two people stuck in the same loop.
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 lean, pulse-pounding thriller that uses an eight-minute loop to solve a high-stakes mystery.
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 genre mashup that injects the time loop mechanic into a fun, self-aware slasher mystery.
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
Triangle
A haunting and complex psychological horror film where the loops overlap in increasingly disturbing ways.
When Jess sets sail on a yacht with a group of friends, she cannot shake the feeling that there is something wrong.
- 07
Timecrimes
A masterclass in low-budget sci-fi that focuses on the messy, logical consequences of a short-term 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
Run Lola Run
A stylish, high-energy classic that explores how tiny changes lead to vastly different outcomes.
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.
- 09
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes
An ingenious, single-take Japanese comedy centered on a TV that shows the future by only two minutes.
A cafe owner discovers that the TV in his cafe suddenly shows images from the future, but only two minutes into the future.
- 10
Boss Level
A fast-paced action flick that treats its time loop like a video game where the hero must level up to survive.
A former special forces agent is trapped in a time loop and relives his death over and over again. To escape the terrible situation, he must track down those responsible and stop them.