Best Time Shift Movie

[Jumbie]

I know there are other movies out there, but the poll only lets me put ten up. Feel free to give alternatives in the discussion

 

I didn't include Terminator cuz it would have gotten votes for it's action not it's time travel elements.

[The NZA]

Thanks again to Jumbie for havin me see "Frequency", that was a good call, sci-fi boy. Twas cool.

Army of Darkness was a seperate dimension i believe...hey i know what ya said bout action flicks an all but where's Demolition Man? I liked that one back in the day.

[octodious]

Memento was an overlooked option.  I would deem this film as the best candidate for the award.   In its stead I have voted for the scientist in the Back to the Future series.

[The NZA]

Guess i wasnt too clear, thought "time shift" had to be at least a few years, whereas Momento, while a great freakin movie, was only shiftin a few weeks or so around, as i recall.  Anyway, if that one was up there, id pick it too.

(Hate to agree with HAL here...)

[JunkerSeed]

I went for Back to the Future, since I didn't know if we're voting on how good the movies are, or how they handled the time shift, but Back to the Future rocks either way.  Best way any movie ever handled time travel in my opinion is 12 monkeys.  I liked the fact taht they could go back in time, but only to collect information to help em in the future, they couldn't go back and change anything.  Um, another Gilliam one that should be up there, Time Bandits!!!  don't know if any of you have seen it, but Mike can back me up on this one, me and Kym made him watch it in Texas.  It's about a buncha dwarves that steal the map of tiome from God and go around different time frames stealing shit.

[Jumbie]

Gonna have to check out TIme Bandits...

 

12 monkeys dissapointed me at the end... And demolition Man is actually a great pick Nick. It was a true scifi movie in it's imagining of the future and the gadgets and politics of it.

 

I should also mention The Philadelphia Experiment 2. It's kinda similar in concept to Final Countdown: WW2 being altered by modern technology travelling back intot he past.

 

The poll limits the choices to ten, so like I said, I didn't get to put all the good stuff up there. It's probably a good thing though, cuz we'd have more things to vote for than actual votes.

[The NZA]

What didnt ya like bout 12 Monkeys ending? Sure, i know you saw it comin a mile away & all, but it was still good...

[Jumbie]

To tell you the truth, I dont' remember exactly what it was that I didn't like.

 

It had to do with the way there was no conflict resolution. Nothing changed. I guess that was kinda the point of the movie though. I gotta see it all again. I might even have a different opinion.

[Mulan]

I loved frequency though I was tempeted to put Kate and Leopold for the women's vote.  But Had to go with the obvious better.  Anyways everytime I see that movie I just want to cry.  I wonder if my dad's seen it.  He likes the whole firefighter dad angle.  My next question would be when will cowboy buy this DVD to add to his growing collection?

[Octopus]

I voted for Star Trek First Contact, just because in general I hate time travel stories but Data was awfully cute in that movie...  

 

But, I think 12 Monkies was the best. So what if the ending was predictable, that was one odd movie. And it forced me to accept that Brad Pitt is actually a good actor, not just a lump of meat. (No, I don't think he's that sexy, but most women do... Bleh.)

[King of Snake]

I'd have to choose Time Bandits, closely followed by 12 Monkeys. Time Bandits is one of those films from my youth that I may see one day and wonder what I saw in it, but I have faith in Terry Gilliam that it's as good as I remember.

Of the vote choices I'd go for Army of Darkness.

'How'd ya like some hot chocolate! Huh! Huh! Huaaaagh!!!'

[The NZA]

over 3 years later, and im still happy Kate & Leopold didnt get a vote.

[Reverend Jax]

12 Monkeys is still my pick, though I'm upset Groundhog's Day didn't get mentioned in any post.

 

Did anyone ever see 12:01? It was the exact same time shift concept of Groundhog's Day, but it was a thriller with Jonathan Silverman (the guy from the TV show, The Single Guy).

[The NZA]

No, never heard of it...was it good?

[Reverend Jax]

Yeah, as long as you weren't comparing it to Groundhog's Day.

[Jumbie]

Still havent seen 12 Monkeys since this thread started.

 

I still remember feeling cheated by the ending though...

