A Glean movie guide
Time Loops With a Twist
Relive the day, rethink the reality.
Mind-bending films where the loop is only the beginning of the mystery.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Predestination
A masterclass in paradoxes that builds toward one of the most shocking narrative reveals in sci-fi.
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
Edge of Tomorrow
High-stakes combat meets a clever, evolving loop mechanic that keeps the action relentless.
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
Source Code
A tense, race-against-time thriller where the digital nature of the loop hides a deeper, emotional twist.
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.
- 04
Triangle
This psychological puzzle box uses its loop to create an increasingly unsettling and complex nightmare.
When Jess sets sail on a yacht with a group of friends, she cannot shake the feeling that there is something wrong.
- 05
Timecrimes
A brilliant Spanish-language thriller that demonstrates how a single mistake can spiral into a perfect 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.
- 06
12 Monkeys
A gritty, deterministic classic that explores the futility of changing the past.
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.
- 07
Palm Springs
A refreshing, character-driven take on the genre that finds humor and heart in an infinite day.
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
Primer
The ultimate puzzle film for those who want a complex, non-linear experience that demands your full attention.
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.