Time Travel Movies

[Triple Lex]

Looking at time travel movies, I think there are lots of interesting questions to be asked, especially concerning paradoxes. I thought it might be fun to talk about some. For example, in the Back to the Future trilogy and the Terminator franchise, there are many things that can be discussed:

Back to the Future

How is it possible for the group (particularly Marty and Jennifer) to go into the future and see themselves? They will have disappeared from the past to travel there, and as such, will cease to exist in 1985, thereby making it impossible for their future selves to exist in 2015.

In BTTF III, there are two DeLoreans in the 1885, the one Doc traveled back in, and the one Marty traveled back in. The same car, but two simulataneously exist. Why didn't Doc and Marty think about that?

Do George and Lorraine, or even Biff, remember Marty from 1955? Remember, 1955 Doc said it would be 30 years before he would get a chance to talk to Marty about what happened in the last few days.

Taking into account the Frequency factor, wouldn't future Marty and Jennifer instantaneously acquire the memory of traveling into the future from 1985? That would seem like a pretty memorable event.

Terminator
If John Connor sent back Kyle Reese to protect Sarah Connor, yet Kyle Reese is his father, how is it possible for John Connor to send Reese back if Reese had never been there in the first place? (That one's kind of hard to articulate)

If the Terminator (any one of them) had actually succeeded in killing Sarah/John Connor, wouldn't the Terminator simultaneously disappear? That is considering the fact that John Connor would not have lived into the future, and thus there would have never been the impetus in the future for the machines to send back a Terminator in the first place.


Those are just a few of them for now. I'm starting to get confused myself. :p

Of course, some would say that it is examining these films too deep, and maybe so, but I thought it would be fun to analyze such things. Anyway, any thoughts, comments, or questions of your own?

[Zungas]

My favorite is Time Machine with Rod Taylor.

[Chi Town]

Ever read the book Timeline?
It had an intersting approach to the time travel look.
It will happen no matter what you do. You can' change anything. Then again it went off the multi verse theory from what I remember.

The again it kinda pushed aside alot of stuff to get to a not so good novel.

Time Travel is messy.

[tonyrino8]

Originally posted by Triple Lex


In BTTF III, there are two DeLoreans in the 1885, the one Doc traveled back in, and the one Marty traveled back in. The same car, but two simulataneously exist. Why didn't Doc and Marty think about that?

I don't think Doc would even consider touching the DeLorean he hid for Marty to find, (once Marty came back) because he would of changed a future event, & would of caused a major paradox!!




Of course, some would say that it is examining these films too deep, and maybe so, but I thought it would be fun to analyze such things. Anyway, any thoughts, comments, or questions of your own?

I think you're right in the first 13 words........!!

& time travel IS messy.........:confused:

[Triple Lex]

Originally posted by tonyrino8
I don't think Doc would even consider touching the DeLorean he hid for Marty to find, (once Marty came back) because he would of changed a future event, & would of caused a major paradox!!

Makes sense, but if it wasn't damaged and put back in the same place, it is still possible. Of course, I don't even know what they would use it for. :lol:

And actually, I don't know why I tagged on that question at the end of that one. I just thought it was interesting that there would have been two DeLoreans.

Anyway, they couldn't use it to travel back to 1985 because a paradox would occur as you said.

[DarkseidX]

Back to the Future is a great one. I dont know about Terminator.

[Jellie]

i dont know if anybody has seen it but do any of you remember a movie starring christopher reeve were he goes back in time. I saw it many yrs ago i cant remember much about it other than it doesnt have a happy ending. Has anybody else seen this film?

[axisoftime]

That film is 'Somewhere in Time' and was released I believe in 1980.Its a good movie-and not a happy ending at all.
My favorite time travel movies -
1)Back to the Future
2)Back to the Future 2
3)The Time Machine (1960s version)

As to the BTTF questions-Id say when they went to 2015 and saw themselves-it would mean that they did indeed get back to 1985 and resume their lives,of course then Marty should have known his past self would be visiting. Unless he simply forgot-which is also why George and Biff dont recoginize Marty 30 years later-they only knew him for a week.

[Slade]

The best way to look at it is MULTIVERSE.

The way I think of it is once the individual travels through time they are not actually traveling through it but outside of it. Whenever they reach a point of time that has happened or is supposed to happen they enter that universe. Just because they enter that universe does not mean it is completely theres because obviously the individuals future has yet to happen because the individual is there looking at the future(other universe).

To explain why Marty or Jenifer's future self's dont remember seeing themselves is because technically didnt, BECAUSE thats a SEPERATE Universe and in that universe they did not travel through time and therefore did not see themselves. Not only that but because the Marty and Jenifer that do travel through time exist OUTSIDE of normal time and space.

The Doc tried to explain kinda in the second movie. When he was talking about how Marty's dad is dead and Biff is all rich. He explained that in that world(UNIVERSE) thats what happened but not what happened in Marty's world(UNIVERSE).

