Live Poll: Which Movie Time Machine Would You Ride?

Wow! I really like your plans... May I go with you? But if we visit Bethoven we also should have a talk with Lennon!!

Deal!

The wormhole that lead Ash and his car into medieval times: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106308/mediaviewer/rm2052792065/

Could it be considered as machine??

It was a wormhole. It wasn't litterally a machine built by man. It was magical appearing after Ash woke the powers of the necronomicon. It's the third part of the story. It ended with that in part 2 and started with that in part 3.

What about the telephone box of Bill & Ted?: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096928/mediaviewer/rm3422848000/ (An option for rockers!) :D

Sorry, I just saw you already have it on the list.

One of the most popular time machines is the Pym-Particle-time-machine in 'Avengers: Endgame': https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796/mediaviewer/rm612545538/ Quantum Tunnel – Avengers: Endgame A subatomic tunnel used to navigate through the Quantum Realm, controlled and powered by Pym Particles.

How could I passed that one!! (added!!)

I must admit, I passed it myself. Just did a little reserch in the internet on the subject and then blushed. "Avengers-fan - my ***!" ;)

Got another one - The timejump bracelet from 'The Tomorrow War' (2021) with Chris Pratt. In that picture he has a part of the time-machine on his arm: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9777666/mediaviewer/rm3138962177/

The time Machine of 'Freejack' (1992): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104299/mediaviewer/rm548242945/

The bird of prey, in which the crew of the Enterprise jumped forth in time with the two whales George and Gracy in 'Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home' (1984): https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0092007/mediaviewer/rm1270805761/

In Interstellar the pocket in space was the time machine. Maybe you remember this scene?: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816692/mediaviewer/rm104398337/ He sent morse-codes to his dauther in the past through it. He later re-united with her, not aged, but she was an old woman: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816692/mediaviewer/rm2370920961/

In 'A Sound of Thunder' (2005) with Ben Kingsley, rich people take a voyage to past for Dinosaur-safari: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318081/mediaviewer/rm3271815937/

Wow... you have make me remember some and investigate a lot... 'The Tomorrow War' (2021)...The braczalet is not the machine... I have read (not seen the movie) that the machine is a kind of "stargate" portal in the future... and only connecto present and 30 years from present "Freejack"... bodies dont travel in time... just energy and souls... Ii dont think anybody would like to ride it... 'Star Trek 4... They travel in the Enterprise... not really a time machine... the use gravity, a close orbit to the Sun and light velocity as a time catapult Interestellar... they can comunicate with other time, but not really travel 'A Sound of Thunder': yes, they definetively have a time machine... and I love the crazy idea of what they use it for... I have to watch that movie!! (Added!!)

I've just seen the movie yesterday. The bracelet in 'The Tomorrow War' surely is a part of the time machine, so it is connected to. It warns the soldier before it happens. No matter what, they travel in time in masses. Same for the other suggestions. An airport company like British airways could offer time travels one day, if they can manage to travel in time in masses. If a space ship is used for a time warp, the space ship itself is the time machine by using the other factors with it. And they clearly use the ship as a time machine. For time travel there would always be physically factors used, because time itself is a physical factor. Ok, the wormhole in 'Interstellar' would be very questionable, because it is an singular appearance the pilot uses, not same like in the Star Trek movie, where the physical factors they use are permanently present. In 'Freejack', the protagonist clearly traveled in time. Just because the time isn't good, doesn't mean it's not a time travel. If properly used in right hands, it can be wonderful I guess.

