A Glean movie guide
Mind-Bending Time Loops with a Twist
Break the cycle.
Temporal puzzles that subvert the genre and keep you guessing until the final reset.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Predestination
A masterclass in causal loops where every revelation redefines the protagonist's entire existence.
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.
- 02
Triangle
A haunting psychological puzzle that shifts from a slasher setup into a recursive nightmare.
When Jess sets sail on a yacht with a group of friends, she cannot shake the feeling that there is something wrong.
- 03
Timecrimes
A tight, logical thriller that proves the protagonist is often his own worst enemy.
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.
- 04
Primer
An infamously dense sci-fi that demands multiple viewings to untangle its overlapping timelines.
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.
- 05
Looper
A gritty noir where the central conflict is a high-stakes confrontation between past and future selves.
In the year 2044, time travel has not yet been invented but in 30 years it will have been. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target into the past where a looper, a hired gun, like Joe is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good until the day the mob decides to close the loop, sending back Joe's future self for assassination.
- 06
Source Code
A high-concept race against time that hides a poignant secret about the hero's reality.
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.
- 07
Palm Springs
A nihilistic comedy that subverts romantic tropes by introducing a second person to the 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.
- 08
The Incident
A surreal Mexican thriller exploring the psychological toll of being trapped in infinite, looping spaces.
Two hoodlums terrorize the passengers of a late-night New York City subway train.
- 09
Edge of Tomorrow
A massive action spectacle that cleverly uses its reset mechanic to subvert 'chosen one' clichés.
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.
- 10
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes
A charming, single-take Japanese comedy that escalates a simple two-minute loop into total chaos.
A cafe owner discovers that the TV in his cafe suddenly shows images from the future, but only two minutes into the future.
- 11
The Endless
A slow-burn indie that blends cult intrigue with a unique, localized approach to temporal traps.
Two brothers return to the cult they fled from years ago to discover that the group's beliefs may be more sane than they once thought.
- 12
Happy Death Day
A clever slasher that uses the loop to turn a victim into a detective hunting her own killer.
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.