As to the Terminator question "What if the Terminator killed John Conner"

Perhaps in the future the machines end up not sending an operative BUT the current one would still exist because he exists OUTSIDE of time therefore hed pretty much stick around and do nothing or kill as many humans as he can whatever. So ya thats my two cents.

[subminimal]

Originally posted by Slade
The best way to look at it is MULTIVERSE.

Well actually the multiverse model doesn't work for Back To The Future, since otherwise Jennifer would have ended up in a separate Universe from Marty when he left her sleeping in the crime-ridden 1985 Hill Valley in the second movie. I think Doc explains that reality just adjusts itself, somewhere in the third movie.

Also, if you introduce a multiverse then it introduces all sorts of further complications (e.g. at the end of the first movie Marty turns up in the new timeline and is surprised to find George is successful, but what happened to that timeline's Marty McFly who was used to his dad being successful?)

[Slade]

Well you can never answer all the questions. Thats why a lot of times they try and tell us not to think about it too much :D

[SwedishSuperhero]

You know, headaches are so much funnier when there´s ice cream involved. :\

But anyway, since I don´t believe time is so concrete that it could actually be travelled through, I don´t really mind the incontinuity issues as those in BTTF. However, supposed that the multiverse theory would be the case, then what happens to the "originals" in the alternate realities? Where did the Marty McFly who grew up with a successful writer as a father go when the Marty who made this happen came and took his place? Or the one who had Biff as a stepfather, even though I´m sure he was tired of living anyway. Maybe they could explore this in a new trilogy called "Back to Reality" or something.

And one last thing, how do you think people will look at the rendition of 2015 in Back to The Future II in said year? In any case, I highly doubt there would be any similarities.

[veinsofman]

Time After Time is a very enjoyable film about time travel.

[smallvillerox05]

I've seen the Back to the Future trilogy, the Terminator trilogy, and Frequency (same themes) and BTTF is my fave, followed by Frequency.

Time paradox: "A situation in which the effect of an incident contradicts or eliminates the cause of the same incident." (BTTF DVD set)

Wouldn't Marty, Jennifer, and Doc traveling to the future in BTTF II to stop Marty Jr. from being arrested have eliminated the cause of them going to the future? And if they don't go to the future how can they interfere with Marty Jr. being arrested?

[Queen_Sarah]

i love back 2 the future!!!

i dont think about it, just watch it :)

[Shinzon2004]

Here is my list of time travel movies:

1.-The Back to the Future Trilogy
2.-Time after Time
3.-The Time Machine
4.-Star Trek IV:The Voyage Home
5.-Somewhere in Time
6.-Time Line
7.-Bill and Ted s Bogus Journey
8.-Flight of the Navigator



I dont remember any more time travel movies,but I love the
BTTF trilogy and Time After Time.....

Oh,I forgot:

9.-The Final Countdown
10.-The Philadelphia Experiment

[OrangeKarma]

i don't really want to list my favorite TT movies...because my list would just rehash those here...but a couple of other cool TT movies are...

Millenium
Time cop

[RedKgentleman]

I love BTTF also. That's a fun movie. Not many movies like that anymore.

[subminimal]

Originally posted by SwedishSuperhero
But anyway, since I don´t believe time is so concrete that it could actually be travelled through, I don´t really mind the incontinuity issues as those in BTTF. However, supposed that the multiverse theory would be the case, then what happens to the "originals" in the alternate realities? Where did the Marty McFly who grew up with a successful writer as a father go when the Marty who made this happen came and took his place? Or the one who had Biff as a stepfather, even though I´m sure he was tired of living anyway. Maybe they could explore this in a new trilogy called "Back to Reality" or something.

There was a series of essays by Bruce Gordon on this subject in Starlog magazine back at the time of the movies. If you google for "The other Marty McFly" (include the quotes) you can find parts of them.

[johnny fogg]

I was molded into the person I am today by watching Back to the Future movies at age four. "Whoa, Doc, this is heavy."

Man, I wanted to BE Marty McFly. Two's my favorite, I'm not really sure why. Maybe because when Marty goes to the 'future' it's just a souped-up version of the 80's, or like 'Blade Runner' had a child with Candy Land. Or maybe because he bought ONE THING while in the future it altered the past and Biff ended up ruling the whole town. I know every line from one and two. Three sucked, everyone knows it. "Nobody calls me a chicken!!" Good times.

Has anyone mentioned 13 Monkeys with Bruce Willis yet? (I think it was 13 monkeys, maybe another number) That was a surprisngly good time-travel movie.

And the only reason Time Cop isn't complete garbage is because Ron Silver makes a good evil SOB. Van Damme belongs on Sesame Street teaching youngsters how to count, his very voice distresses me.

[OrangeKarma]

Actually it was 12 Monkeys and I had forgotten completely about that one...a GREAT flick...espeially the twist!!!

and in my opinion the most realistic view of time travel, i think it would make you sick and mentally unstable.

[johnny fogg]

Right, unlike in Time Cop, where the only danger is if you actually TOUCH your past/future self, you can yap directly to them all you like, and hand them stuff, and give them dietary advice. : P