But I think the vehicle (space ship) should not be considered as the machine... they could be traveling in any thing... even i.e. a superpowered horse, or atomic underwears and do that manouver to travel in time... I will review the options

just out of curiosity, the most famous timemachine is a tunnel https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060036/mediaviewer/rm1719113728/?ref_=ttmi_mi_11_3

Ups... I only knew the tv series... I didn't know there was a Dr. Who film

Also didn't knew the tunnel, but I won't include as is a TV serial and not sure if consideres as a "machine"

the whole time travel installation was the size of a 800 floors building and 12,000 people worked in it.

thats huuuuge... must be close to the Death Star

@AlbertoMazarro and @mariojacobs, I wonder how many of us remember watching Tony and Doug travel through time via the Time Tunnel. Size comparison: The Death Star I is much bigger that the Time Tunnel complex, approximately 21,400 times bigger. Death Star I: 120 to 160 kilometers (approx. 75 to 100 miles) in diameter. Death Star II: 160 to 900 kilometers in diameter (often cited as 160 km in current canon). Complex Depth: 800 floors deep (under the Arizona desert). Personnel: Over 12,000 to 36,000 specialized personnel. https://g.co/gemini/share/3b870ffa4324

😮 "That is not a Moon"

Tenet: could not find a decent pic Dr Who: included by mariojacobs in the film "Dr Who and the Daleks" Primer: the machine is the thing in this pic https://www.imdb.com/es-es/title/tt0390384/mediaviewer/rm3315972608/ ??? Planet of the Apes: I understood that the spacecraft is not a time machine, but they come back to the Earth in a distant future because the duration of the trip Terminator: added!! Thanks a lot...

Tenet (2020), Safety Not Guaranteed (2012), Meet the Robinsons (2007), La Jetee (1962), 12 Monkeys (1995), Predestination (2014), Project Almanac (2015) and Midnight in Paris (2011) Midnight in Paris (2011) Traveller: Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) From: 2012 → 1920s → 1890s Method of Travel: Peugeot Type 176 https://m.imdb.com/title/tt6723592/mediaviewer/rm2510542593/?ref_=ttmi_mi_10_2 https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0396555/mediaviewer/rm555063296/?ref_=ttmi_mi_12_2 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114746/mediaviewer/rm383060480/?ref_=ttmi_mi_15_4 https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0056119/mediaviewer/rm1601114625/ https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1862079/mediaviewer/rm2606344450/?ref_=ttmi_mi_3_4

Just saw tt1862079 ... Its a little jewel, I liked it a lot... Cannot be added to the list because it would be kind of spoiler

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1605783/mediaviewer/rm1917954306/?ref_=ttmi_mi_20_3 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2436386/mediaviewer/rm277150720/?ref_=ttmi_mi_7_3 https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0480669/mediaviewer/rm1082556673/?ref_=ttmi_mi_15_2 https://m.imdb.com/title/tt8743064/mediaviewer/rm1746429184/?ref_=ttmi_mi_1 (Better Shot pending) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8155288/mediaviewer/rm1515235586/?ref_=ttmi_mi_2 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8155288/mediaviewer/rm1189714433/?ref_=ttmi_mi_3_2

Thanks! I have added some of them, but I thint the others cannot be considered... I.e. in Midnight in Paris I think travel in time is more a magic metaphore or nostalgic sensations

I am surprised that the time traveling airboat in 'Safety Not Guaranteed' (2012) or the time travel backpacks in 'See You Yesterday' (2019), or the time traveling hovercars in Meet the Robinsons (2007) don't cross the coolness threshold.

Just because if you say it is a time machine, you are spoiling the whole film

You could use still list the options in the poll and use spoiler brackets to hide the text description for those who choose to remain in the dark. Personally, I think if movie is decade or older and someone hasn't gotten around to seeing it yet, the gloves can come off. Also, I think you don't have to be as cautious about small to medium spoilers. Plus, I think it maybe a disservice to the majority of polltakers for the minority that have not seen the film.

