A Glean movie guide
Stuck on Repeat: The Best Time Loop Movies
Break the cycle.
From hilarious comedies to mind-bending puzzles, these films master the art of the do-over.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Groundhog Day
The definitive time-loop comedy that balances cynical wit with a heartfelt journey toward redemption.
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 spectacle where trial-and-error becomes a soldier's only hope against an alien invasion.
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 nihilistic and funny take on the trope that explores what happens when two people share 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.
- 04
Source Code
A lean, high-stakes thriller that uses an eight-minute loop to solve a ticking-clock 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
Triangle
A dark and dizzying psychological puzzle that rewards viewers who pay close attention to every recursive detail.
When Jess sets sail on a yacht with a group of friends, she cannot shake the feeling that there is something wrong.
- 06
Happy Death Day
A clever genre mashup that injects the slasher format with humor and a satisfying 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.
- 07
Timecrimes
A masterclass in low-budget storytelling that focuses on the intricate, messy mechanics of a 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
Boss Level
An energetic, video-game-inspired action flick that finds creative ways to kill its protagonist.
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.
- 09
Run Lola Run
A pulse-pounding experiment in narrative structure that shows how tiny choices lead to vastly different fates.
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.
- 10
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes
A charming and inventive Japanese indie filmed in a single take using a two-minute temporal delay.
A cafe owner discovers that the TV in his cafe suddenly shows images from the future, but only two minutes into the future.