Independent time Travel movie

Some day, people from the distant future will travel back to our era and inform us that science has conclusively identified the best movies about time travel. Until then, though, we're forced to make our own judgements. Luckily, there are a few time-travel movies that have rocked our space/time continuums more than any others.

In honor of the upcoming time-travel films Men in Black III and Looper, here are our picks for the 10 greatest time travel films ever made.

10. Timecop

Jean-Claude Van Damme keeps the timeline in line... with his fists and his feet. This is one of those great underrated action movies, in which there's actually a reasonably solid plot and a fun approach to changing history. It's just what it says on the tin — Van Damme is a time cop — except that Ron Silver is a sleazy Senator who wants to use time travel to take power, and and Van Damme's jurisdiction is about to be... revoked. Plus there are time sleds! We still want to see Timecop Vs. Robocop.

9. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Star Trek has featured a lot of time travel over the decades, but this might be our favorite instance. Even apart from being good Trek, this is a great example of the "people from an advanced future wander around our barbaric era and get confused" story. Including Spock trying to learn to cuss and Kirk trying to work his old-school charm on a woman who's used to even older-school charm. Oh, and Scotty trying to talk to an Apple Mac Plus.

8. Time After Time

Star Trek II director Nicholas Meyer adapted a novel about H.G. Wells chasing Jack the Ripper to 1979, where the Ripper attempts to recommence his life of crime in a more violent era. A classic of steampunk design — as well as a great spin on the "fish out of water" trope that comes with a lot of time travel, from the past or future to our own era. Malcolm McDowell is perfectly earnest as Wells, and every great time travel movie should feature David Warner as a ruthless villain. (See below.)

7. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

It's probably not surprising there are a fair number of comedies on this list — given the inherent silliness in time paradoxes, and bringing historical figures forward in time, or future people backwards in time. This film is one of the most joyfully silly science fiction comedies of all time, anchored by the truly excellent performance of George Carlin as the visitor from the future, Rufus. The titular Bill and Ted are a pair of slackers who discover they inspire a whole future society with their band's music and their philosophies... and given access to a time machine, they wreak the best havoc. Including Jane Wiedelin as Joan of Arc.