Ok, ok, you convinced me... it is a really cool movie

[spoiler] hidden text [/spoiler]

FYC, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023 film) Archimedes' Dial, Aka Dial of Destiny https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1462764/mediaviewer/rm1809683714/ (An Antikythera mechanism built by the ancient Syracusan mathematician Archimedes which reveals time fissures, thereby allowing for possible time travel.) I just saw 'One More Shot' (2025 film), an Australian time loop movie last night, which uses a Bottle of Time Travelling Tequila as its time-traveling mechanism, with each shot swig taken initiating a time loop or time reset for the drinker. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9425856/mediaviewer/rm419137794/ (Plot: Each shot takes her back to the start of the night -- giving her a bottle's worth of shots to win back her old flame Joe, and change the course of her life.) Their are multiple bottles of time travel tequila in the film. The Minnie character uses her gifted bottle (some 15 years after receiving it) in a single night to jump back hours to reset her life a dozen times from the start of the night. Whereas, her friend Rodney uses his bottle multiple times over decades to jump back years and reset his life from when he first bought his bottle in an effort to construct the perfect life. It is implied that the bottles maybe part of single batch or specific brand, as they both were bought during a shared trip to Mexico, they both share identical packaging. Rodney has been in search of more bottles for decades, but hasn't been able to find any others, until he sees Minnie's bottle this night. The tequila label partially translates from Spanish as "devil's piss", but it is unclear if it is a figurative warning or a literal statement, as the back story is very unclear. While, the actual time travel mechanics and the pros/cons of changing one's timeline are discussed in-detail.

Both facilitate travel in time, but I think are not time machines, as the first one is used to calculate time and place where a fissures in time exist... and the second takes you in kind of a time loop, but you cant really choose anything... I definetively have to watch this movie!!

Fair points

Hehe... So confortable that I think I will stay and don't travel

Forgot to paste... done now, thanks

@AlbertoMazarro, For your consideration: The Twilight Zone episode starring Buster Keaton, where he uses a time machine, is titled: "Once Upon a Time" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734607/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734607/mediaviewer/rm1708735488/ It was the 13th episode of Season 3, and originally aired on December 15, 1961. Keaton plays Woodrow Mulligan, a pessimistic janitor in the year 1890 who is dissatisfied with his quiet life. He uses a "time helmet" invented by his employer to travel 70 years into the future (1961/1962), hoping to find a better time. The scenes set in 1890 are presented in the style of a silent film, with intertitles and a piano score, as a tribute to Keaton's legendary career.

@AlbertoMazarro, I realized after I made my suggestions that your poll is about Movie Time Machines, so my suggestions do not fit your poll's criteria.

Well... time passes as we discuss it 😁

Maybe it's a good pick. I don't know that TV series. Alberto's poll idea is about movies' time-machines. :D

Welcome, originalhgc

It should be movies, not TV... I added Tardis because it also appear in a movie, not only in Dr Who serials

@AlbertoMazarro, There is a film that features Mr. Peabody and Sherman. It's a 2014 animated science fiction comedy film from DreamWorks Animation, based on characters from the "Peabody's Improbable History" segments of The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends. Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0864835/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0864835/mediaviewer/rm1438764288/ Sherman, a young boy, misuses a time machine made by his scientist father Mr. Peabody and causes the world history to go haywire. It is now up to Mr. Peabody to rescue his son and the world. The WABAC Machine (pronounced "Way-back") is a central element in both the original TV show and the 2014 film, but its appearance, backstory, and function are handled differently. Here is a breakdown of the WABAC Machine in each version: The Original WABAC in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show (1960s TV series) Appearance: A very simple, large device resembling an early mid-century computer. It was a stationary plot device—Mr. Peabody and Sherman would enter a door on the machine to instantly transport to the chosen time and place. Name/Acronym: It is known as the "Wayback Machine" or the "WABAC Machine." The acronym WABAC was never explicitly spelled out in the cartoon. It is widely understood to be a humorous nod to the names of early computers like UNIVAC and ENIAC. Function/Role: It was Mr. Peabody's invention, given to Sherman as a birthday gift, purely for "educational adventures." The formula for each segment was simple: Mr. Peabody would say, "Sherman, set the WABAC machine to [time and place]..." They would visit a historical event, find a crucial element was "wrong" or distorted, and Mr. Peabody would "correct" history (often with a pun as the payoff). The return trip was rarely, if ever, shown, as the machine was primarily a way to kick-start the five-minute cartoon segment. The WABAC in the Film Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) Appearance: A highly advanced, sleek, futuristic, self-contained sphere or orb that can travel on its own, functioning like a futuristic spacecraft. It is designed to be a vehicle rather than a stationary booth. Name/Acronym: It is still the WABAC Machine, but the film provides a specific, elaborate acronym: Wavelength Acceleration Bidirectional Asynchronous Controller Function/Role: The machine is still used by Mr. Peabody to teach Sherman history, but its role in the plot is significantly more dramatic. The film establishes strict "rules" for time travel—specifically, not meeting your past self. A central conflict of the movie is created when Sherman takes the WABAC on an unauthorized joyride to impress his classmate Penny. This breaks the rules of time travel, causing a rip in the space-time continuum that brings historical figures (and past/future versions of themselves) into the present, which Mr. Peabody and Sherman must fix. In summary: The original WABAC was a simple, stationary comedic plot device, while the film's WABAC is a sleek, advanced vehicle whose misuse drives the entire, high-stakes plot.

