Hello Dear Reader. I write to you from the past. How is the future? Are things going well? I hope you’re enjoying those flying cars, jetpacks, and whatever new contraptions that allow you to fly around in a dangerous manner. How is it going with me? Oh, things are pretty good. I just wrapped up a 5-part series on time travel in media. I thought I would consolidate all of the posts into one place for your reading ease. Enjoy!
The Time for Time Travel Series
Part 1: Let’s Do The Time Warp Again – In my first article, I take a look at the fundamental time travel genre “mission in the past”. This includes time travel favorites like Back to the Future and Star Trek. I also talk a bit about Stephen King’s 11/22/63, which has one of my favorite time travel plot devices.
Part 2: Paradoxes Just Are – What is a time travel discussion without paradoxes? This is one of the most interesting time travel concepts. How do stories attempt to justify paradoxes and does it make sense? I examine three films, Terminator, Looper, and Predestination. Each handles the idea of a paradox in a different way.
Part 3: You Spin Me Right Round Baby – One genre that is sometimes forgotten about in time travel is the “broken record”. What do we do when we are doomed to repeat the same events again and again? I look at the quintessential broken record story Groundhog Day. It’s basically a classic at this point. Also included is Edge of Tomorrow and yes, more Star Trek.
Part 4: Unstuck on You – I love LOST. I love time travel. When the two mix perfectly, I write a whole article about it. Unstuck on You takes an extended look at LOST’s The Constant. It’s a great take on the “unstuck in time” concept and is downright the best episode of LOST.
Part 5: Others Worth Mentioning – And, uh… everything else! The potpourri article of the series. A few time travel stories I simply had to talk about in some form or another. Primer, Planet of the Apes, and even Austin Powers.