 

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ANy new Timeshift movies since this thread was last active? I remember Butterfly effect, though I didnt see the whole thing.

[daytripper]

Hey, if Timecop made it on the list you gotta put Harry Potter 3 :p

12:01 was a made for TV movie as I remember, pretty good though

I think the tops on this list is Frequency. I totally bought the concepts presented. Most time travel movies hit a paradox where you wonder when was the first time the person went back in time and how long will it loop :P

 

And "The Time Machine" had great special effects to boot

But 12 Monitos had to be my fav

[JunkerSeed]

Pretty recently Primer did a hell of a job with this idea. Probably the most "realistic" time shifting movie I've ever seen.

[soldier of fortune]

"goody little two shoes!"

 

God i loved army of darkness!

[Jumbie]

OK, I went and rewatched 12 Monkeys.

 

It was as good as I remembered, but I understand now why the ending spoiled the whole thing for me.

 

I think the movie's failure to alter the past was what did it. I think, that since I saw it after T2, I had been accepting as the default position that the future was going to be changed.

 

I see now, that in the context of the movie's time travel system, it was a false expectation. The past cannot be changed. Willis' character says so many times. He's not in the past to change it, but merely to find information on the virus.

 

Which is why the ending comes off strange: His superiors send him a gun in the airport and order him to kill a man, meaning that they ARE going to try and change the past.

 

The guy sitting next to me was seeing 12 Monkeys for the first time. His reaction was the same as mine when I saw it the first time: "What? That's the end? just like that? That was stupid."

 

Like I said, I think a lot of it has to do with the common idea at large in the world from so many other time travel movies that the past can be changed and will be changed.

 

 

Being prepared for the ending this time, I actually appreciated the movie a lot more. If I had to do over this poll, I'd definitely make 12 Monkey's a choice. (and not just for the comic effect of it like with Time Cop.)

 

SO, Demolition Man and 12 Monkeys: THat's 2 I missed.

 

I ain't seen Harry Potter 3 or Time Bandits so I can't comment on those.

Edited December 12, 2005 by Jumbie

[Jumbie]

OK, just saw Time Bandits. Very good in the 80's Goonies kinda way.

 

Horrible effects of course. And childish in it's portrayal of the history. There was some good stuff with Michael palin and John Cleese and Sean Connery, though.

 

he ending

 

[spoilers!!!!]

 

was a weak point for me, since it was a deus ex machina. It did lead in to some interesting questions for god like, why do we have evil? but that was kinda glazed over.

 

The very final ending was weird too. I mean it was wickedly funny how his parents were arguing over whther they should have saved the toaster or the blender from the fire and completely ignored saving him. But when they just died and that was it... seemed more like the ending for a horror movie, really.

========================================

 

Anyways, there's a rumour that the director of Time Bandits wants to remake it. It could be wicked good if they update the special effects, but I hope they don't loose the British feel of the comedy.

[The NZA]

i added that to my list of movies to see a long time back, coulda sworn it was you that told me to do so...

[Reverend Jax]

Well, it seems Jumbie doesn't like how Terry Gilliam movies end. I guess my advice is don't watch the director's cut of Brazil, which has one of the world's bleakest movie ending ever. Instead watch the butchered theatrical version the studio released for mass consumption.

[Silent Bob]

Well, it seems Jumbie doesn't like how Terry Gilliam movies end. I guess my advice is don't watch the director's cut of Brazil, which has one of the world's bleakest movie ending ever.

 

But also one of the best.

[Jumbie]

Well, I explained about the 12 Monkeys thing.

 

As for Time Bandits, I think I'm justified too.

 

How can you defend a Deus Ex Machina ending? It never works. It always fizzles.

 

Also, it's not the bleakness that got to me, per se. It's the fact that the whole movie is comedic with a neurotic Napoleon and An absolutley HILARIOUS Robin Hood etc. Even God is played for laughs.

 

The ending just didn't seem to fit the spirit of the movie. I admit it was funny when the kid yells, "don't touch it, it's Evil" and his parents naturally touch the Evil. But then the last scene is a just an orphaned kid standing alone in front of his burned-out home and incinerated parents while Sean Connery drives off and leave him all alone. Hardly comedic.

Edited November 5, 2006 by Jumbie