Sorry, Dan. With the search words, originalhgc gave us ("Peabody's Improbable History," from Rocky & Bullwinkle.), the first match was: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4397876/ So I didn't realize there was also a movie. But it is and the movie is: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0864835/ The wayback machine (WABAC) plays a central role. Correct. So it should be a candidate. Sorry for that, originalhgc. :D

@Breumaster, If I had not already known that their was a 'Mr. Peabody & Sherman' movie, I would have had a hard time finding it. I also could not have found it. I had to resort to using Google Gemini to find it initially. I finally found the film on IMDb via The Bullwinkle Show Connections: Spin-Off https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052507/movieconnections/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052507/movieconnections/#spin_off Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) This movie is based off of the Peabody's Improbable History segments. Rocky and Bullwinkle can be seen as portraits in Peabody's movie.

I dint want to include cartoons, but your effort deserves it... WABAC machine added... I love the way it is pronounced!!

@AlbertoMazarro, I would have understood if you had excluded this since it is a cartoon. However, for those of us old enough to have seen "The Bullwinkle Show" when it first aired, "Peabody's Improbable History" brings a bit of nostalgia.

I think in many of the polls we are playing to bring nostalgia back, so it is a very good addition

@AlbertoMazarro, By the way, the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine is directly named after the fictional WABAC machine (pronounced "way-back") from the 1960s cartoon segment, Peabody's Improbable History, which was part of The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends. The founder of the Internet Archive, Brewster Kahle, is indeed a fan and openly acknowledges that the name of their archival service is a direct reference and tribute to the cartoon's time-travel device. Kahle and the Internet Archive have confirmed that the name was chosen as a "droll reference" because their digital archive performs a conceptual equivalent for the internet: it allows you to visit "way back" in its history. The connection is a clear and intentional nod to the classic animation. The WABAC machine allowed Mr. Peabody and Sherman to preserve and visit human history; the real-life Wayback Machine allows us to preserve and visit web history.

Wow!! this is a gooood story! Thanks for sharing... Its a pity I never watched those cartoons... May be they didnt get to Spain

@AlbertoMazarro, A good example of a classic "Mr. Peabody's Improbable History" segment available on YouTube is: Title: Peabody's Improbable History - Ludwig Von Beethoven Channel: bullwinklecanada Summary: Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman travel back in the WABAC machine to the time of Ludwig Von Beethoven to inspire him to write his famous Fifth Symphony. You can watch the segment here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnmiwo79aTg = = = The Internet Archive has recently celebrated reaching an extraordinary milestone: archiving 1 trillion web pages through its Wayback Machine. 🎉 This achievement, which represents nearly three decades of preservation work since the project began in 1996, safeguards a vast record of the internet's history. The celebration included various public events throughout October 2025.

Very nice cartoons... Funny and children would learn somo historic characters... Hope todays were like this

Thannnks a lot!!